Religious leaders promote prayer in each other’s places of worship
WE NEED to pray together more in each other’s places of worship, say senior local religious leaders.
The holding of a Muslim jumuah or Friday prayer at the Washington National Cathedral recently in which South African ambassador to the US Ebrahim Rasool delivered a sermon, has inspired calls for similar interreligious gatherings locally to foster greater understanding and social cohesion.
The Washington gathering was a first and has been viewed as progressive. But while the move has been lauded, some have cautioned that the idea of Muslims praying in churches or Christians in mosques may provoke violence from fanatics in both communities.
“We want the world to see the Christian community is partnering with us and is supporting our religious freedom in the same way we are calling for religious freedom for all minorities in Muslim countries,” said Rizwan Jaka, a spokesman at Adams mosque in Virginia, one of the co-sponsors of the Friday service. “Let this be a lesson to the world.”
The South African Muslim Network (Samnet) said it was important for people of other religions to visit mosques in order to build bridges. “The South African Muslim Network supports such initiatives as the sabbatical Friday prayer at the symbolic Washington national cathedral,” said Dr Faisal Suliman. “It is significant the national cathedral was chosen.”
Suliman said that Samnet was working on holding “open mosque” events for 2015 which would see people of various faiths visiting mosques.
Saydoon Nisa, of interfaith body Religions for Peace, called the Washington prayer “beautiful” and applauded the administrators of the cathedral for allowing Muslims to hold a prayer meeting in it.
Bishop Rubin Phillip of the Anglican Church said that holding interfaith prayers and praying in places of worship other than those belonging to one’s own religious group was important for reconciliation.
“It was important that such a prayer took place in a cathedral as cathedrals are centres of reconciliation.”
Rabbi Pinchas Zekry said that interfaith prayer meetings should happen more regularly and not only during times of crisis.
“We should be encouraging it.
“We have more in common in our religions than differences.”
Ashwin Trikamjee of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha said the country had a strong culture of interreligious dialogue and interfaith meetings were held here more regularly than any other place in the world.