Damascus: HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies, has expressed concern over attacks targeting worshippers in places of worship, describing such actions as violations of fundamental religious principles.
According to Jordan News Agency, Prince Hassan conveyed his condolences to Patriarch John X of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East following the tragic terrorist bombing at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus. He emphasized that extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam by attacking churchgoers are undermining Islamic teachings, which prioritize the sanctity of human life.
Prince Hassan underscored that the attack is a violation of the principles of peace and human dignity that are central to both Christianity and Islam. He highlighted a recent meeting in Amman titled “Christians in the Arab Levant and Aspirations for Unity and Enlightenment,” which included Christian religious leaders from the Levant and Muslim and Christian intellectuals.
The Amman gathering focused on the ethical role of religion, advocating against the intertwining of faith with politics and opposing the politicization of religion. It also addressed the need to combat religious or sectarian intolerance, discrimination, and hate speech and strongly opposed violence.