Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA – The annual conference of the Religious Endowments (Awqaf) Ministry kicked off on Sunday at al-Othman Mosque in Damascus, with this year’s iteration focusing on religious discourse for confronting sedition and takfiri and extremist mentalities.
During the conference, Endowments Minister Mohammad Abdelsattar al-Sayyed said that religion teaches us to think and build not to exclude others, destroy, and murder, while Grand Mufti of the Republic Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun said that Syria was the stepping stone from which Islam and Christianity spread across the world, and that it will remain a beacon of religious enlightenment.
In turn Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All East John X Yazigi said that religion is more than practices and tirutals, asserting that Syria’s Christians will persevere and stand alongside all other members of Syria’s society.
For his part, Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All East Gregorious III Laham said that Syrians will always remain one big family, standing together to rebuild Syria, while Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All East Mar Ignatius Aphrem II that the Syrians were a source of inspiration for human civilization, and that only enlightened thought can overcome the crisis in Syria.
Likewise, Druze spiritual head in Syria Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri called for unity of rank and rejecting hatred, sectarianism, division, and the takfiri mentality, saying that some people exploit religion to achieve personal ends.
The two-day conference will discuss means of bolstering moderate religious mentality from distortion and extremism, tackling numerous other issues related to religious education, religious discourse in media, and repairing places of worship damaged during the crisis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrrfQz6ZuGE
Hazem Sabbagh
