Christian-Muslim Dialogue 2019

Heart of Hospitality
Saturday, October 26, 2019
ACCA Centre (3530 91 St.)

Registration: $10/person
Register at Eventbright

Featuring: Ibrahim J. Long & Scott Sharman

Speaker Biographies

Ibrahim J. Long is a spiritually integrative counselor and religious educator. He was born and raised in sunny California and (despite missing the weather) has found a new home in Canada.

Ibrahim is a passionate advocate for the integration of spiritual health into clinical care and education. He has received several awards for his services and has been hired by hospitals, post-secondary schools, and various government and non-profit institutions to provide workshops and consultation on how to better create spiritually-inclusive services and spaces, particularly for Muslim staff, students, and clientele.  

Throughout his education, Ibrahim has blended traditional religious studies with academic and professional research with a special interest in mental health. He enjoys studying the history and theology of Islam as well as classical Islamic and contemporary approaches to psychology and counseling. He believes strongly in the importance of professional research and publishes his own research in professional journals and shares various reflections on his personal blog (ibrahimlong.org).

While chaplaincy is still somewhat lesser known to the wider Muslim community, Ibrahim is one of Canada’s only clinically-trained Muslim chaplains. In addition to receiving supervised training and education in spiritually-integrative approaches to care and counseling, Ibrahim holds a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy from the Hartford Seminary, the first graduate institution in the world to offer such a program.

Ibrahim especially enjoys interfaith initiatives and dialogue; specializing in Christian-Muslim relations. He holds a BA in Humanities and Religious Studies and an MA in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations.

Presently, Ibrahim serves as an Islamic studies teacher for the Edmonton Islamic Academy as well as a clinical chaplain for Alberta Health Services. He also volunteers for the Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA) where he supports the spiritual and mental wellness of youth and young adults and as an outreach chaplain for the Northern Alberta Institute for Technology (NAIT) and the University of Alberta.

The Reverend Canon Doctor Scott Sharman is a theologian and priest in the Anglican expression of the Christian Tradition. He was born and raised in Edmonton, and is happy to continue to make his home there.

Scott completed a Bachelors Degree in Theology in 2002, a Masters in Religion in 2006, and Doctorate in Philosophy in 2014. His graduate and postgraduate studies focused on Christian understandings of the nature and purpose of the Church, especially with respect to its relationships with other spiritual and religious traditions and communities – known in technical terms as ecumenical and interfaith studies. His PhD work at the University of Toronto received the Governor General’s Gold Medal in 2014.

For four years Scott worked as an Interfaith Chaplain at the University of Alberta, seeking to advocate for and actively support students of all backgrounds in pursuing their religious and spiritual formation and practice alongside their studies. This experience was invaluable, and continues to shape his work today.

Scott presently holds the office of Animator for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations for the Anglican Church of Canada at the national level. What this means is that he is called to build relationships and establish dialogues and partnerships between his own church and other religious traditions and faith communities across Canada, and to inspire and empower other Christian leaders and congregations in other parts of the country to do the same.

Scott also has a ministry locally in the Edmonton area, serving as the Ecumenical Officer and Canon Theologian for the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton. This enables him to continue to engage in both education and activism. He has taught numerous courses in theology and Church history at a variety of colleges and seminaries, and he remains involved in many different interfaith organizations and collaborative initiatives across the Alberta capital region.

When not working Scott enjoys a very full and busy life with his spouse, Alexandra, and their three children, Elliot, Felix, and Graeme. One of their favourite things to do is to host people in