Bishop of Stepney Helps Build Interfaith Relations in Albania

The Bishop of Stepney has met with the Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum and key representatives of Albania's main religious denominations to promote greater interfaith cooperation in Albania.

The Rt Rev Stephen Oliver met the representatives with the aim of demonstrating how the sharing of good practice, common goals and closer coordination between local religious groups has been successfully achieved in the Tower Hamlets area.

The discussion focused on ways in which the successful interfaith partnerships in the Tower Hamlets area of London could be implemented in Albania.

Commenting on the event, the Bishop of Stepney said, "Successful interfaith dialogue is crucial in strengthening the role religious communities can play in building peace and stability in the Albanian region.

"The main challenge facing us now is bringing this level of cooperation from a local level to the international community."

Although Albania is a predominantly Muslim country, made up of Sunni and Bektashi Muslims, it also has a significant number of East Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics.

The religious leaders of post-communist Albania are keen to encourage cooperation and peaceful coexistence between the various faith communities in the country.

The meeting in Whitechapel brought together not only representatives from Albania's Muslim communities but also members of the Christian communities.

Other religious leaders local to Tower Hamlets who took part in the meeting included Cllr Abdul Aziz Sardar, Honorary Chairperson of the Tower Hamlets Council of Mosques, and Fr Alan Green, Chair of Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum and Area Dean, who discussed together how religious cooperation could best be achieved.

Fr Alan Green, Chair of the Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum said, "Since the Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum was founded in 2003 our local faith communities have worked together to create many projects and resources aimed at bringing people in the area closer together.

"The work carried out in the Tower Hamlets area after the London bombings last year is a fantastic example of how various religious groups can stand together in the face of adversity."

For further information on the work of the Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum visit: www.faithintowerhamlets.com