The Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism in the Catholic Diocese of Malindi on the second of November, 2024 visited Majid Salaam, a mosque in Mtangani. CIRDE was accompanied by the youth from Cathedral deanery (Cathedral, Muyeye and Kisumu Ndogo) and some Muslims.
The mission of CIRDE is to promote and restore mutual understanding, unity, peace and reconciliation, respect and collaboration among different religions to ensure peaceful co-existence and harmony among other religious groups. The Commission is also made to collaborate and work closely with other Christian Churches in Kenya to promote, restore and implement Christian Unity at both the National level and grass root levels.
The aim of this exchange program is to build peace and for people to get to know, understand, and have an experience of the way of worship of other religions.
The youths from the Catholic diocese of Malindi shared their experience after visiting the mosque. Lamarck Mwaniki the CIRDE Moderator in Cathedral Deanery and the youth Moderator from Kisumu Ndogo Parish, said that the experience was so good and he is now aware of how Muslims worship.
Fr. Dashy Ramadhan from Muyeye Parish also accompanied CIRDE on this mission and he said, “It is important for us to know each other and have a clear idea about what our Muslim brothers and sisters do in the mosque and how they pray.”
Fr. Dashy said it important to go beyond and learn from each other and understand why they do certain things in times of worship.
Masoud Abubakar, who is a member of the CAPK Malindi Sub-County said that he feels so good for the youths who visited the mosque to see what is done in the mosque and this will promote peaceful co-existence.