Clarington, Ont. mosque opens doors to educate after Qur’an incident | 24CA News
With the latest spike of Islamaphobic incidents within the Greater Toronto Area, a mosque in Durham Region is extending an olive department.
This comes after the neighborhood in Courtice was harm when a pupil allegedly ripped a Qur’an throughout an schooling session.
Leaders within the Muslim neighborhood introduced everybody collectively at A Taste of Ramadan.
“It makes me feel very proud of my school board, and my school,” says Ahmed Ali, a pupil at Courtice Secondary School.
“My school principal and teachers are interested in learning about my religion, and that makes me very happy.”
With meals, enjoyable and schooling, neighborhood leaders got here collectively and opened their doorways and hearts on the occasion. Representatives with the Al Rayan Islamic Centre in Clarington welcomed members of the neighborhood with quite a few instruments for schooling about their faith, and a large buffet of meals for an actual Ramadan expertise.
“It’s amazing, many of the people here having dinner with us have taught me,” says Shafin Shah, the president of the Muslim Student Association.
“My biology teacher and my principal, all coming to visit.”
The gathering comes from what was a unfavorable incident of hate final month at Courtice Secondary School. Although what occurred shocked the neighborhood, the outreach co-ordinator with the Clarington Islamic Centre, Zhaihan Rashid, stated it sparked the thought to start out a dialog with everybody — and assist open doorways.
“It’s really to break down the walls of ignorance and to increase information,” stated Rashid.
During the incident, college students who’re a part of the Muslim neighborhood had been operating an occasion at their faculty — to struggle towards Islamaphobia. A gaggle of friends reportedly got here in, ripped the Qur’an and disrespected the sacred textual content.
Alaa Gehani, a pupil on the faculty, spoke to Global News on the time and says they had been heartbroken to see such hatred in direction of them.
“Seeing how people were proudly damaging that book, something that is important to us, it broke our hearts,” stated Gehani.
Since the incident, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has saved an open dialogue with leaders within the Muslim neighborhood. The director of schooling for the board, Rita Russo, says they’re working to revive belief.
“Out of a negative story can come good,” says Russo.
“We are working with our staff, with education and training for all of us — for the Courtice Secondary School staff and all of our board staff.”
The occasion gave educators and residents an area to study extra in regards to the faith and its significance.
“I think it’s important that we create these spaces where we can share these ideas,” stated Rashid.
And with incidents of hate showing to extend — such because the latest assaults at a Markham Mosque — organizers say it’s extra essential than ever to proceed bringing everybody collectively.
“I hope it will also increase harmony. I hope it will stop the potential of future events that cause disharmony and really unrest,” he says.
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