Franciscan Friars celebrate the birth of Mohamed
An interfaith celebration of Eid e Milad ul Nabi & Christmas
excerpt from the Asia News, Lahore’s Franciscans celebrate Muhammad's birthday
The Franciscan friars of Lahore celebrated the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad along with some Muslim families. The interfaith celebration was held yesterday at the "Dar ul Naeem", center of Franciscan formation, during which the two religious communities also exchanged Christmas wishes.
Fr. Jamil Albert, coordinator of the Justice Peace and Integrity with Creation (JPIC), told AsiaNews: ""This is the first time we invited everybody for the joint Eid and Christmas feast. The clerics are more than our friends, many showed up despite differences within Islamic sects as to whether the day should be observed or not. The example of Eid celebration in Christian's house will inspire the whole country".
The ceremony began with the recitation of excerpts from the sacred books of both religions. Some Islamic clerics offered evening prayer in the chapel of the Franciscan center. Then Christmas carols and the naats (songs of praise to Muhammad) were sung and later Christians and Muslims shared dinner. The festivities ended with the cutting of a cake, gifted by the Muslims.