A panel of Christian and Muslim voices – Dr. Ihsan Bagby, Dr. Cetewayo Rashid, the Reverend Carol Ruthven, and the Reverend Steve Pace – spoke on the spiritual purposes, practices, and personal experiences of the sacred seasons of Lent and Ramadan, which coincidentally overlap in 2026. They explored both common ground and distinct traditions — fostering deeper understanding through respectful conversation.
Joel 2:12-13: “”Even now… return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments.”
Luke 4:1-2 “Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.” (The Message translation)
Quran Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183 “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that you may learn self-restraint.”