Dear Burton and ABC4ALL Mentor,

 

Few day back a terrible attack on Religious Place. The URI Members, ABC4ALL members and other organizations participated in joint  Interfaith Prayers at the Shrine of Data Darbar Sahib in Lahore for solidarity  with victims and creating religious harmony. The below is report written by the Fr. James Channan OP is for your sharing. We needs your prayers and meditation for peace and protection

 

I am sending you an other photo file.

 

In Peace,

 

Yuel Bhatti

Co-Founder

Local A Better Community for ALL/Pakistan
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Dear URI members and friends around the world,

 

I am sure you keep on getting news about the suicide bombings in Lahore, Pakistan. This city has become the most dangerous and insecure city in the world. Our places of worship, shopping malls, police check posts, army  places and rescue centers, hospitals and even shrines of Sufi saints  are not safe and they have been targeted  and bombed by the extremists and terrorists. Last week the most famous shrine of Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh - commonly known as Data Darbar was attacked by 3 suicide bombers, killing 47 devotees and injuring about 200 other devotees. It was for the very first time in 1000 years history of this shrine of Data Sahib that it was  bombed. You can imagine what a terrible shock we have got and how terrified we are after this attack.

 

Yet we do not give up hope for a better and peace future of Lahore and Pakistan. We dream of  Lahore that it will become a place where people of all religions and spiritual expressions live in peace- as they used to live in the past.  And there is no violence done in the name of religion and there is a culture of peace, healing, respect and reconciliation. That is why we never give up hope of a better and peaceful future.

 

Keeping that in mind the URI Pakistan along with Minhajul Quran International  organized a candle light prayer service at the Data Darbar at the very site where bomb blasts took place last week. There were Muslims, Christans and Hindus in this group. We offered prayers for those who have been killed in this terrorist attack, prayer for the grieving families, for the injured and for our government as well that it may provide protection to all citizens and that places of worship of all religions are  safe. We strongly condemned this act of terrorism and vowed that we will never give up working for peace, healing and reconciliation. We also had candle light ceremony. There were several press reporters and 5 televison  news channels present to give coverage to our little effort for peace. I am pasting two photos of this event to share with you.

 

The URI Coordinators and members who participate in this event included: fr James Channan, (Regional  Coordinator) , Yuel Bhatti (Coordinator, A Better Community for ALL Pakistan), Aftab Javed (Coordinator ALAAP -CC) , Dr. Munawar Chand ( Coordinator  ) and a few other URI  members. 

 

Minhajul Quran is an international  organization of Muslims which was  founded in Lahore, Pakistan by a famous Muslim religious leader and a scholar Dr. Tahirul Qadri. It aims for interfaith dialogue, social up lift, rights of women and education. It is working in 75 countries for its cause. Dr. Tahirul Qadir is the first Muslims religious scholar from Pakistan who has issued a FATWA 'relgious judgement" that suicide bombings and terrorism is Haram "forbidden" in Islam. Their website is www.minhaj.org

 

Please offer prayers for peace in Pakistan and also pray that mindset of these terrorists are changed into human minds and hearts so that they respect their own lives and lives of the others. 

 

May Peace Prevail on Earth!

May Peace Prevail in Pakistan!

 

sincerely,

 

fr James Channan OP  

 

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