Photo of Zaventem International Airport by Ad Meskens, Wikimedia Commons
Earlier today, Zaventem International Airport and Maelbeek Metro Station in Belgium’s capital city of Brussels were hit in a tragic bombing attack that is currently believed to have killed 31 people and injured dozens more. The Islamic State terrorist group is claiming responsibility for the attack. As more information comes in, the URI family draws strength from each other and sends messages of condolences and hope.
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Dear URI Friends,
Immediately upon hearing the news of today's bombings in Brussels, the faces of friends in Belgium came to mind. First for me was Patrick Hanjoul, with whom I spent remarkable days walking together in Bruges and visiting the Silence Farm Retreat Center. In Patrick's face, I see the faces of all people in Belgium, people of all religions and cultures, who suffer on this day from the loss of loved ones, and the fear of what the future brings in Belgium, in Europe and around the world.
We stand together with our Belgian and European sisters and brothers in the face of these attacks, and with people throughout the world who continue to suffer from this kind of violence including this month alone in Turkey, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Thailand, Israel, Palestine, Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria. We stand together in peace with our sisters and brothers throughout the world determined to continue to provide for the world an alternative to violence and to the division and hatred that are the ultimate purpose of terrorism. We stand united in our commitment to peace among the peoples of our planet, undeterred by these heinous attempts to divide us from one another.
May peace prevail in Belgium.
May peace prevail on Earth.
In peace...
The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian Jr.
Executive Director
United Religions Initiative
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Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Let us join in prayer and love for the victims and families of this horrific act of terrorism in Brussels. So many innocent people have been killed and seriously injured.
Our continuing work in URI is so important to build cultures of peace at this moment of increasing violence throughout our world.
May the people in Brussels feel our prayers and receive some comfort and healing from their global family.
May peace prevail in Brussels,
May peace prevail on Earth.
In prayer,
Kiran Bali MBE JP - Global Chairperson
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We join you in expressing our solidarity with the suffering people of Brussels. It is shocking to hear that such a peaceful country is targeted.
Dr. Abraham Karickam, URI South India Regional Coordinator
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Dear Kiran Bali,
I join you and others in praying for the victims of these deadly terrorist attacks on innocent people. This news is really very shocking and terrifying. This evening I offered Holy Mass for those who lost their lives in these barbaric attacks and also prayed for the recovery of those who have been wounded.
fr James Channan OP
URI Regional Coordinator Pakistan
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It is sad to hear all this news about violent attacks. Let us join in prayers and work for peace.
We (a few NGOs) started a campaign on Monday, March 21st (International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination), to stop discrimination toward people of faith.
I have organized digital storytelling workshops these past few years, mainly for Muslim young adults to get their voices heard about Islamophobia. You can see one of the clips at my Facebook site (Heidi Rautionmaa). The campaign name is KOHTAAN SINUT- Encountering Youth. I am happy to work in cooperation with you on this tool called digital storytelling.
One example: You can read Nahla’s story.
Nahla is afraid that more hate speech will appear after these attacks in Brussels. She had one of her most terrible situations in life so far right after the Paris attack. How do we stop this kind of behaviour that Nahla tells in her story?
The translation is here:
“Once when I was heading home after a day at work, I met a guy at the train station. He seemed business-like with his clothing. He started a conversation in a very polite way, asking about my day and having a small talk. Then he told me how sad he was about what happens around the world, but then our conversation ran into how he blames Muslims for the bombing in Paris. When the chat seemed to have no point, I wished him a blessed day and entered the train that just had arrived. However, he followed me, pointing at me and screaming out, “TERRORIST!”
Suddenly he blamed me for everything bad happening on the earth; me and my hijab were the bad guys now. He even told me that I should’ve been raped like that other girl in the newspaper.
If something is wrong in our society it isn't me, my hijab nor my religion, but that nobody cared enough to say that’s wrong or ask him to stop. Those who cared to do something rather than help actually just held their phones recording the incident. When the guy grabbed my shoulder, I shoved him away and hopped off the train even though it wasn’t my stop yet.
I wish I could’ve called the police while I was in the train.”
May Peace Prevail on Earth.
Heidi Rautionmaa, former URI Global Council Trustee and European Executive Committee member
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I strongly condemn the barbarian attacks and my prayers and sympathies are with the victims’ families who have lost their loved ones. I pray: may the injured of this inhuman, violent attack may get well soon. May The Lord Peace of Prince and Everlasting Life and Promoter of Love, Peace, Forgiveness, Tolerance, and Respect, protect his people from all kinds of violence throughout the world.
O Lord, your people are suffering throughout the world and are being persecuted in your name. Please help us to remember your sufferings during your holy week and let us be a source of life peace and harmony in your name. Amen.
Jahangir Piara
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We are with you in prayers for all the victims of terrorism.
Thanks,
Asad Yameen,
Nafees Travels Pvt Ltd
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I send prayers to our families and friends across the globe and especially for those affected by the recent violence in Brussels. May we continue to lift up our family of humanity, knowing that at the core we are all Divine, and work to ignite this spark of light of the Divine source of all in each of us until violence is overrun by goodness and love in action.
In Peace,
Audri Scott Williams
The Red Flame for Freedom CEO, NOWTIME Media, LLC United Religions Initiative, URI Global Trustee (Multiregion) Global Peace Advocate & Walker, Motivational Speaker, Author
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We join with you in solidarity prayers for the families of the innocent victims in Brussels. I'm sure that eventually the terror will be defeated by the culture of peace and love which URI Cooperation Circles are struggling to establish and advocate. Meanwhile, from my point of view, we must encourage every plan aiming to eradicate ISIS and to stop the destruction of many countries spreading terrorism all over the world.
