Father Toufic is a man I felt immediately drawn to when I first met him. I’m not sure if it was purely his beautiful spirituality or whether I was influenced by the beauty of the village of Maaloula (in Syria) where he pastors his congregation. Either way, he’s a man I would like to spend …
This is the only interview in the collection that wasn’t done with this book in mind. It came about simply because my friend, Sheikh Mansour, called me one day back in 2009 and said, ‘Do you want to come to Canberra with me and meet the former President of Iran?’ I said ‘sure’, because it …
I was introduced to Dr Nour Kabbani by my friend, Ansari Jainullabudeen, who described Dr Nour as ‘his Sheikh’. Dr Nour is a Sufi – an Islamic mystic – and, as such, his relationships with his students are more intimate and personal than what one might expect between a regular cleric and members of the …
I can’t remember the first time I met Sheikh Jehad, but I seem to remember him being introduced to me by some guys in the boxing community. Jehad has an excellent rapport with young people and plays a powerful role in mentoring Muslim young men across Sydney. Jehad was one of the first Muslim clerics …
Like most Australians, I first became aware of Father Rod Bower through the signs he posts out the front of his church building in Gosford. There were signs in support of asylum-seekers, signs supporting the rights of gay and lesbian people and, most relevant to us here, regular signs expressing goodwill towards the Muslim community. …
Anne Aly is an amazing woman. She’s a mother, an academic, an expert in counter-terrorism, Australia’s first female Muslim MP, and she’s got a great sense of humour. I first met Anne at an interfaith presentation in Canberra where she immediately impressed me with her passion and authenticity. I then read her autobiography – Finding …