Interfaith bridge-builder honoured

Khalid Mahmood is in good company.

In proudly accepting the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the Advancement of Interreligious Understanding on March 26 from Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville, he joined an elite group of Manitobans who received the award in the past.

Like all those past recipients — among them Free Press faith writer John Longhurst, radio host and newspaper columnist Rev. Karen Toole, synagogue lay leader Bill Weissmann, former Winnipeg Police Service chief Devon Clunis and Ojibway Métis elder Mae Louise Campbell — Mahmood was recognized for his commitment to encouraging and promoting harmony, bridge building and interfaith dialogue between diverse religious communities in the province.

When Mahmood immigrated to Canada in 1974, he became one of the first Pakistanis and one of the first Ahmadiyya Muslims to choose Winnipeg as home. His activism on the part of Ahmadiyya Muslims, who, he explains, are discriminated against in Pakistan, and his interest in interfaith initiatives began soon after he was settled. Building relationships between different groups and service to humanity are, he explains, essential elements of the Ahmadiyya Muslim faith.

Most of Mahmood’s activism has been channelled through the Ahmadiyya Muslim Centre and Mosque, which he helped found in the Lord Roberts neighbourhood 33 years ago. His involvement with the centre has including serving as its interim president, treasurer and secretary, and, currently, as its community outreach co-ordinator.

“In its early days, members of our community would gather weekly in one another’s homes to pray and plan outreach activities,” Mahmood says, in explaining the origins of the centre. “As the community grew, we recognized the need for a dedicated space — a centre where we could come together regularly for worship, connection and service.”

“The Muslim centre,” he continues, “was established to serve as a hub for spiritual, cultural and social engagement, not only for congregants but for the broader Winnipeg community. It provides a space for prayer, as well as programs such as community events, information sessions and initiatives that promote civic engagement and social responsibility.”

“A key focus of the centre,” he continued, “has been fostering interfaith dialogue and building relationships across different communities. Through open houses, interfaith events and outreach activities, we aim to create understanding, reduce misconceptions and strengthen social cohesion.”

In addition to his involvement with the centre, Mahmood served as co-founder and president of the Pakistan-Canada Cultural Equation, a non-profit organization focused on race relations and multi-culturalism, while supporting and promoting the specific language and culture of Pakistani Canadians. He also served as a representative on the Manitoba Ethnocultural Advisory and Advocacy Council and has frequently lent his support to newcomers to Canada, helping them navigate the asylum-seeking process and access to housing, education and employment opportunities.

“Khalid has been very engaged, over the last 30 years, in interfaith work,” explains Rocky Baronins, chair of the Manitoba Multifaith Council’s community relations committee that nominated Mahmood for the award.

“He has co-ordinated interfaith symposiums, organized Muslim youth groups to visit churches, Hindu temples, Sikh temple and synagogues in Winnipeg. He also hosted events to make community members aware of Muslim practices during Ramadan.”

Through those and numerous other initiatives, Mahmood has brought together Manitobans from Indigenous, Bahai, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Spiritualist and, of course, Muslim backgrounds, to share with one another, learn from one another and gain respect for one another.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the Advancement of Interreligious Understanding is not the first official recognition that Mahmood has received for his volunteerism, optimism and repeated efforts to make his adopted home of Winnipeg a more caring, more compassionate and more tolerant place. Way back in 2002, Mahmood also stood in Government House as a different Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, the Honourable Peter. M. Liba, awarded him the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for his outstanding and exemplary contribution to his community.

Much has changed in his community, in Winnipeg, in the world and in the realm of religion in the 24 years that separate Mahmood’s two awards, but in spite of those changes, or likely because of them, Mahmood continues to listen, learn, network, reach out, ask in and shake hands with Manitobans from other backgrounds and with other beliefs in the name of interfaith connection.

Those efforts are especially critical now at a time when religion is increasingly being used to divide people.

“There is still a great deal of misunderstanding about religion — both between different faiths and even within the same faith communities,” Mahmood says. “These misunderstandings can lead to prejudice, fear and division. When people have the opportunity to meet face to face, have open conversations and learn from one another, they begin to see their shared humanity. This helps break down stereotypes, reduce bias and challenge misinformation. It creates space for respect, empathy and genuine connection.”

“In today’s world,” he emphasizes, “this work is especially critical.”

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