Caroline Mcilwaine and Jan Addis of the South Australia Public Affairs Council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were among some 70 invited guests at the recent Eid al-Adha interfaith morning tea in Adelaide. Other guests included Archbishop Philip Wilson of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, Lord Mayor Martin Haese and Minister for Volunteering Zoe Bettison. The event was held on 24 September at University of South Australia and sponsored by the Muslim Women’s Associate of South Australia.
“Eid teaches us to care for each other – and that doesn’t just mean Muslim neighbours,” explained Imam Abdulsalam Alim, of the Masjid (mosque) Abu-Bakr as-Siddique.
As Caroline reported in the LDS Adelaide News, “It has been my experience that when a faith community invites others to join them in marking a religious holiday, or involves others in a service project to help disadvantaged people, good things happen. It’s not unusual to hear, ‘Your beliefs are so similar to ours’, or ‘We need to do this again’, or ‘It is so good to see you again’.”
L-R: Najlaa, Sister Dora Abbas, Shaymaa, Sada, Jan Addis, Caroline McIlwaine, Shaista Kalaniya, Sabrina and Kate at the Eid al-Adha morning tea. Photo courtesy of the Muslim Women’s Association of South Australia.
Caroline McIlwaine of the LDS Adelaide Public Affairs Council with the Most Reverend Philip Wilson, Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide. Photo courtesy of the Muslim Women’s Association of South Australia.