What’s a friendship dinner without hummus

On Tuesday evening Mitch Sohmer, the head of the Concordia chapter of Hillel, called to invite me to a Muslim-Jewish friendship dinner the next evening. I was skeptical at first, but felt compelled to hear him out.
My first worry was that the dinner would be politically charged, like so much interfaith dialogue these days. There is only so much debate I can take before I get worn out, especially at the dinner table. As much as I love free food, I have trouble digesting it when politics are served as the main course.
In my brief time at Concordia, I have sensed hostility among religions. Concordia is a politically volatile environment. Also, I had never had a meaningful conversation with a Muslim. Never actually sat down with a Muslim and discussed the similarities between our faiths. My entire knowledge of Islam stemmed from political awareness and formal teachings by non-Muslims on the history of Islam.
Long story short, I really didn’t know what to expect out of this friendship dinner.
Sohmer assured me that the focous of the evening would be making connections, not political discourse. The organizers were hoping to foster understanding on a religious level. I was intrigued.
The prospect of the friendship dinner inspired a new hope in me. Perhaps civil dialogue was possibility. This could be an opportunity for religious people began to grasp their similarities and understand their differences.
I went to bed with hopes that the next night’s dialogue would be intriguing and fruitful, and was I ever right.
I entered the Hillel building fashionably late, and to my relief the old theory – that Jews are inherently late – doesn’t only apply to Jews, but may just be a Middle-Eastern trait
After brief introductions, we sat down around the table, eyes fixed on the fresh hummus and pita before us. I took a moment to look around the room and was happy to see that the attendees had not segregated themselves by faith like they would have in normal circumstances. The table was beautiful, Jews, Muslim (and even a few Christians!) were intermingled and conversing amongst one another. Not about politics or other controversial topics, but about school, sports, news and life.
What’s more, they were talking about religion. Not arguing though, just talking. Nobody was trying to one-up anyone else. Nobody was being skeptical. The dialogue genuine and real connections were being made.
As a new student I had many questions to ask about life at Concordia – from what courses to take, to why the Al-Taib keeps charging me the same price when the cost is based on weight
It was understood that although many of us were there for the free food, dialogue was an important aspect. After all, who likes to eat their meals in silence?
The evening featured speeches from the heads of the Muslim Student Association, Abdullah Husen and Sohmer and a short presentation from the Concordia Multi-faith Chaplaincy.
The speeches were light in tone but very heavy in content. They spoke of the need to combine and connect with each other in a social and religious manner. Mr. Husen particularly emphasized the importance of networking and breaking barriers between religions, as eventually we will all need to communicate with each other, whether at work or on a global scale.
The message was felt throughout the room. We were all there for a reason. We are all getting the same education and graded by the same standards, why is it that we cannot all connect in a friendly and cordial manner, regardless of our political views?
I left the friendship dinner with a weight off my shoulders and questions racking my brain. Why are the prayers over the food so similar? How is it that Ramadan and the Jewish High Holidays are so alike? Why was it so easy for me to talk to everybody but it is so hard for the rest of our community to do the same? Is it so hard to put away our political beliefs and just talk about sports and business together?
As I write this piece I am struck with how important dialogue is to understanding. I think if there is one thing I can take away from this dinner, it is that there is hope for co-existence. With that in mind, I would encourage each and every person at Concordia, to go out and meet somebody unlike your self. With the amount of culture at Concordia, students have the ability to be truly diverse in their knowledge base.