In Milan, Christians and Muslims pray for peace, remembering the victims of Brussels and Lahore

The meeting was organised by Sant'Egidio with the Christian and Muslim communities of the city

On 6 April in Milan, the Community of Sant'Egidio organised a prayer for peace to remember the victims of the attacks in Brussels and Lahore. Christians and Muslims prayed alongside each other in the Church of San Bernardino and in the adjacent hall of the headquarters of the Community. After the prayer, we came together to reaffirm the importance and the value of praying together for peace, not only because prayer arouses the best energies in each, but also because it pushes everyone to consider with greater hope the possibility of building a city with more humanity and solidarity. Some of the Muslim friends stressed the value of remaining united, Christians and Muslims, in such a difficult moment, to combat all forms of division and confrontation. 

The following persons intervened: Benaissa Bounegab of the Muslim House of Culture, Mohamed Danova of the Islamic Association of Milan – Mosque of Santa Maria, Soumaya Abdel Qader of the Coordination of the Islamic Associations of Milan and Brianza, Mohsen Moueli of the Sufi Brotherhood of Jarrahi-Halveti, Abdullah Tchina Dahmane of the Islamic Centre of Sesto San Giovanni, the Rev.Vickie Sims of the Anglican Church. For the first time, there was the Shiite community of Milan, with its person in charge, Isac Ghassemi and the Imam, who brought his greetings. There were also present representatives of the Young Muslims of Italy, of the Union of Albanian Muslims of Italy, as well as members of ACLI, AGESCI and the Focolare Movement.