Lahore’s Anglican cathedral hosts Islamic prayer and iftar (video)
The prayer has been held for the past three years, backed by Movement for Tolerance (Rawadari Tehreek). After the meal and speeches, some young people visited the church for the first time. Christians should participate "in the feasts of Eid, Muslim weddings and funerals," some said. Muslim groups are set to organise interfaith meetings at Christmas.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – For the past three years, Muslims have celebrated the evening Ramadan prayer service next to Lahore's Anglican Cathedral of Praying Hands. After the service, together with Christians and Hindus, they got together to break the fast at an iftar meal.
This began when Bishop Samuel Azariah of Raiwind Diocese invited Imam Allama Peer Shafaat Rasool to lead the prayer. "Christians and Muslims live in the same country and must share places of worship,” Imam Rasool told AsiaNews. “We must show interfaith harmony outside hotels and public places. All this can be the beginning of a real movement. "
"We must go beyond tolerance to mutual respect,” he added. “The time of heated discussions is passed. We need healthy debates. The world reacts every time some religious minority is attacked in Pakistan. It is time to put humanity first."
Sixteen Muslims took part in the prayer. The church was renovated after it was heavily damaged in a bomb attack in 2008 against a nearby government office.
After Wednesday’s prayer, some 60 people – Muslims, Hindus and Christians – got together for the iftar. The meeting, supported by the Movement for Tolerance (Rawadari Tehreek), began with the recitation of verses of the Qur’an and the Bible.
“For us, it is a matter of pride and joy to welcome followers of different faiths. Prayers rugs have especially been arranged. We invite you to pray at our Cathedral”, said Rev Azariah when he welcomed his guests.
“We have narrow minded people in both religions,” he added. “Many Churches are not ready to open their doors to Muslims. But we need peace”.
Other people, including some politicians, spoke at the gathering, stressing the urgency of being united to counter terrorism.
“For us, iftar dinners are a sign of solidarity and a way of socialisation,” said Rawadari Tehreek chairman Samson Salamat. “It is a chance to bridge the gap, sit together, share the same food, ponder over the solution to ongoing violence and pledge for a continued struggle. It is more than interfaith harmony”.
The meeting and meal ended with a visit inside the cathedral. As they entered the church, Muslim guests removed their shoes. Some young enthusiasts took some selfies near the altar. Some asked the clergyman to explain to them the figure of Jesus and the differences between Catholics and Protestants.
University student Khalid Murad was one of them. “Nobody questioned or tried to stop me. For me, this is the beauty of Christianity. I loved the architecture. The gathering represents true Pakistan”, he said.
In the Middle East, people remember Caliph Omar who refused to pray at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem for fear that subsequently some Muslims might claim rights to the building as something belonging to Islam. Here Muslims prayed in front of the sacred building, albeit within the perimeter of the church.
Fr Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, director of Justice and Peace of Pakistan, stressed the importance of more contacts between Muslims and Christians, like the invitation to Muslims to pray near the church.
"All this is good for solidarity,” he told AsiaNews. “We need to open ourselves to the majority community. Churches should encourage this practice at the grassroots and participate in the festival of Eid, as well as Muslim weddings and funerals. Muslims, in turn, have begun to organise interfaith meetings at Christmas.”
“There has never been an incident in the country of Muslims trying to claim a Church building where they were invited for namaz (prayer). Organisers only call those they trust. Even I have Muslim friends who just come to my house for iftar without informing. I keep a prayer rug for them as well and show them the Qibla (the direction towards Makkah that Muslims must face to pray.”
.png)
