The outreach to other religious communities in Periyamulla is meant "to build coexistence" in a context where prejudice and misunderstandings are widespread. For Buddhist participants, speaking to AsiaNews, it was “a good opportunity for everyone”.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – In Periyamulla, Negombo District, a mosque opened its doors to people from other religious communities with the aim of fostering mutual understanding and countering prejudices and misunderstandings about Islam and Muslim culture.
The Centre for Islamic Studies (CIS) organised the initiative titled "Welcome to Our Mosque”, as part of the celebrations for the 42 nd national Meeladun Nabi festival.
The day included guided tours for people from all communities and aimed to promote interreligious harmony through a more accurate understanding of Islamic values, religion, and culture.
The guides explained to visitors the ways of praying, the structure of the mosque, Islamic concepts of God, as well as the contribution of Muslims to the history of Sri Lanka and to some historical events.
“We are conducting this programme” to build “coexistence and understanding,” said Ahmed Ayyash, one of the guides.
Participants received free Sinhala translations of the Qur‘an and other books, and learnt as well as about aspects of traditional Muslim culture, such as henna and cuisine.
Kokila Sumudumali, a young Sinhalese Buddhist, told AsiaNews that she saw the announcement on Facebook and decided to participate.
“Every day I wonder what happens in the mosque and how they worship inside, why Muslim women cannot go to the mosque, etc,” said the university student. “But today I was fortunate to get answers to all my questions as well as my doubts; this was a good opportunity for everyone”.
Like her, Kapila Induruwage, Alex Fonseka, and Dilini Jayasuriya also visited a mosque for the first time, claiming it cleared up doubts and misconceptions about Islam and Muslim culture.
"We had never had the opportunity to enter this mosque,” said Kapila Induruwage, a Buddhist who has lived near Muslims for about 60 years. “Giving all religions and ethnic groups the opportunity to visit and gain knowledge is important.”
For Alex Fonseka, initiatives of this kind are particularly important for education. “There is a great lack of understanding of Islam among adults in our society; for this reason, I think this programme should be expanded and promoted to eliminate misunderstandings.”
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