Founder seeks to nurture ‘religious pluralists’
Graeme Morton, Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, October 27, 2007
Afroza Nanji thinks an interfaith council of young Calgarians dedicated to sharing their spirituality and serving their city in practical ways is an idea whose time has come.
The city dentist sold her practice in March to pour her heart and soul into founding the IDEA (Interfaith Dialogue, Education and Action) Youth Initiative.
While the project is still in its early stages, Nanji hopes IDEA will eventually take root in cities across Canada.
She says the Calgary project draws from a successful model that’s been operating in Chicago for a decade.
“We have a number of avenues for interfaith dialogue between adults in Calgary, but I sensed there was a gap that needed to be addressed for those at the high school and university-age level,” says Nanji, a Muslim.
Twelve young people — two each from Calgary’s Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Baha’i, Sikh and Hindu communities — have been meeting every two weeks since mid-September to share the traditions of their faith, get to know each other and plan social action projects.
More at Calgary Herald
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