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| 2010 Gregorian-Hijrah Calendar Aims to Promote Interfaith Goodwill |
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| Written by Albert F. Arcilla |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 07:20 |
  A LOCAL inter-religious group here has once again produced a new issue of Gregorian-Hijrah calendars for this year.For five years already, the Interreligious Solidarity Movement for Peace (IRSMP) continuously devoted its commitment to propagate peace not only locally but nationally through the special calendar of the movement which is made up of a mixed features Gregorian (Christian) and Hijrah (Muslim) calendar. Prof. Ali T. Yacub who chairs the committee for the preparation for the mass production of the Hijrah calendar for this year, said non-Muslims, Christians and Lumads will be educated regardingreligious festivities of the Muslims, as these are featured in the calendar. “This will definitely educate non-Muslims of the different feasts and religious festivals in the country” he said. In the Hijrah calendar it is not only the Muslims holidays that can be found, but the Christian and even the regular government holidays as well. “This will really show the people of an interreligious picture in the calendar” Prof. Yacub said, who also the Director of the Golden Crescent Peace Center, a component of the movement. The Hijrah-Gregorian calendar comes in a colorful and attractive appearance, from the images down to the number of days and Bible and Qur’an quotations. The large image at the upper portion of the calendar depicts the faces of the different youth of Mindanao who are calling for peace and justice in this war-torn island. The artwork was the 2009 winner of the poster making contest of the Bishop-Ulama Conference. Its artist was Nelvert Anino, from this city and a youth volunteer of the Youth Solidarity Movement for Peace. Prof. Yacub revealed that this year the listing of the different Muslim holidays was improved not only with the religious but historical significance as well. The number of copies for this year was doubled compared to the previous year’s copies with only 5,000 copies. The calendar is distributed to different places in the region, to include government offices, schools, churches and Mosque, business establishment, political leaders and to the friends and supporters of the interreligious movement. Some of the calendars are also distrusted to some of the foreign countries especially those who funded the Hijrah-Gregorian calendar project. “Now that Muslims, Christians and indigenous peoples can easily know what and when their respective holidays are, they will appreciate the effort that we are giving about correct information. There will be no more confusion as to when is the fasting and when is the ending of the fasting and even the non-Muslims begin to know the prayer of the Muslims ” he elaborated. (Albert F. Arcilla) |