Marrakesh, Morocco (TMT)- The Seniorensiegel (Senior Citizen Medal) Initiative is awarding former German President Christian Wulff with the “Senior Citizen Medal for Outstanding Services” for his efforts as an initiator and an “unprejudiced driving force” for dialog with Muslims, a communiqué The Moroccan Times received from the said Germany-based body said.
Aiman Mazyek, the Chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, will decorate Wulff with the award on the 24th of June in the winter garden of Hotel Adlon in Berlin.
To show the significance of the event, a “House of Religions,” a two-and-a-half square meter setting, will feature an illuminated setting in the form of a cub containing 5,000 Bibles and Korans.
The aim of the said setting is to symbolize the mutual respect and acceptance of all religions and ideological communities in Germany.
On the sidelines of this prospective award ceremony, Sven Lilienström, the founder of the Senior Citizen Medal initiative in Germany, reflected on the decision behind picking Chrisian Wullf for the award and told The Moroccan Times the following:
“With the phrase ‘Islam belongs to Germany’ Christian Wulff bravely shifted a sensitive issue into the public’s focus on the 20th anniversary of German reunification, thereby smoothing the path for an intensive and sustainable dialog with Muslims in Germany.”
Lilienström said he is “convinced that the choice of Hotel Adlon represents a worthy setting for the award because the chosen background possesses a symbolic character.”
“A house that comprises the sacred scriptures of two major world religions – constructed in the heart of Berlin, the melting pot of cultures in Germany. As far as I am aware, no one has ever done anything like this before,” Lilienström further noted.
It is worth reminding that, according to a study called “Muslim Life in Germany” carried out by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) on behalf of the Deutsche Islam Konferenz (German Conference on Islam, DIK), there is currently between 3.8 and 4.3 million Muslims in Germany.
The Moroccan Times.
