Earlier this year, I attended the Ottawa convention of the Islamic Society of North America.  One session was on interfaith dialogue, with presentations by Abdul Rashid, an Islamic scholar, and Sister Jean Goulet, a Catholic nun.  Rashid emphasized the Qur’anic basis for the practice of dialogue: “O mankind!  We created you from a single pair of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other.”  “The primary source of labeling and denigration of a faith or an ethnic group is suspicion and ignorance,” said Rashid, “which usually stem from feelings and expressions of pride, superiority, prejudice and hatred and sometimes fear.  And the only remedy for this lies in mutual dialogue and discussion.”  Goulet outlined what dialogue is and is not.  It is not debate, not a chat or friendly conversation, and not preaching.  Rather, she sees it as something deeper, a growing in understanding of the beliefs of the other.  It is necessary, she urged, to listen intently to try to understand and to see what there is in common.  In dialogue, one experiences “the mystery of encounter,” she said.  It is not an effort of conversion.  The opposite of dialogue is not, as has been claimed, a clash of civilizations.  Rather, it is a clash of ignorance.  Rashid and Goulet are involved in a Muslim-Christian dialogue group, and I decided to attend a session to find out what it was like.  The meeting was on December 12 at the Ottawa home of retired imam Dr. Farid Ahmed.  Fourteen participants were in attendance, all wearing Western attire.  It was chaired by Dr. Safaa Fouda, a Muslim engineer.  She called on a Catholic priest to open the session with a prayer.  Then the formal program began.  The topic for the evening was “Celebrations in Islam and Christianity.”  A Protestant woman provided a detailed presentation which she ran off on her computer printer, beginning with a dictionary definition indicating that a celebration could be joyous, grave, or simply ceremonial.  The hand-out listed Christian celebrations, how they were identified in prophecy, and how the prophecy was fulfilled.  Then a Muslim woman went through the Muslim calendar to identify and describe the Muslim holidays.  Following these introductions, the participants engaged in a thoughtful discussion on holidays and their meaning.  When the issue of commercialization of holidays arose, those present were uncertain as to where they stood, finding both positive and negative elements.  On the negative side, they were concerned about trivialization.  However, they also saw the growing multi-faith aspect, celebrating not only Christmas but also Eid, Chanukah, and Duwali, as strengthening interfaith harmony and multiculturalism.  As well, they saw the possibility that some people thus exposed might find the jewel of faith within, a jewel which they want to re-emphasize in the midst of the commercialization.  There was genuine warmth shown by those in attendance for one another.  It was clear that they had been together for some time.  However, the emphasis was all on the positive.  Such an attitude toward beliefs around celebrations would be easier for Muslims than for Christians, as the Muslims are able to accept the meaning of just about all the Christian celebrations, excluding references to the divinity of Jesus.  On the other hand, the Muslim celebrations involve the addition of “something more,” which Christians do not accept.  After the session closed with a Muslim prayer, I approached an Evangelical Protestant who attended and asked her what she thought of the views of Rev. Franklin Graham, who had declared that Islam is “an evil religion.” She replied that she was still learning about Islam and would not yet be prepared to take a position on the matter.  She was troubled by some verses in the Qur’an, but she was aware that people took quotations from the Bible out of context to strain their meanings. The response of this woman identifies a possible shortcoming of this dialogue process.  From her Evangelical perspective, does she believe that the Muslim participants, to whom she feels warmly, are all going to go to Hell?  And if so, is there any place in the dialogue where this can be acknowledged, and if acknowledged, accepted? Whatever limitations there may be, this getting to know one another is a vital element in helping Canadians to live together in mutual appreciation and respect.