300 RA: Bazaar residents bid adieu to Ramazan

LAHORE: Reverend Mairaj said on Friday that one should focus on similarities instead of dwelling on differences to promote tolerance.

Mairaj was speaking at an event that brought together 300 Muslims and Christians from RA Bazaar together to break their fasts and bid adieu to Ramazan on the occasion of Jumatul Wida - the last Friday of Ramazan.

He said the fact that everyone believed in the same Creator but failed to follow his word was a major problem.

He said all humans came from one God. Mairaj said one should focus on similarities instead of dwelling on differences to promote tolerance.

Mairaj said developing empathy was one of the core reasons for fasting in Islam and Christianity.

Maulana Hafiz Samiullah shed light on the similarities between Christianity and Islam.

He said fasting was used in both religions to teach believers to empathise with the underprivileged. Samiullah said some intolerant elements had made society as a whole to decline.

RA Bazaar Union Councillor Qamla Munir also spoke on the occasion. She stressed the importance of social harmony and peace on the occasion.

Ravvish CEO Syed Zia Hussain Shah told The Express Tribune said the initiative had been taken to spread tolerance and empathy in the community.

“Ramazan is a month of empathy. It helps one understand the perspectives of those who are not as fortunate as us. We ought to practice what we learn over the course of the blessed month throughout the year,” he said.

The event was organised by Ravvish, an organisation striving for conflict resolution and peace building in collaboration with Rizq, which aims to combat malnutrition and hunger in the nation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2015.