On February 9, a delegation of religious figures of various denominations from Great Britain, the USA, and Poland visited Kyiv Islamic Cultural Center. They met with the president of the Council of Ukrainian Muslims, Seyran Aryfov, and also had the opportunity to talk with the parishioners of the ICC mosque.
The delegation included: Rabbi Charles Feinberg, a member of the Interfaith Action for Human Rights (Washington, USA); Father Marek Miławicki from the Dominican Order (Wrocław Archdiocese, Poland); Sejad Mekic, imam of the Cambridge Central Mosque (Great Britain); theologian, political scientist, Mateusz Piotrovsky, chairman of the "Europe, a Patient" Association, as well as a member of the board of this association and delegation coordinator Alexander Temkin.
The visit was initiated by the advocacy and expert initiative "Europe, a Patient". The delegation arrived in Kyiv to pray for a just peace and learn from the religious leaders of Ukraine and representatives of the state authorities about the life and service experience during the war.
According to the guests, it is very important for them to be physically present at the scene of the events to see with their own eyes the consequences of military actions against the peaceful cities of Ukraine.
According to Seyran Aryfov, president of the Council of Ukrainian Muslims, during the meeting, they discussed the general situation in Ukraine, including the situation of Muslims:
"I told the guests about the Muslim community of Ukraine about our Islamic centers. We talked about Ukraine's year of fierce struggle and the consequences of Russian aggression."
The imam of the Cambridge Central Mosque, Sejad Mekic, noted the incredible firmness of Ukrainians resisting the aggressor. He shared that he is praying for the victims of this war and their families.
"Humanity is divided into different nations; they do not know each other. The noblest people who see the eye of God understand the need to unite in these conditions " - concluded the imam.
He noted that before the visit, he really hoped that he would be able to pray in one of the Ukrainian mosques:
"I made a dua in order to pray together with Muslim brothers from Ukraine. I am very glad and grateful to the Almighty that I managed to get to the prayer at the mosque of the Islamic Cultural Center [Kyiv]."
At the end of the visit, the delegation watched a video about the results of the activities of the Council of Ukrainian Muslims during the year of the war.
The guests promised to bring true testimonies about the events in Ukraine to religious communities and mass media in their countries.
Reference. This is the second visit of a delegation of religious figures to Kyiv, organized by the "Europe, a Patient" Association, which is looking for ways to solve the biggest challenges for Europe: pandemics, emergencies, wars and the climate crisis. Members of the organization have wide contacts in different countries of the world. The first visit took place in May 2022, following which a press conference was held in Warsaw.
