MABDA Report 22/9/2013

Pope Francis' Letter To Grand Imam Of Al-Azhar Calls For Mutual Understanding Between Christians And Muslims

Cairo's Al-Azhar University, considered one of the most important centers of learning in Sunni Islam, announced yesterday that Pope Francis has sent a personal message to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al Tayeb.

Pope Francis conveyed his good wishes to Al-Tayeb via a face-to-face meeting between the Grand Imam and the Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt, Mgr. Jean-Paul Gobel, reports Catholic website Abouna. Gobel personally delivered Pope Francis' Ramadan greetings to the Muslim world as well as a message to Al Tayeb expressing his hope for greater dialogue between Muslims and Christians.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/pope-francis-letter-al-azhar_n_3948461.html?utm_hp_ref=interfaith

Religious leaders and Syrian refugees meet in Lebanon

Halba, Lebanon –Here, in the northern Lebanese district of Akkar, Catholic-Maronite, Sunni, Greek-Orthodox and Alawi villages are scattered all over the landscape. The Syrian border is a 15 minute drive to the north of the northern Lebanese town of Halba, and residents can hear shelling in Syria at night and episodes of sectarian strife occurring regularly.

http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=33212&lan=en

Dalai Lama Urges Burma Muslims Protection

Saddened by increasing sectarian violence in Burma, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has sent a new outcry to Buddhist monks to stop prosecuting Burma Muslims, urging them to adhere to ‘Buddhist principles’.

"Those Burmese monks, please, when they develop some kind of anger towards Muslim brothers and sisters, please, remember the Buddhist faith," the Dalai Lama said at the annual human rights conference in the Czech capital.

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/asia-pacific/464528-dalai-lama-urges-burma-muslims-protection.html