While Britain woke to news of horror and tragedy this morning, in Broughton there was a glimmer of hope.
The Revd Graham McGeoch had earlier invited Annandale Mosque’s Shaykh Hassan Rabbani to address the congregation at Broughton St Mary’s during their celebration of Pentecost.
Rabbani’s ground-breaking visit attracted a diverse audience – not all regular churchgoers – of over 100.
Rising to speak, the imam was met with spontaneous applause before mentioning his sense of privilege and pride at attending this special event in the Christian calendar (a celebration of the Church’s foundation).
He reflected that people of all faiths seek peace and solace in their religion, and said that genuine Muslims are disturbed by those who practise violence in the name of Islam. ‘We have nothing to do with them and they have nothing to do with us.’
Rabbani went on to outline three instances of Islamic/Christian cooperation, tolerance and pluralism from the time of the Prophet (PBUH).
The first was when a group of Muslim refugees fled persecution in Mecca and found refuge under a Christian king in Abyssinia. The second was when Christians were granted permission to pray in the mosque at Medina, peacefully discussed matters of religious difference with Muslims, and together signed treaties guaranteeing peace and security for each other. The third was when Omar, the second caliph, was granted permission to pray in the Christians’ Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem but declined to do so, knowing how those who came after him might use his visit as a reason to take over the site. Instead, Omar signed a treaty protecting Christians’ property, churches and crosses.
All three examples, said Rabbani, show the importance of tolerance, formal agreements, and active interfaith dialogue. He invited those from St Mary’s to visit the mosque, and asserted that ‘Together we can make a remarkable difference. These are small but powerful steps, and change always begins at grass-roots level’.
Enthusiastic and sustained applause followed.
In difficult times such as these, it’s a reason for optimism when different sections of our community focus on what unites us rather than on what sets us apart.
Earlier in the service, the Right Reverend Patrick Burke (St Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh) had read from The Gospel of Matthew; and Professor Mario Aguilar (Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics at St Andrews University, and President of the International Committee for Interreligious Dialogue) had joined the congregation in reading aloud 'The St Andrews Declaration for a Shared Humanity' (see pdf attached).
[Pictured L–R: Shaykh Hassan Rabbani, Revd Graham McGeoch, Rt Revd Patrick Burke.]
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