26th March 2009

The former Bishop of Palestine, the Right Reverend Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal, gave a talk at the London Muslim Centre last night on the theme of ‘Compassion and Justice in the Age of Rage and Materialism’.

In an address in front of 150 people, Bishop Riah said, “Justice and peace will come to the Israeli and Palestinian people when Jerusalem is in peace. I have seen the Muslims, Christians and Jews work together to rebuild a church and the result was breathtaking. I come to you to say that we must work together to create an everlasting peace.”

He continued saying, “I have a dream, like Martin Luther King, that one day, there is a Palestine where whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Arab or Israeli, you will have the right to live in peace and harmony. That is my dream of true peace.”

The audience was also addressed by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Councillor Abdullah Salique, and the Imam of the East London Mosque, Shaykh Abdul Qayum.

Bishop Riah is in the UK as part of a Goodwill Tour organised by Facilitate Global; he has already visited the House of Commons and Tower Hamlets Council.