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Westminster Interfaith Newsletter
Issue 66 – May 2010
Feast of Mary for both Muslims and Christians in Lebanon
On 25 March, Christians and Muslims in Lebanon celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation as a national holiday for the very first time. The Lebanese government decreed the Feast of the Annunciation as a common feast for Christians and Muslims.
In a recent interview with ZENIT, Mohammad Al-Sammak, secretary general of the Christian-Muslim Committee for Dialogue, said that this holiday was one of the achievements that he and the Committee were proud of. For three years, on March 25, they had been organizing a Muslim-Christian gathering centered on Mary, reciting verses from the Gospel and from the Qur'an that regard Mary, seeking to show what is common to Islam and Christianity. Last year, the former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora agreed to declare March 25 a Muslim and Christian feast day on condition that, on this day, everyone continue to work, because he said: "I want the Lebanese to work one day more not one day less."
In February, the Committee for Dialogue met with the present Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, and again proposed the idea, which he immediately supported. 48 hours later a decree was issued that declared March 25 a national holiday and a day of celebration: a day of [interreligious] work for both Muslims and Christians. Let us hope that celebrating this national feast in honour of Mary helps build bridges and strengthen bonds of cooperation and mutual understanding between the faiths in this often troubled region.
Mohammad Al-Sammak also serves as a political counsellor to the Grand Mufti of Lebanon. He became the first Muslim to participate as an active member in a Synod of Bishops in 1995 when John Paul II convoked a special assembly of the prelates of Lebanon. He is one of the 138 Muslim leaders who signed the open letter "A Common Word Between Us and You," addressed to Benedict XVI and various heads of other Christian churches and confessions.
Mohammad Al-Sammak was in Rome for a conference on the theme, "The Future Is Living Together: Christians and Muslims in the Middle East in Dialogue." It was organized by the Sant' Egidio Community, an international Catholic organization that focuses on prayer, spreading the Gospel, ecumenism, and dialogue with other religions and non-believers. In his interview, he spoke at length about his work in interreligious relations, the forthcoming Synod of Bishops and the general situation in Lebanon.
Adapted from www.zenit.org
