June 8, 2021,
Dear Imams,
Peace be unto you. May the love and compassion of Isa, Jesus, always abide with you.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ontario joins with other Seventh-day Adventist across Canada in praying for all the Muslim congregations in London, Ontario in light of the senseless killing that occurred on the weekend in your beautiful city of London. We are heartbroken that the safety, security, peace and life of the Afzaal family was tragically interrupted. We are deeply saddened that such intentional act of hate and murder would take place in our beloved country. We affirm that there is no place for hatred of a person’s race or religion, as well as the actions that are based on this hatred.
We believe that Allah, our God, is not happy with such acts of evil. We believe that Allah, our God has called us to love all our neighbours equally, regardless of race, gender, religion, or lifestyle. We stand in support of all loving Muslims across London and the province of Ontario and we consistently pray that Allah, our God will protect us from all acts of hatred.
Our Holy book, the Bible, calls us to embrace the character of Jesus by demonstrating the love and compassion He exemplified. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” John 13:34.
On behalf of our President, Dr. Mansfield Edwards, and the more than 30,000 Seventh-day Adventists in Ontario I wish to assure you that we are consistently and continually praying for our Muslim brothers and sisters, especially through this difficult period.
Let us all embrace the character of Jesus, Isa, and pray for the day when evil will be eradicated and our Jesus, al Masih, will take us all to live with him in Paradise.
Sincerely,
Dr. Reynold Hazelwood
Adventist Muslim Relations Coordinator
