In 2016 CIP team members Nadiya Takolia and Miriam Lorie traveled to the Salvation Army Headquarters in London to participate in a powerful inter-faith event.
On 10 March, members of many different faiths - including Jews, Christians, Muslims - came together to explore the topic of 'refugees' within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Led by the Cambridge Inter-faith Programme, the workshop presented key texts dealing with the issue of refugees from each faith tradition. Introductions to each text were presented by key members of each faith - including William Cochrane, the International Secretary to the Chief of Staff at the Salvation Army - after which the participants divided into smaller groups to discuss the texts more closely.
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Scriptural Reasoning from Salvation Army IHQ on Vimeo.
The event was, however, made particularly unique through its incorporation of art, which offered a complementary and thought-provoking perspective on the refugee crisis. Participants had the chance to view stirring and challenging installation 'Sea of Colour' by Güler Ates, who created the piece with the help of women from local refugee groups. 'Sea of Colour' - which connects the suffering of refugees with that of Jesus, particularly the moment when he is stripped of his clothes - is currently being exhibited in the Salvation Army Headquarters as part of London's 'Stations of the Cross' exhibition.
The coming together of inter-faith dialogue, art, and expertise from multiple quarters made for an inspiring, significant evening that CIP felt privileged to be a part of.