Celebrating unity among religious leaders
People from different faiths came together, warmly greeting one another, like old friends on December 17.
Jan 03, 2025

KUALA LUMPUR: People from different faiths came together, warmly greeting one another, like old friends on December 17.
They were leaders from the numerous houses of worship in Brickfields who had over the decades established close ties with one another.
More than 60 leaders from eight religious groups attended the Christmas Interreligious Fellowship and Dinner at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima. It was organised by the Parish Ministry of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (PMEIA) led by Ruben Soosay.
The leaders included those from Christian denominations, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Baha’i followers, Taoists, and from the Sikh community.
One of them was Ven Datuk Dr K Sri Dhammaratana from the Buddhist Maha Vihara. During dinner, he told those at his table that he used to catch tilapia decades ago at OLF each time the church grounds got flooded.
This and other anecdotes were shared during dinner, with some sharing about how they worked together on inter-faith projects, and the closeness of their relationship with one another.
Dr Amir Farid Isahak, of Insaf, a non-profit organisation that provides technical and humanitarian relief to people in need, described the closeness of his relationship with Sardar V. Harcharan. The two were founding members of Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.
Archbishop Julian Leow had earlier in his speech said that people from different faiths coming together was no longer something that occurred naturally and frequently.
“We have to organise inter-faith gatherings (these days). It should (instead) be part and parcel of being a Malaysian. We can be an example of how to take inter-faith gathering to a different level.”
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