Ramadan, Lent overlap highlights ‘we do have differences, but there is more in common,’ says imam | CBC News
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It’s rare for Muslims and Christians to be observing their respective months of fasting and prayer at the same time.
Muslims observed their first full day of Ramadan on Wednesday, coinciding with Ash Wednesday, which kicks off Christians’ 40-day observance of Lent.
This year marks the first such overlap in more than 30 years. Ramadan’s timing varies significantly each year based on the lunar calendar, while Lent begins in February or March, as it is observed immediately before Easter.
Chris Dowdeswell, dean of the Diocese of Calgary and incumbent priest of Calgary’s Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, says the religious events coinciding is an opportunity for unity and understanding.
“We’re both celebrating divine revelation,” he said. “That’s what the focus of both of these seasons are.”
“It’s a great opportunity to help the different faiths understand each other better,” Dowdeswell said.
Different denominations of Christianity observe Lent differently, but the season’s three core pillars are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
During Ramadan, practising Muslims don’t eat or drink between sunset and sunrise for 29 or 30 days. When the sun sets, the fast is broken with a meal called iftar.
According to the latest census results from Statistics Canada, more than 44 per cent of Calgary’s population is Christian. Of those, about 20 per cent are Catholic.
Meanwhile, 7.4 per cent of Calgary’s population is Muslim, making it the city’s second-most practised religion, as well as the second-most across Canada.
“I hope this opportunity provides a springboard to some deeper connection amongst our communities,” Dowdeswell said. “It’s good to get outside of our buildings, to visit one another and to have face-to-face conversations.”
Imam Syed Soharwardy of the Al-Madinah Calgary Islamic Assembly echoed that sentiment.
“I’m very happy that this coincidence brought us together as a people of two different faiths,” he said. “Definitely, it shows how much commonality there is between Christianity and Islam. Yes, we do have differences, but there is more in common.”
The two monotheistic faiths focus on similar principles, both during these holy observances and as a whole.
“This fasting, whether in Ramadan by Muslims or in Lent by Christians, it is for the pleasure of God,” Soharwardy said.
Ramadan culminates in the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, while Lent ends with Easter.