Archbishop Songulashvili emphasized that the Arba’in pilgrimage produces hope in the hearts of humankind and said, “The pilgrimage from Najaf to Karbala was full of love and fellowship.” RNA – Speaking at a specialized conference entitled “Husayn in Christian Thought” which was held at Tehran’s Imam Sadiq University, Archbishop Dr. Malkhaz Songulashvili, the head of the Evangelical Baptist Union of Georgia, explained the experiences that he had during the Arba’in pilgrimage to the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn in the Iraqi city of Karbala and said, “I am a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ but I think that the message of Imam al-Husayn has many lessons, one of which is not remaining silent in the face of injustice.”
The pastor at Cathedral Baptist Church in Tbilisi added, “If we love Imam al-Husayn and want to follow him, we must resist the spread of hatred throughout the world.”
He pointed out that religion can guide people toward a peaceful life and said, “Religion leads us to tolerance but we can’t suffice with just tolerance but rather we must move toward a life full of love.”
Archbishop Songulashvili referred to the cruel martyrdom of Ali al-Asghar, the six-month-old son of Imam al-Husayn and said, “When a father lifted his six-month-old baby up with the objective of asking for water and the enemies targeted the child’s throat instead of giving him water, those killers were nothing but evil.”
The Georgian pastor continued, “The story of Karbala teaches us that people with power don’t have the right to supress others. For this reason, today the story of Imam al-Husayn is very important. My experience on the path between Najaf and Karbala was one of the deepest experiences that I’ve ever had. The Arba’in pilgrimage had a miraculous impact on the life of humankind.”
He made an excerpt from his Arba’in memoirs and said, “I attended the Arba’in pilgrimage with the same vestments as I’m wearing now and I was welcomed by those who were also participating in this commemoration.”
Archbishop Songulashvili continued, “Everyone brought me everything they had, and that sense of friendship and hospitality was very interesting to me because I was neither a resident of that country nor their religion, but I was welcomed by them and It was a loving reception.
Emphasizing that Arba’in produces hope in the hearts of humankind, he said, “The walk from Najaf to Karbala was full of love and fellowship. If we can be compassionate on the path from Najaf to Karbala, why can’t we be compassionate on the path from Tehran to Tbilisi?”
Archbishop Songulashvili pointed out that Muslims and Christians make up half of the world’s population, “A future full of peace and harmony is in our hands. Christians and Muslims can keep the world alive through the teachings of Imam al-Husayn.”
Rasa News Agency
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