RELIGIOUS SOCIAL ACTION COALITION NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

Ramadan Mubarak (a Blessed Ramadan) to our Muslim friends, neighbours and community, the month of March, 2025.

Explanation of Ramadan.

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is an act of worship and obedience to God. Fasting is advocated by all three Abrahamic religions, though with varying restrictions.

The primary goal of fasting is to attain God-consciousness—guarding oneself against unlawful thoughts, desires, and actions. Fasting takes place annually during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, known as Ramadan. The word “Ramadan” comes from the Arabic word Ramad, meaning “dehydrating thirst” and “sun-baked ground.” It symbolizes the hunger and thirst experienced by those who fast. Through fasting, Muslims develop empathy for those who struggle daily with hunger and thirst, fostering a spirit of generosity and charity.

Ramadan (fasting) has many dimensions, but the most significant aspects related to God-consciousness include:

1. Strengthening one’s connection with God through intensified acts of worship—fasting, praying, reciting, and reflecting on the Quran and its message—as well as through character building, self-discipline, and self-restraint. This helps cultivate a strong character based on high moral and spiritual values.

2. Strengthening one’s connection with people through acts of compassion, forgiveness, justice, equality, love, and a spirit of caring and sharing. The most significant of these is sharing wealth with those in need, including relatives, community members, and others. This practice fosters selflessness and contributes to building a healthy and balanced society.

Ramadan serves as an institution for the moral and spiritual development of Muslims and the establishment of a healthy and sustainable society. Fasting instills a true sense of social belonging, unity, and brotherhood, reinforcing the idea of equality before God. This sense of unity is a natural outcome of the fact that when people fast, they join the entire Muslim community—more than one-fifth of the world’s population—in observing the same practice, in the same manner, at the same time, for the same purpose.

During Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the Quran, as it was revealed in this month. The Quran was sent down as “a guide to mankind, and a clear guidance and judgment so that mankind may distinguish right from wrong” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185). Ramadan is the month of the Quran, taqwa (God-consciousness), mercy, forgiveness, freedom from hellfire, unlimited blessings, charity, spiritual upliftment, self-discipline, and purification of the soul. It is a time for treating inner ailments, fostering unity, practicing gratitude, strengthening relationships with both the Creator and His creation, and engaging in self-reflection and transformation to become better believers. It is reported that the Prophet’s companions would pray throughout the year, saying, Allahumma Ballighna Ramadan (“O Allah, allow us to reach Ramadan”).

Ramadan is a beacon of hope for believers, reminding them of the resilience and strength within their faith. This is the month in which the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions struggled for their survival—and, more importantly, for the survival of Islam…

Ramadan is a living month—it brings life to those who fast. Likewise, the Quran is a living book—its teachings provide spiritual nourishment and guidance. The holy month offers a framework for voluntary change and communal cohesion without the enforcement of state or institutional authority. It unites Muslims in worship, seeking Allah’s forgiveness and blessings while caring for one another.

Islam is a transformative religion, and Ramadan serves as an annual training ground for transformation—turning ignorance into knowledge, darkness into light, despair into hope, division into unity, hatred into love, revenge into forgiveness, anger into joy, exclusivity into inclusivity, oppression into freedom, prejudice into justice, racism into integration, and impulsiveness into self-control.

The successful completion of Ramadan purifies the heart, elevates the soul, and strengthens the spirit of brotherhood among believers. It rejuvenates the mind, body, and soul. This renewal is the true indicator of a successful completion of Ramadan—the annual month of spiritual training.

(Submitted by: Haseen Khan, President, Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. Edited for brevity)

TOGETHER WE CAN END POVERTY

Articles you will want to read re guaranteed livable basic income –

WELCOME

The Religious Social Action Coalition is a gathering of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others who seek to eliminate poverty in our province and country.

Our focus: A Guaranteed Livable Income to ensure a ‘livable’ income for all in need, in order to raise a vast majority of people above the poverty line.

PRESS RELEASE – February 7, 2025

The Very Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy awarded King Charles III Coronation Medal, nominated for her interfaith and guaranteed living income (GLI) advocacy

The Religious Social Action Coalition (RSAC) of Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to announce that The Very Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Chair of the RSAC will receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her leadership and commitment to interfaith community service.

“I am humbly proud to be a recipient because of my multi-faith and guaranteed living income leadership advocacy,” she says.

Since 2007, Dr. Pardy has been a director and chair (since 2020) of the Religious Social Action Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador. Within the Coalition, she attends significant religious ceremonies and celebrations of each faith community represented, advocates for a guaranteed livable income, and educates the public about interfaith relationships through social media and other avenues.

“From pew to pulpit, to public officials, to public and social media; from synagogue to mosque, totemple, to Gurdwara, Dr. Pardy has spent years in education, consciousness-raising, advocacy and solidarity,” says Haseen Khan, executive member with the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, who initiated the nomination on behalf of the Religious Social Action Coalition, of which he also is one of

the directors. “[Her work highlights] for society the benefits of the pluralistic nature of our country and the necessity for appreciation and understanding of all religions, noting that the many paths to the Divine command respect from all.”

She is a multi-faith social activist who confronts antisemitism and Islamophobia, and addresses all religious prejudice by highlighting the joyous benefits of all faiths, including religious literacy events to improve understanding about Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism.

“Dr. Pardy sets an example for all of us for how we should move in the world in relation to others. Her interfaith work builds bridges and mends fences,” says The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Moderator of The United Church of Canada. “Her efforts to eliminate poverty lift us all up.” Dr. Pardy was the 37th Moderator of The United Church of Canada (2000-2003).

Her nomination highlighted that her “persistent” work and “patient perseverance”, together with her multi-faith colleagues, is always towards the common good of the community and the greater good of society.

The medal will be delivered in March along with a letter from the Canadian Interfaith Conversation. A presentation is being planned at Masjid-al-Noor (Mosque) St. John’s at a later date.

For media interviews, contact m-pardy@nf.sympatico.ca or Dr. Steven Wolinetz, swolin@mun.ca or Haseen Khan aseenukhan@gmail.com

(Credit: The United Church of Canada)

PHOTO: Diwali celebration, Hindu Temple, St. John’s, NL, Nov. 2, 2024. From left: Marion Pardy, Chair, Religious Social Action Coalition; Jai Ganesh, President, Hindu Temple; Joanne Thompson, MP, St. John’s East.

Credit: Marion Pardy

structure

The Religious Social Action Coalition is comprised of eleven directors. There are representatives from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh religious communities.

Guaranteed Livable Income - Advocacy

the many facets of poverty

Poverty is general scarcity or dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money.
It is a multifaceted concept, which includes social,economic political elements.
Poverty seems to be chronic or temporary,and most of the time it is closely related to inequality.
As a dynamic concept,poverty is changing and adapting according to consumption patterns,social dynamics and technological change.