A flock gathers for World Religion Day

Inside a Sammamish City Hall meeting room on Sunday, Jan. 17, representatives of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and the Bahai Faith gathered to celebrate the community's third annual World Religion Day.

Organized by the local Baha'i Faith community and led by Baha'i member Dr. Scott Tyler, spiritual leaders spoke about the central teachings of their faith and demonstrated some of their religious ceremonies with displays, song or costume.

Initiated in 1950 on the third Sunday of January, World Religion Day was organized by the Baha'i community as a way of calling attention to shared spiritual principles of all the world's great religious faiths.

One of those participating was Wassim Fayed, a board member of the Sammamish Muslim Association and member of a local mosque.

"Asalam 'Alaykum," said Fayed (an Arabic spoken greeting meaning 'Peace be upon you.')

He introduced the audience to the religion of Islam (which means "Submission" in Arabic) and the Quran, the religion's central teachings.

"We believe in all the things and the blessings that God has bestowed on us," he said. "We believe in the unseen."

Sammamish resident and Baha'i member William Johns said he was happy to share his Sunday with others brought together by something so powerful as religious faith, and compared it to feelings of love and community.

"It's really wonderful to hear people's testimonies coming straight from people's hearts," he said.

Without quick thinking from event organizer Cindy Crowley, however, she said she nearly wasn't able to pull off the occasion.

"When we arrived, the doors were locked," she said. "We wanted to have a meeting place that was more central for everyone."

But Crowley and the Sammamish Police Department allowed dozens of others from a variety of faiths to share their message of peace indoors.

Deva Raj, who was visiting his daughter's family here while on vacation from his home in India, said he spotted the event in the local newspaper and marked it down in his daily diary. He was grateful for the opportunity to meet the community and hear religious openly expressed in a spirit of unity.

"To bring all the religions together is not an easy thing," he said.

Contact Sammamish Reporter Staff Kendall Watson at kwatson@issaquah-reporter.com or (425) 391-0363, ext. 5052.

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