Christians, Jews and Muslims unite at B.C. event to call for end to Israel-Hamas conflict

Members of faith groups from across Metro Vancouver came together at an event on Sunday to call for peace and an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Dozens of people from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communitiesgathered at Baitur Rahman Mosque in Delta, B.C., for Voices of Peace, a nationwide campaign launched byAhmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada.

The gathering began with prayers led by each faith leader and was followed by a panel discussion in which community members couldask questions and share their concerns.

Imam Umran Bhatti of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at says he hopes that bringingtogether different faith groups can ease the rise in polarization in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict and ultimately bring peace to the Middle East.

"Regardless of our religious backgrounds, regardless of our teachings, we must come together as one and promote love for all, hatred for none and call for a ceasefire in the Middle East where innocent people are losing their lives on a daily basis," Bhattisaid.

Laura Duhan-Kaplan, professor of Jewish Studies atthe Vancouver School of Theology and rabbi emerita at Vancouver'sOr Shalom Synagogue,says a message of peace and hope in times of darkness is especially significant this week as the Jewish communitymarks Hanukkah.

"We're seeing violence, harassment, bullying, vandalism,other kinds of hate crimes,and I think it is very, very important for spiritual leaders and religious leaders in Canada to stand together and say we want a peaceful multicultural society here,"Duhan-Kaplan said.

In a statement released in early November, B.C.'s human rights commissioner Kasari Govender said the Israel-Hamas conflict hasresulted in a surge of hate incidents and violence toward both Jewish and Muslim people in the province.

Jaynas Prasad of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Surrey, B.C., said the event was emblematic of how greater unity can be achieved.

"There's a lot of heartache seeing what's going on in the Middle East and so as we come together, shake our hands, give hugs ... I think [we can] come to some sort of not conclusion but ideas on how we can help our community through this crisis," Prasad said.

The fighting in the Middle East began on Oct. 7 when Hamasmilitants staged surprise attacks in Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. In response, Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Around 18,000 people have since been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza, with 49,500 injured, according to the territory's health ministry, which is run by Hamas. About 100 of the Israeli hostages were freed during a week-long truce that ended on Dec. 1.

Battles raged across Gaza on Sunday as Israel indicated it was willing to fight for months or longer to defeat Hamas, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a ceasefire was fading.