World Interfaith Harmony Week in The Hague, the city of Justice and Peace, in the Netherlands organized by The Foundation Interreligious Council Segbroek (IBS) is very active in an important area of the very multicultural City The Hague in the Netherlands, Segbroek. Members of 5 mosques, 3 mandirs, 4 churches and some philosophycal organizations realized activities fort he society, to connect people of several cultures and traditions eith each other, In 2019 IBS organized for the fourth time the World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW). IBS is an example for other area’s in the City. Therefore the goals were for this WIHW: o To reach people of several ranks in the society. o To offer an interreligious domino game to play and to learn each other. o To reach religious and philosofycal oranizations to sign a declaration to create a safety pact or a charter of compassion for the CityThe Hague, after this week in Segbroek. o A program InSpiRituals with the Theatre De Nieuwe Regentes, in which is the inspiration with, songs, music, prayers and rituals of the religious traditions, followed by a walk along the Prayerhouses. The first meeting, Monday 4 February 2019 in the Library of Segbroek IBS invited people of several religious and philosophycal organizations, members of the Community and each other person with interest fort he themes. It was a very good meeting in which Umar Mirza, with roots in Pakistan, the meeting leaded and Hanneke Gelderblom, a important representative of the Jewish Community, told her experiences with organizing such a pact in other Dutch city’s. Bart ten Broek, the president of IBS, told about the work of the Foundation en the WIHW. Erik Dries, also member of IBS, developed the domino game, and explained how to play that. People liked to do that and the conversations were very exciting. About 60 persons were present. In the second part of the meeting people of twenty organizations signed the intention declaration to create a safety pact or charter of compassion fort he CityThe Hague! Below you see the intention declaration in Dutch: TEKST INTENTIEVERKLARING Het hedendaags religieus en levensbeschouwelijk landschap is heel gevarieerd. Er zijn vele overeenkomsten maar zeker ook verschillen. De verschillen kunnen voortkomen uit onbegrip, maar kunnen ook fundamenteel zijn. Er bestaat veel onbekendheid over en weer tussen religies, maar evenzo ook vanuit het niet-gelovige deel van de maatschappij. Sterker nog, er leven flinke vooroordelen die van tijd tot tijd ontaarden in conflicten en bedreigingen. Wederzijds respect is de grondslag van een humane samenleving waar plaats is voor iedereen die zich houdt aan de onderling overeengekomen spelregels. Onderstaande organisaties verklaren hierbij; • Publiek stelling te nemen tegen geweld, fysiek en verbaal, op discriminatoire gronden. Dit betreft geweld gericht tegen individuen vanwege hun religieuze en/of levensbeschouwelijke identiteit of tegen gebouwen als moskeeën, kerken, tempels en synagogen. • Het bovenstaande uit te dragen en actief het gesprek aan te gaan met de eigen achterban en andere gelijkgezinden. • Gezamenlijk te willen bijdragen aan een veilige samenleving met alle ruimte voor dialoog over overeenkomsten en verschillen! Below pictures with Umar Mirza, Erik Dries, Bart ten Broek and visitors The second meeting, Wednesday 6 February 2019 Marie-Anne (left), IBS,and Mala Wallage used their connections by inviting the homeless persons and Harry Vrins (IBS) presented the domino game in de roman catholic church St. Agnes On this day IBS invited homeless persons, sleeping everywhere in the city, like in the dunes, and volunteers. We presented food of the “religion kitchen”, (ISKCON). It was a vedic meal. People were very satisfied with this food and very interested in the explanation, Bart ten Broek, told about IBS en WIHW and Harry Vrins presented the domino game, In two sessions we reached more than 100 men, with volunteers and homeless persons. There were also people of the Community Office. It was a very good meeting. The game leaded to very good and open conversations, also about the influence of that in theid personal lifes. The homeless persons got also a ticket for the program InSpiRituals. Some of them were there indeed! InSpiRituals, Saturday 9 February 2019 On the last day we had an unique program. IBS was working together with the Theater De Nieuwe Regentes and supported the performance InSpiRituals. We looked for representatives in the religious communities to participate. In two perfomances one could enjoy the atmosphere with the call for and te prayers in a mosque, the songs in a christian church, the music, the offerings in the mandir, etc. in a very harmonious way! Many visitors came to the performance and expressed their great appreciation! Between the both performances people could go with each other in a walk along five Prayer Houses. Around 70 persons were participating. The next day people were invited to participate during sevices in churches, mandirs or mosques. https://www.facebook.com/marcelvandamm/videos/10155957536390849/ https://www.facebook.com/marcelvandamm/videos/10155957536640849/ https://www.facebook.com/DeNieuweRegentes/videos/375049366616678/ At the end of the performance Roelan Drost presented his special composed song with a choir of all the partcipants. https://www.facebook.com/DeNieuweRegentes/videos/286081182072427/ At the same time a wonderful end of a beautiful week! Bart ten Broek – advisor Steering Committee URI NETHERLANDS President of CC Interreligieus Beraad Segbroek, Den Haag, NL Ex-member of the Global Council URI 2014 - 2018 [email protected] Loosduinseweg 251, 2571 AD Den Haag,, Netherlands Phone: +31.70.3624009 / 06 19599553 The purpose of the United Religions Initiative is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings Thanks to T heatre and Community: