Our festival ambassador Haikal Adzmir reflects on the Uniting for Peace and Friendship Service during Scottish Interfaith Week:

On the 12th of November 2025, I had the opportunity to attend a service focused on uniting all faiths in committing to peace hosted by Edinburgh Interfaith Association (EIFA). The event was attended by religious leaders of all faiths who each shared their own prayers and presentations to the audience. The event was attended by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh who also shared his thoughts on the importance of solidarity and respect in the face of rising intolerance and conflict. A few highlights from the service include:

  • A Baháʼí musical performance inspired by its own writings. The song was played over with a guitar accompanied by a harp.
  • A Sufi-inspired song performed by Saj Sabri, a Scottish born artist with Kashmiri roots. He chose to perform the song in Punjabi despite being able to sing in 9 other different languages.
  • The Mettā Sutta, a verse in Buddhism emphasising the importance of loving-kindness and the cultivation of peace in the mind. We were also provided with the transliteration so that we could follow along the Buddhist chant.
  • A Sikh Shabad which is a musical performance emphasising the unity between religions. The performance makes multiple references to concepts and figures in other religions like Hinduism and Islam.

The event then continued with the lighting of the peace candle along with a short speech on the importance of peace. Soon, we were brought back to life with an energising performance by the Mountain of Fire and Miracles and Ministry Choir. Before the end, everyone stood up and recited a pledge for peace. The whole pledge is as below:

We join together today as citizens of Edinburgh.

We pledge to stand united against the spread of disinformation, and propagation of hate and violence towards others.

We pledge to stand united against all forms of violent extremism.

We pledge to live by the values that are inherent within our traditions – values of compassion for the needy, love for the neighbour, and respect for one another.

We pledge to do all that we can to promote understanding, respect, and mutual love for all.

This service is an important landmark effort in signifying the city’s pledge against hate and prejudice and I am excited to attend events like these in the future.

About our ambassador

Haikal Adzmir is a member of the National Interfaith Youth Advisory Board and kindly offered to be an ambassador for Scottish Interfaith Week. A recent graduate, he is also currently working as a research assistant focused on religious texts and interfaith work.