Underneath marquees tested by a downpour, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians fed hungry commuters before sharing a meal and prayer together yesterday evening.
In a show of unity that one veteran Myanmar activist had never before seen, 13 community groups donated enough food for 2,000 people at Maha Bandula Park bus terminal in downtown Yangon.
Beckoned in by free biryani, passersby were also given white roses, a symbol of love and peace invigorated by a monk who handed the flowers to Muslims a day after a nationalist mob shutdown their Ramadan prayers in South Dagon nearly two weeks ago.
On this iftar dinner, when Islam devotees break their daily Ramadan fast at sunset, Boney Oo, 50, tucked into a polystyrene box of rice and thought of his three children.
“This is what I want for their future,” the Mandalay-born tour guide told Myanmar Mix. “There are no nationalists here, but there are many democratic people; even the Yangon mayor Maung Maung Soe came and encouraged us.”
This is the second such dinner, said Boney Oo, a practising Muslim, with the inaugural gathering last year providing food for 300 people.
Among servings of fried vermicelli, dates, and jelly, Buddhist activist and former political prisoner Tin Maung Oo, 55, praised the fact that one religion was marking its holy celebration with others.
“When I heard about this donation, I thought it was a great idea so I came down to participate,” he said. “It’s the first time I have seen this in my life. We are different people, but under the umbrella of peace we are all the same.”
Lead singer of punk band Rebel Riot, Kyaw Kyaw, 32, helped organize and distribute a donation of noodles. He told Myanmar Mix that the interfaith feast is “what we need.”
“It’s solidarity for peace,” he said. “We should not just complain, but actually do something, and for me it’s amazing and wonderful to see everybody doing a good thing altogether.”
Sithu Myo Zin, 17, of the Social Alliance Organisation had spent from 5pm to 7pm distributing water and soft drinks.
“We are all the same, we’re humans and we want peace with each other,” he said with a smile at the end of the dinner.
After posing for photos with emergency service volunteers, who helped dish out the food, Muslim writer Myint Thein reflected on the evening.
“We want to show that regardless of race and religion we all want peace, but there are some destructive elements in our society,” said Myint Thein, who heads the Peace Cultivation Network.
“We want the silent majority to wake up and have awareness for the future. We want to get people to join together and never listen to hateful speech.”
People of all religions and races have now begun to hand white roses to each other in the #WhiteRose4Peace campaign, a show of love and solidarity that has so far spread from Yangon to Mawlamyine and Sagaing region, where communities six years ago were rocked by a wave of anti-Muslim riots.
