Christian-Islamic Week in Germany

[FatimaAsSideqah]

:sl:



By Ahmad Al-Matboli, IOL Correspondent

The co-existence week will include collective prayers, inter-faith meetings, a soccer game and a theatrical show.

BERLIN — German Christians and Muslims will launch Sunday, May 6, the "Week of Co-Existence" in the country's fifth-largest city of Frankfurt, bringing together representatives of different faiths to promote social harmony.

"The Christian-Islamic co-existence week aims to build bridges of understanding between all sects of German society," the Protestant Church of Frankfurt, one of the event's organizers, said in a press release on its website Friday, May 4.

"Many Germans do not know enough about foreigners," it said, adding that minorities in general have misinformation about one another.

The week, to run until Sunday, May 13, is co-organized by a number of Muslim and Christian activists in the city.

It will include collective prayers, inter-faith meetings, a soccer game and a theatrical show.

The co-existence week is planned to kick off with a collective prayer at a Frankfurt church to be followed by a discussion forum about Christian-Islamic co-existence in Germany.

A flurry of seminars will be held on the week's sidelines to discuss issues of worship, education, and religion in the media.

Collective Prayers

On Friday, May 11, Christian and Jewish clerics will visit the Taqwa mosque in Frankfurt and perform collective prayers there.

A day later, a Muslim-Christian soccer game will be held to help enhance dialogue between the two faiths to be followed by a theatrical show about dialogue among civilizations.

The week will conclude with a collective prayer at the Protestant Church in Frankfurt.

"The week focuses on Christianity and Islam, whose followers make up the majority of people in the city," Elona Clemens, the official in charge of the inter-faith dialogue with the Protestant Church told the Frankfurter Neue Presse daily.

"It is also important to engage Jews in the week," she added.

Unal Kaimcki, deputy chairman of the Religious Authority, in Hessen, agreed.

"This week is melting all cultures and religions found in Germany in one pot," he said.

He said Muslim-Christian co-existence is picking up steam.

"Muslim parents, for instance, prefer to enroll their children at conservative Christian kindergartens rather than state nurseries, which sideline religion," he said.

German Muslims have championed several initiatives to clear misconceptions about Islam.

In October, mosques across Germany opened up doors for visitors from other faiths as part of the "Open Mosque Day" to tell them correct and untwisted information about the Muslim faith.

German priests and imams reciprocated on April 7 goodwill feelings with each group visiting the place of worship of the other and saying prayers jointly in a rare magnificent scene of Muslim-Christian fraternity.

There are some 3.2 million Muslims in Germany and Islam comes third after Protestant and Catholic Christianity.

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...News/NWELayout

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Fi Amani Allah

['Abd al-Baari]

:sl:

looks interesting, May Allah make it a success..Ameen

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you RighteousLady;

Thank you for posting this and I always feel a sense of great joy when people of diverse faiths meet together for prayers and activities. As I mentioned in your other thread I shall be in Germany with my friend who is both deaf and dumb, sadly we shall be in Frankfurt on Tuesday the 15th when it appears to be all over.

In the spirit of praying for a greater interfaith friendship

Eric

[Pk_#2]

Our one in Luton was cooooooooooool

Especially when the non-Muslims bothered to actually stay behind and eat with the sheikh its soo sweet, 'cause some of the Muslims didn't even help out...Hmm makes you think

LOL

Hope it goes well :)

AsalamuALaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

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[ibrarfaiz]

its good that we celebrate both religions together

[Amadeus85]

I am not a big fan of this interfaiths dialogues.Mainly because in christian-islamic dialogue only one side seems to be interested..

[ibrarfaiz]

nice point emmm im not too sure either now

[Amadeus85]

For me it is interesting.In countries where christains are majority, they try so much to make a interfaith dialogue with islam. But in muslim countries, muslims are totally not interested in interfaith dialogue with christians living there. If i am wrong give me some examples please.

Anyway, thats why i say that this dialogue is fruitless, as only one side is interested.

[north_malaysian]

"It is also important to engage Jews in the week," she added.

So, they should rename it as "Abrahamic Faith Week"

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you north_malaysian;

So, they should rename it as "Abrahamic Faith Week"

Such a simple idea, how would you go about starting a world wide "Abrahamic Faith Week"

Your vision would help us focus more on peace.

In the spirit of praying for peace on Earth

Eric

[north_malaysian]

Greetings and peace be with you north_malaysian;



Such a simple idea, how would you go about starting a world wide "Abrahamic Faith Week"

I dont know..... it's hard for almost all Malaysian Muslims to be friendly with Judaism.

[Amadeus85]

I dont know..... it's hard for almost all Malaysian Muslims to be friendly with Judaism.

Why is that? :?

[Philosopher]

Why should Muslims be interested in Christian beliefs??

[Amadeus85]

Why should Muslims be interested in Christian beliefs??

In Europe only christians are interested in diaogue with muslims, so it makes no sense.