Emmanuel College Student Awarded King Charles III Coronation Medal

^{Shaffni Nalir, a Master of Psychospiritual Studies student and general manager of the Toronto Islamic Centre, has spent more than a decade volunteering across Toronto.}

By Sam Chater

Emmanuel College student Shaffni Nalir has received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his dedicated service to the community. The medal commemorates Charles’ coronation as King of Canada. 
 
Nalir, a student in the Master of Psychospiritual Studies program, has volunteered with several organizations across Toronto for more than a decade, including SickKids Hospital and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He currently works at the Toronto Islamic Centre, where he was recently promoted to general manager. Last year, he addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights concerning the rise of Islamophobia in Canada. 
 
Nalir said that he was surprised to receive the award and that many others deserve similar recognition. He dedicated the medal to his parents, who immigrated to Canada from Sri Lanka when he was six months old. 
 
“My father grew up in a Buddhist orphanage in Sri Lanka and was raised as a Muslim,” Nalir said. “He taught me to seek the good in others and their beliefs.” 
 
Nalir began his studies at Emmanuel College in 2022 after several people recommended the Master of Psychospiritual Studies program.   
 
“This program has been attracting many students and has been a leading program at Emmanuel College for the past 15 years,” Principal HyeRan Kim-Cragg said. “Students and faculty who are Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and from other traditions learn from each other’s different perspectives, while deepening their own traditions.” 
 
Nalir said the teaching at Emmanuel was exceptional. 

“However, the highlight of the program is being in a classroom where diverse perspectives come together to exchange ideas thoughtfully,” he said.