Invitations to all religious communities in Ostend - a port city of 70,000 on the Channel with people from some 150 nationalities and many migrants, were repeatedly sent since mid-2018 in an effort to organise a dignified joint commemoration of the World Interfaith Harmony Week in the first week of February 2019.  

WIHW e-mails were shared with them.  

Christian churches organised their own 'Unity Service' two weeks before the WIHW.  Other communities did not express an interest in marking the week with a celebration of harmony and unity.  We, in our small Baha'i group, attended the Christian service, and organised a devotional meeting on February 8, 2019, with readings from the Holy Writings in Dutch, of the major world religions, followed by tea-time.

 Among the 13 present, there were Christians, Zen-Buddhists, a Moslem lady spokesman for the Sunni Aisha Mosque,  and people of no denomination. All joined in harmony in reading excerpts from the Holy Writings of Mankind. Facebook invitations reached + 2,000 people. A press release was sent to the local TV station, and press.

Invitations with Holy Writings quotes were mailed and sent out to dozens of people, thus helping to create the awareness of celebrating WIHW next year. Copies of the invitation and of the readings are attached to this report.

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