Followers of various faiths stage joint bike run in Kazan

A bike run in support of peace and agreement concluded yesterday at Kazan Family Centre.

A bike run in support of peace and agreement concluded yesterday at Kazan Family Centre. The result of social drive arranged by Tatarstan religious communities was the flashmob themed We Are For Peace! held within the month-long campaign No To Extremism!.



The race, participated by young Tatarstan Muslim Spiritual Board, Russian Orthodox Christian Church Metropolitan as well as by Hebrew and Catholic community activists, purports to raise the public awareness of that, despite the differences in religion and language, all faiths have one goal - to maintain peace.



“The idea to hold the drive came up during one of the joint meetings of followers of Islam, Orthodox Christianity and other major religions found in our republic. We wanted to do something exciting, on the one hand, and, on the other, something that could unite younger people. So, we had an idea to hold a large event symbolising our common view, since absolutely all religions declare peace their main value, nobody needs war,” Tatarstan branch of Orthodox Christian Church’s junior department chief Artyom Garanin told Tatar-inform.



“We never expected so many young people who care to get together. The thing is, younger people are simply tired of this war, of the media constantly reporting new terror act victims. We all know what is happening in Ukraine. Our event was an attempt to convey our common goal to the public,” said Tatarstan Muslim Spiritual Board junior department chief Ainur Akhmetshin.



The flashmob concluded in a group photo of participants standing to form the word ‘peace’. The photo will be spread on social media under hashtag #We_are_for_peace, inviting other Russian territories to join in. Tatarstan junior religious association leaders hope the event will spread far beyond the Russian borders, finding like-minded people in other countries.