Sincerely,
Mina T. Kelleni, Ph.D.
Chairman of the Egyptian Council of Arakhna and Wise, a URI CC promoting equal opportunities, peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, early conflict resolution and transformation defending the helpless regardless of any discrimination.
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We are praying for the people of Brussels and we are with them in this pain and sorrow. Every human being is a beautiful creation of the Lord and we should love with another. All religions teach us love, care, help and hope for each other. Then why are some extremist groups are doing these terrorist activities? Do they want to achieve heaven or hell-fire? Together, we need more work for world peace and interfaith harmony.
May Peace Prevail on Earth!
With prayers,
Asher Nazir
CC Coordinator, COPE Pakistan
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Dear URI community,
I join in sorrow and solidarity with those suffering from this recent violence and mayhem in Brussels and all afflicted with grief, fear and anger. I especially reach out to the Convictions in Dialogue CC that is located in Brussels and all URI friends who live in proximity. I pray also for all of the many good people going about their family lives and work who find themselves in a more fragile and compromised circumstances after attacks like this.
URI provides a necessary channel to share our peaceful, steady, and faithful hearts and reassure one another and all those we touch how powerful is the global community of people who stand for and work for peace, justice and healing. I am grateful for every message that is sent expressing love and care that binds us together in the web of humanity.
In solidarity,
Sally Mahé, Director of Global Programs and Organizational Development
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Thank you for your kind words. And thank you for standing with people in Brussels, Belgium and with people around the world.
Yes, thanks to URI we connect with so many places the faces of friends and interfaith peacebuilders, as you describe for Belgium about Patrick.
We join you in standing with everybody around the world who suffers from such sad, sad happenings.
In order for us to feel truly happy, we need everybody to be happy.
We are just one body, and if one being suffers, everybody suffers.
Thanks for being there, dear URI friends. It is so comforting to know that interfaith work for peace, justice, healing happens around the world and that we share these beautiful ideals and actions.
May peace prevail on Earth.
Many warm greetings from
Karimah K. Stauch, URI Europe Coordinator
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Dear URI Family,
My prayers go to all who suffer from violence inflicted upon them. Today I especially pray for the victims who suffered and died in Brussels. May the survivors find the support they need to regain their love of life.
We know that the horror in Belgium can happen anywhere today. Our URI work is essential to putting out the flames of hate before the violence begins. My deep appreciation and love to all that URI is doing to prevent terrorism by building strong, diverse, caring communities.
May Peace Prevail on Earth,
Monica Willard
United Religions Initiative (URI)
United Nations Representative
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Dear URI Family,
Pam been Skyping with a Yezidi friend whose sister lives in another part of Belgium with her husband and young child. Everyone there is devastated as we can all imagine. The Belgian government has accepted an offer of help by police in the U.K. with evidence collection.
It is so moving to feel the prayers and the mass offered in our URI family for the dead and wounded and their families. We are also offering prayers in our own faiths.
May the memory of the deceased bring blessing, may the wounded receive the care they need and may they have healing, may loved ones be comforted in their mourning, and may we all be buoyed in our faith in the divine and our faith in one another and in the human family as we make our way through this tragedy.
May Peace Prevail on Earth,
Reverend Will McGarvey
Rabbi Pamela Frydman
Supporting Yezidis and Assyrians facing genocide - On behalf of:
Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County
Marin Interfaith Council
Silicon Valley Interreligious Council
Interfaith Center at the Presidio
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URI Southern Africa Region joins you and all our fellow URI family in Belgium in solidarity with the victims of the terrible bombings in Brussels. One cannot imagine the fear and the horror of these events unless you have been in it. May all our prayers help us to redouble our efforts to firmly establish cultures of peace and harmony everywhere. May all of the bridge building we do daily, build the enduring faithful practice of the Golden Rule for everyone.
With heartfelt prayers of Faith and Hope and healing,
Karen Barensche, Regional Coordinator for URI Southern African Region
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Greetings of peace and blessing.
Members of URI-Africa also join you in prayer and love for the victims and families of this horrific act of terrorism in Brussels.
May Peace Prevail in Brussels
May Peace Prevail on Earth
In peace and gratitude,
Amb. Mussie Hailu, URI African Continental Coordinator
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Greetings from Dhaka!
May God salvage the innocent victims, who have been departed from this earth as the cost of communal-violence in Brussels.
Yours in prayers,
Francis Halder
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Dear Friends,
I am writing with a broken heart. The sad incidents in Brussels. My prayers are for the victims. May divine spirit give comfort to the victims. It is a great challenge for peace and harmony promoters.
I pray, May Peace Prevail in Brussels and May Peace Prevail on Earth!
In sympathy and solidarity,
Yuel Bhatti, Executive Secretary, United Religions Initiative Pakistan
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Mes salutations provenant du Rwanda ,Sangwa CC, nous prions beaucoup pour le peuple Belge et les autres qui vivent en Belgique, que la paix regne dans votre pays, unissons et lutter contre toute sorte et forme de violence en faveur des etres humains
Dans la paix
Isabelle Nizeyimana
Sangwa CC
Kigali Rwanda
Translation:
Greetings from Rwanda, Sangwa Cooperation Circle. We pray a lot for the Belgian people and for others who live in Belgium: that peace reign in your country; and that you can unite and fight against all kinds and forms of violence to human beings.
In peace,
Isabelle Nizeyimana
Sangwa CC
Kigali Rwanda
