CHARLOTTETOWN – A Charlottetown church in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island has invited a Muslim speaker to educate members of its congregation on Islamic beliefs and manners, as part of efforts to clear misconceptions about Islam.

“Sometimes we are afraid of things we don’t know,” speaker Zain Esseghaier told CBC on Sunday, October 2.

Esseghaier was a special guest to St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Charlottetown who was invited to speak to parishioners on Sunday.

He was invited by Rev. John Clarke, the rector of church, as part of the Charter of Compassion signed earlier this year to show compassion between faiths.

“So rather than just kind of believing some of the propaganda that’s out there in opposition to the Islamic faith, we would hear directly from them,” Clarke explained.

The idea of having representatives of other faiths addressing parishioners was welcomed by Esseghaier, a member of the Muslim Society of P.E.I.

During his speech, he covered the basics of the faith and compared Islam and Christianity in areas such as daily prayer.

He also answered questions about how women are treated and jihad.

Esseghaier explained that Islam, similar to other religions, can be misinterpreted.

“If you take something as a beautiful idea and you see people corrupt it, it’s the same for me as people taking a beautiful idea such as, say democracy, and use it to dominate other people,” he said.

“Sometimes we are afraid of things we don’t know. And until we take that step to educate ourselves, we will remain in a position where we are afraid of the other.”

The presentation was greeted by a standing ovation from parishioners, Clarke said.

Esseghaier explained it was important to speak to the parishioners because it helps address prejudices and stereotypes about Islam, adding that “we all live in the same community.”

“The more we know about each other [and] the more we know about different faiths that constitute this community, the better we all will be because it will develop more understanding, more respect for each other and especially more acceptance of the other,” Esseghaier said.