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2019 Conversation Series continues at the Ismaili Centre, Toronto with Professor Mittermaier
Ibrahim Meru
As part of the Ismaili Centre Toronto’s speaker series hosted by Dr. Amyn Sajoo, Who Are We, Where Are We Headed? University of Toronto professor Amira Mittermaier discussed how empathy connects to citizenship, identity, and religion.
In her book, Giving to God, Mittermaier explains it is our God-given duty to be empathetic to the poor. Her book explores two trains of thought about empathy and Islam: the Sufi belief that one should embody God’s generosity, and the belief that giving to the poor is really giving to God. She explained that many pious Muslims in Egypt who regularly give to the poor do so to create a transaction with God that earns them “the keys to their house in paradise.”
Does being empathetic to secure a place in paradise have the same spiritual effect as giving out of sheer compassion? Mittermaier believes it’s difficult to judge how spiritual effects vary as it is rare for people to give unconditionally. Concluding the discussion, Mittermaier said she enjoyed speaking with an audience that cares deeply about volunteering.
