Islamic council screens movie to promote peace

It is a little-known story about two men who overcame a century of hatred to meet on a blood-soaked battlefield and talk about peace.

The Windsor Islamic Council hosted a screening Sunday of the film The Sultan and the Saint, about a meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt during the Crusades.

“The reason why we’re doing this here in Windsor is to send a message to the broader community but mostly to our Muslim community to spend the effort to educate about the importance of understanding, tolerance and inclusion,” said Dr. Maher El-Masri, chairman of the Windsor Islamic Council.

About 200 people attended the screening Sunday at Lakeshore Cinemas.

The Sultan and the Saint features dramatic re-enactments and interviews with scholars to tell the story of a meeting in 1219 between Assisi and Malik Al-Kamil, who set aside their differences to in hopes of finding common ground.

“Even in the middle of war and misunderstanding, when we go to our senses and understand the true teachings of religion and the true meaning of humanity, we realize that what’s common among us is much better, much bigger and more important that what’s different,” said El-Masri.

He hoped the screening would help change negative views about Islam. “It’s part of a continuous effort,” said El-Masri. “There are those who want to hijack our religion and they want to give their own narrative of what Islam stands for. We have a continuous effort to counter this narrative and show people the true narrative of Islam.”