Manuel de Almeida / Lusa
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the Central Mosque of Lisbon
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, highlighted the importance of “Islamic heritage” in Portugal – be it cultural, linguistic or genetic.
The head of state spoke at the solemn session commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Lisbon Central Mosque, this Saturday, which was also attended by the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, as well as members of different religious beliefs.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlighted the “openness of Islam to different religions” and cited passages from the Koran to demonstrate this.
“This notion that the gifts of the Lord reach everyone, regardless of their beliefs, is a message of ecumenism, and consequently of openness to others, of dialogue, of acceptance of differencepresent in the holy book of Islam. This evocation, reaffirmed today, represents a tribute to the ecumenical spirit that exists in Portugal”, he stated.
For the President of the Republic, whenever this ecumenical spirit was respected throughout history, “it made Portugal great”.
“And when it was not respected, it made Portugal small”, he countered, remembering that This spirit is “anchored in religious freedom, inscribed in the Constitution”.
Importance of “Islamic heritage” in Portugal
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized the “Islamic heritage” in Portugalwhich he considered to be “very rich, the result of an Arab presence of more than four centuries in the territory of what is now Portugal”.
“A heritage that remains to this day in our culture and languagewith more than two thousand words originating in Arabic”, he began by saying.
“A genetic inheritance and also a conceptual heritage of theology and science, of harmony and complementarity between science and faith, originating in Islamic precepts”, he added.
The President of the Republic ended his intervention with an Islamic greeting, speaking in Arabic, which he then repeated in Portuguese: “may the peace and blessing of God be with you”.
“From this Central Mosque to Odivelas and Mouraria, from Palmela to Famões, Coimbra and Porto, from the Algarve to Madeira and the Azores, you are all, we are all Portuguese. We are part of Portugal and we enrich Portugal. With ups and downs like all stories, but your heritage is always present, and when apparently disappeared, revived or reborn”, he said.
