DAMASCUS - Prayers were performed on Saturday at the Umayyad Mosque and Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus for the repose of the souls of the homeland's martyrs.
The prayers are part of the white hands campaign organized by a number of Syrian intellectuals under the title " Seculars, Christians and Muslims for Syria".
At the Umayyad Mosque, the event started by reciting verses from the Holy Quran followed by religious songs inspired by the ceremony of the anniversary of Prophet Mohammad's Birth.
Participants in the Umayyad Mosque prayer then headed for Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus where clerics lit candles tracing the words "Syria is Fine," before starting a prayer inside the church.In statements to SANA, member of Committee of Muslim Scholars in Akkar, northern Lebanon Sheikh Abdel Salam al-Hrash, stressed that these prayers confirm the unity of the Syrian people with their different sects, doctrines and belonging. "This unity is the response to extremism and terrorism." Sheikh al-Hrash said.
Patriarchal Vicar of Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East for Roman Orthodox Bishop Luka Khoury stressed that participation in these two prayers is a sign of affirmation that the Syrians, Christians and Muslims are one body as they are cooperated brothers for Syria.
For its part, Louai Tallawi, one the event organizers, said that this activity sends a message to all those who seek to tamper with the security and unity of the motherland. "It shows that the national unity is rooted in us as Syrians," Tallawi said.
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2012
