Sheikh Shoaib is a gentle and passionate man with a deep commitment to both social justice and interfaith harmony. He is also a scholar. This interview took place in Shoaib’s centre in Guildford on 12 September 2017.
Father Bob Maguire – the Larrikin Priest – is a kindred spirit. Indeed, he has been an inspiration to me for many years. If he didn’t live a thousand kilometres away, I’d have tried to spend a lot more time with him and be properly mentored by him. We have a common leaning towards those …
Finding prominent Muslim women to interview for this book was a challenge. It’s not just that Islam doesn’t ordain women. In the Arabic and Persian communities I’m involved with, men tend to spend most of their time with other men, and women with women. As a man, I naturally didn’t develop as many friendships with …
Dr Hassoun is one of my favourite people in the world, and someone I pray for every day. He made a deep impression on me the first time I met him. I see him as an archetypal spiritual leader. They say that ‘a fish rots from the head’, meaning that if the leader of an …
Friends: Father Dave and Dr Hassoun – the Grand Mufti of Syria Read More »
What follows is an extract from a submission about religious freedom, submitted to the Australian Federal Parliament by my friend, Rev. Michael Palmer. The submission was based on what we saw and heard during our trip to Syria over New Year 2017. Father Dave ‘A Window into the Freedom of Religion in Syria: and implications …
A Window into the Freedom of Religion in Syria and implications for Australia Read More »
Father Toufic, in my view, is an archetypal priest. As Parish Priest of St George’s Melkite church in Maaloula (Syria), he has pastored his parish through the worst possible crisis. Jabhat Al Nusra over-ran his town in 2013. Three years later, the signs of destruction are ever-present. St George’s church has been rebuilt but, as Father Toufic says, …