Religious leaders unite with Coderre to defend tolerance

Rabbi Reuben Poupko, left, Sayed Na-bil Abbas, Mayor Denis Coderre and Archbishop Christian Lépine were among the religious leaders who gath-ered at city hall to denounce intolerance in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. JANICE ARNOLD PHOTO

MONTREAL — Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Sikh clerics joined Mayor Denis Coderre at Montreal City Hall on Jan. 28 in a show of solidarity that religiously and racially motivated violence and extremism are unacceptable.

Coderre was fulfilling an pledge he made at a Jewish community rally on Jan. 11 at Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation held after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. He said at the time that he wanted to convene a meeting of local religious leaders, in the belief that “we’re all part of the solution” in protecting democratic freedoms.

Sixteen clerics spent about an hour sitting down with Coderre and six executive committee members, and they emerged to gather around the mayor at a press conference.

The rabbis participating were Reuben Poupko of Beth Israel Beth Aaron, Chaim Steinmetz of Congregation Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem and David Banon, leader of the Centre sépharade de Torah de Laval and a rabbinical court judge.

There were four Muslim leaders: Sayed Nabil Abbas and Sheikh Nadim El Taki from the Shi’ite community, Sheikh Gilles Sadek of the Sunni community, and Sheikh Hassan Ezzeddine of the Druze community.

Among the Christian representatives was Most Reverend Christian Lépine, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Montreal.

Coderre said that in the wake of the murders at Charlie Hebdo and the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris, he felt it was his responsibility as mayor to take action in Montreal to ensure that harmony among the different religious communities is maintained.

His request to the clerics was that they take back to their communities the same message of peace and respect that they were conveying to the broader public on this day.

“In the aftermath of the tragedies that took place in France… we want to present a united front and to denounce any act of hate. We do not want to import the problems of others here,” Coderre said.

“The social contract of our city rests on the values of tolerance and respect for diversity, as well as peaceful co-existence among the different religions.”

The meeting, he said, is the first step in what he hopes will become ongoing dialogue between the religious communities and the city administration and among themselves. A working committee has been set up to serve as link between the communities and the city.

“Each of these leaders has a role to play in the fight we are leading against ignorance, violence and fanaticism. Thanks to them, the message of peace that we reiterated today can be transmitted within their different communities.”

In comments to The CJN, Rabbi Poupko applauded Coderre for his initiative and said he has spoken “with great courage and clarity” against intolerance and on “the obligation of religious leaders to take a stand against extremism.

“He underscored the absolute need for religious leaders to bring this message within their communities.”

Executive committee member Lionel Perez, who attended the meeting, said all communities must be vigilant in detecting radicalization among their members.

At the same time, he said Coderre is dedicated to maintaining an open and tolerant society. “The question is how to find the balance between the two.”