Pastors and imams came together for a friendly game of soccer in Dortmund, Germany, to support interfaith dialogue and tolerance between the two religious communities.
The competition, called “The 6th Summer Fest Religion Football Tournament” and supported by Radio 91.2 and a large number of other organizations and agencies, was held at the Borussia Dortmund (BVB) facilities.
The mood was festive at the sixth edition of the event. These soccer matches are organized as an enjoyable way to foster interfaith dialogue and tolerance between the two communities. The imams led the first half of the match 1-0 and, though the imams won 2-0, at the end of the match, the team captains of the pastors and the imams lifted the trophy together. Players from both teams were whistling and holding hands in a show of enthusiasm at the end of the game.
Dortmund Mayor Ullrich Sierau also joined in the festivities. At the end of the match, the mayor addressed the crowd, emphasizing that organizing this event was very meaningful for Dortmund. The mayor said the scope of the game expanded this year, with both young and old participating in the program. In fact, the mayor added, the atmosphere of the tournament had match it into a sort of festival.
