16 March 2018
Methodists sign Christian greeting to Muslim community on the feast of Eid
The Methodist Church in Britain will join other Christiandenominations at midday today to pass on greetings to the MuslimCommunity on the feast of 'Id ul-Fitr (Eid). Church leaders willmeet at the East London Mosque as part of the continuing work toencourage positive inter faith relations.
The Revd Gareth Hill, Head of Mission and Advocacy for theMethodist Church, will attend the gathering to present the greetingon behalf of the Methodist Church. "The feast of 'Id ul-Fitr (Eid)is a good opportunity to greet our Muslim neighbours as they markthe end of Ramadan," he said. "As Methodist Christians, weare committed to pray for our communities and to assure our Muslimfriends of our goodwill and our commitment to peace and justice inthe society that we share together."
Representatives attending the East London Mosque have beenencouraged to wear blue as part of the Twitter
It reads as follows:
"The Christian churches send greetings of peace and prayers forGod's blessing on our Muslim neighbours on the occasion of 'Idul-Fitr (Eid). We recognise this as a day of good news andcelebration - the fast has been completed and the feast begins!
We have been encouraged by two key initiatives this Ramadan -the 'Big Iftar' and Channel 4's Ramadan Season. These have enabledmany people to experience the hospitality of UK Muslims in mosquesaround the country as well as raising awareness positively of themeaning of Ramadan.
As representatives of the main Christian traditions in the UK weassure you of our goodwill towards you, and our commitment to peaceand justice in the society that we share together. Aware of therecent attacks on mosques and Muslims, we want to stand with youagainst any discrimination or violence targeting any community orperson because of their faith. Instead, we want to work for morepositive interaction between Christians and Muslims, demonstratingthe love for God and neighbour to which we are called."
List of signatories:
Baptist Union of Great Britain
Church of England
Mar Thoma Church
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
Quakers in Britain
The Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain (of the OecumenicalPatriarchate)
The Church in Wales
The Church of Scotland
The Council of African and Caribbean Churches
The Methodist Church in Britain
The Moravian Church in Great Britain
The Salvation Army
The United Reformed Church
Ends.