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World Religions Conference returning to Hay River Reserve

A World Religions Conference will be returning next month to the Hay River area for the third time.

The conference – to be held on the Hay River Reserve on Sept. 17 – is being organized by the Calgary branch of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada, which presents such gatherings across the country.

K'atlodeeche First Nation Chief Roy Fabian, left, and Calgary's Basheer Islam, a representative of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada, will be two of the speakers at a
World Religions Conference set for Sept. 17 on the Hay River Reserve. NNSL file photo

Kalim Ahmed, a volunteer conference organizer with Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada, said the purpose of the conferences is to allow members of all faith communities to meet and remove any misunderstandings between them.

"We have had a tremendous reception in Hay River," he said.

The topic for the conference this year is Fundamentals of Establishing Lasting Peace.

Ahmed noted there are threats of war in parts of the world and nationalism is on the rise.

"But it's not just only the global scenario," he noted. "This topic can be brought down to smaller levels."

In fact, he said it can relate to communities and even families.

The panellists for this year's conference will be K'atlodeeche First Nation Chief Roy Fabian, speaking from the native spirituality perspective; Rev. Francis Delaplain of St. Andrew's Anglican Church, speaking from the Christian viewpoint; and Calgary's Bashir Islam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada, representing the Islamic perspective.

The moderator will be Mayor Brad Mapes.

The conference at the Chief Lamalice Complex, which will be preceded by a barbecue, will open to the public at 11:30 a.m.

Islam and Ahmed were in Hay River on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13 to finalize details of the conference.

While here, Islam briefly addressed the annual assembly of KFN on Aug. 13.

"I very strongly feel that the world has much to learn from the Dene people," Islam told the assembly.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada is part of an international organization that was founded in India in 1889 and now has chapters in 97 countries.

The World Religions Conferences began 122 years ago in India, and they have been held in Canada for 35 years.

This year, a conference will also be held in Yellowknife for the 11th time.