Cairo, October 12: U.S. Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders are coming together this week in the south-central state of Oklahoma to break bread at an interfaith festival.
“We celebrate the differences between us, and all that we hold in common as well”, Rev. Wendy Lambert, an associate pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church told NewsOK paper Saturday, October 10.
The church will host the “Food and Festival of Faith” on Wednesday, October 14, to showcase joint traditions between followers of the three faiths.
Participants will feature samples of different foods consumed by followers of the three faiths.
They will also learn about various Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions.
The participants will also come together at a workshop service combining the three faiths.
“We really believe that God calls us to live as people of peace,” said Lambert.
The planned food festival is greeted as an engine for promoting integration.
“In order for us all to get to know each other and to get to know our traditions,” said Marjan Seirafi-Pour, a member of the Oklahoma City-area Muslim community.
“I think it’s very important to have events like this.”
Seirafi-Pour reiterated her pleasure to be part of the festival bringing the three Abrahamic faiths together.
She believes such festivals help in bringing ideas and traditions closer to share a common ground.
“We have neighbors of the Jewish and Muslim traditions,” Lambert said.
“We believe this will be a fun night to celebrate together.”
Many calls for interfaith dialogue were launched by groups representing the three religions following the September 11 attacks.
Last November, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz opened an international conference on promoting interfaith dialogue with the participation of several world leaders, including the Israeli president.
Earlier, King Abdullah presided over a Spain-hosted gathering of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, which concluded with a call for greater cooperation among religions.
In 2007, some 138 Muslim scholars and dignitaries from around the world sent in October 2007 an open letter to the world’s Christian clergy, including Pope Benedict, for dialogue based on commonalities between Islam and Christianity.
In February 2008, a galaxy of prominent Muslim scholars and interfaith experts issued an open letter for the world’s Jewish community calling for a dialogue to improve relations between Jews and Muslims who have common ground of shared beliefs.
–Agencies–