The Church of Saint-Bernard-de-la-Chapelle located in the Goutte d'Or neighborhood of the 18th arrondissement of Paris celebrated the birth of Mohammed (Mawlid al-Nabi al-Sharif) along with the Institute of Islamic Cultures on 1 December 2017 by hosting a concert of Moslem songs in honor of Mohammed’s big day. The show was an alchemic mixing of a neo-gothic Catholic church and Moslem wailing.
The Franciscan friars of Lahore celebrated the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad along with some Muslim families. The interfaith celebration was held yesterday at the "Dar ul Naeem", center of Franciscan formation, during which the two religious communities also exchanged Christmas wishes.
Fr. Jamil Albert, coordinator of the Justice Peace and Integrity with Creation (JPIC), toldAsiaNews:""This is the first time we invited everybody for the joint Eid and Christmas feast. The clerics are more than our friends, many showed up despite differences within Islamic sects as to whether the day should be observed or not. The example of Eid celebration in Christian's house will inspire the whole country".
The ceremony began with the recitation of excerpts from the sacred books of both religions. Some Islamic clerics offered evening prayer in the chapel of the Franciscan center. Then Christmas carols and the naats (songs of praise to Muhammad) were sung and later Christians and Muslims shared dinner. The festivities ended with the cutting of a cake, gifted by the Muslims.
