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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, April 29, 2009 · 14 Interfaith Council serves up Breakfast for Peace The Interfaith Council of Halton will hold a Breakfast for Peace Wednesday, May 6 at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre. The event will take place from 7:30-9 a.m. at the centre located next to the Holiday Inn Select Oakville at 2515 Wyecroft Rd. Tickets cost $20. Guest speaker will be Nouman Ashraf, director of cultural diversity and anti-racism at the University of Toronto and a lecturer at the Rotman School of Business. Ashraf will speak about bringing cultural groups into citizenship in Canada. The choir of Shaarei-Beth El synagogue will sing and youths from various faith groups will contribute. There will also be exhibits from each of the groups belonging to the Interfaith Council. Tickets are available by contacting Donna Martin at 905 469-3103 or mdonna17@yahoo.ca. The Interfaith Council of Halton was formed by A. Q. Mufti and the Rev. Dr. Morar Murray Hayes in the aftermath of the tragedies of 9/11. They were joined by Rabbi Paul Sidlofski. Now the council has grown and also includes representatives of the Buddhist faith, Sikhs, Hindus, Zoroastrians and Baha'is. Halton Regional Police Service supports the council's efforts and the council is having an effect in local high schools. Its purpose is to educate the community and teach respect for differences and commonalities. Its first major event was an outreach to the public, Catholic and private high schools in Halton. Each school sent 10 students and a teacher to a central location where they spent the day learning about the beliefs and practices of other faith groups as well as the common bond of all -- some expression of the golden rule. This Interfaith Youth Festival was considered a huge success, but the schools encouraged the council to go into the schools to reach an entire grade of young people who would make a larger impact on the school environment than just 10 students could. The current program consists of a day planned by an individual high school with booths set up by each faith group. The young people, typically Grade 9 students, listen to a keynote speaker and then visit each of the booths in small groups to ask questions of the volunteers staffing the tables to speak of their faith.