University interfaith event brings students together

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This article was published 21/12/2024 (635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As university campuses across Canada continue to be roiled by geopolitical divisiveness, on campus interfaith initiatives continue to attract students and faculty from diverse backgrounds to interactive events designed to educate, engage and remind participants about what they share in common.

One such event was recently organized and hosted by the Punjabi Students’ Association at the University of Manitoba. That inaugural event, Celebrating Oneness, brought together students from a variety of faith and culture based campus community clubs and groups in celebration of unity, love and oneness under God.

“The Celebrating Oneness event was inspired from the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder and first Guru of Sikhism,” explains Prabhnoor Singh, the founding president of the Punjabi Students’ Association, also known as 5SA.

Those teachings, Singh elaborates, impart that all of mankind is the Divine’s family and that everyone, therefore, should recognize the light that is shared by all and love and celebrate one another.

Celebrating Oneness was a drop-in event at which participants—who were asked to remove their shoes and cover their heads upon arrival—sang hymns, viewed a documentary about Guru Nanak Dev Ji, participated in a gratitude ceremony, and partook in a communal meal, called langar. Representatives of the different groups at the event also gave brief presentations about their faith or culture and their religion’s approach to the concept of oneness.

“Inter-faith gatherings offer valuable opportunities to learn about and appreciate the diversity of religious beliefs and practices, fostering respect, understanding, and cultural sensitivity,” says Singh, who served as master of ceremonies at the event. “They highlight shared ethical values such as peace, and justice, showing that despite theological differences, many faiths emphasize similar principles.”

Singh’s remarks are echoed by Lindsay Kerr, director of the Jewish students group, Hillel. Hillel was one of the faith based groups that presented at Celebrating Oneness, and included in its presentation the singing of a Hebrew prayer for world peace and an introduction to the teachings of Rabbi Nachman, the founder of one branch of religious Judaism’s Hasidic movement.

“There are two main, and equally important, purposes of interfaith events,” Kerr says.

One of the purposes is to expose people of one faith to people of another faith so that they can better understand and respect one another.

“There are so many differences across humanity but at the end of the day, we are all so similar,” Kerr continues. “The more we can hone in on those similarities and use them as a foundation, we can then start to explore the differences and how groups can complement each other.”

The second purpose of interfaith student events, she adds, is to build relationships on campus and in the community.

“It is always easier to build and strengthen relationships when climates are calm so finding shared interests allows us to do that,” Kerr adds. “The hope being, of course, that when things do come up on campus we have allies within the community.”

The success of Celebrating Oneness and the openness and excitement with which the event was received has already got the Punjabi Students Association thinking about hosting it again next year. In the meantime, the group is planning other interfaith events for the remainder of the school year. These include a Punjabi Mock Wedding event to showcase the richness of Punjabi culture, and the celebration of Turban Day in April.

Turban Day, officially recognized by the Government of Manitoba in 2022, is designed to raise awareness about Sikh culture and the significance of the turban, a symbol of spirituality, equality, humility and respect. For the Punjabi Students Association, it will also be a day to meet again with their new friends from other faiths and converse with them about their shared beliefs and values.

“From a Sikhism perspective, interfaith conversations are important as they align with the core Sikh values of humility, respect for all, and the belief in the oneness of humanity,” Singh says. “Engaging in interfaith dialogue helps to break down barriers, promoting understanding and compassion, which are central to Sikh ethics.”

“Ultimately,” he adds, “these gatherings create a sense of unity in diversity, helping to build a more harmonious, compassionate, and interconnected world.”

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