The open day marked the end of Islam Awareness Week, presented by the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand. Continue readiing

The first national mosque open day, to be held on October 25, will see non-Muslims invited to take tours of mosques and to ask questions of Islamic leaders.

It will be followed by a "Walk Together" march in 20 cities organised by an interfaith group, Welcome to Australia.

The National Unity Day events were announced by Muslim, Christian and Jewish community leaders at Sydney's Pitt Street Uniting Church on October 8, the Guardian Australia reported.

The president of the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) in Australia, Samier Dandan, said the day was about "demonstrating to the wider community that our mosques are open", an openness he hoped would be taken up by in the general public.

"If you have a question, go straight to the source, do your own research, find out what a Muslim stands for, what a Christian stands for, what a Jew stands for.

"I guarantee that you that what you'll find is that 99 per cent between the different faiths is common," he said.

Mr Dandan said the LMA was implementing other interfaith projects, including organising visits between private Islamic and Jewish schools "to cross-pollinate their mindsets".

These moves come at a time when Muslims are feeling increasingly marginalised in Australia and there is disturbing evidence of hate crimes across the country.

Maha Abdo, the chief executive the Muslim Women's Association in Australia, said the debate around Islam in the past weeks, including last week's ban on people with facial coverings sitting in federal Parliament's open public gallery, had made Muslims "fearful and anxious".

But she was heartened by the backlash to the burqa decision, including Prime Minister Tony Abbott's request to Parliament's presiding officers to reconsider the ruling.

Uniting Church Australia president Reverend Andrew Dutney said it was important that Christians loved their neighbours as themselves.

Rabbi Adam Stein, from the conservative Kehilat Nitzan Synagogue in Melbourne, also leant his support to the initiative.

"A National Day of Unity helps us remember that there are more ­issues that unite us than divide us," Rabbi Stein said.

Sources

• Guardian Australia
• The Australian
• St George and Sutherland Shire Leader
• Image: The Guardian

The discovery in late August 2012 in rural North Taranaki of a lost carving of the crucified Jesus Christ, 12 years after it was stolen from the Futuna Chapel in Wellington, was very welcome news to the Friends of Futuna Charitable Trust, the guardians of the statue's original home.

The 160cm tall figure of Christ was hand-carved from mahogany by noted New Zealand sculptor Jim Allen in 1961, for the crucifix that completed the award-winning design of Futuna Chapel by architect John Scott.

When the figure was first found Allen expressed his delight at its rediscovery. "This is a red-letter day for all of us and brings to a close our endless speculation as to its whereabouts. I look forward to its re-installation and further confirmation of John Scott's vision for the Futuna Chapel".

Although the chapel is no longer a consecrated church, the Christ figure was part of Scott's original architectural vision for the chapel, and its recovery provides a sense of completeness in the on-going restoration of the building. The Trust has been encouraging the use of the chapel for community events, so that its unique design and spiritual qualities can be enjoyed and appreciated as widely as possible.

Shonagh Kenderdine, the patron of the Futuna Trust and Chair of the Historic PLaces Trust Board, says "The return of the Christ figure to Futuna has great spiritual, cultural and architectural significance for New Zealanders. The figure is the mauri (life-force) of the chapel. Te Hokinga Mai (the Returning) began today with the figure's road journey from Taranaki to Wellington under the protection of the New Zealand Police, who have been so instrumental in its return".

Mark Burry, NZ architect and now Professor of Design at RMIT Melbourne, will present the 2013 Futuna lecture in New Zealand starting in Auckland on 13 March, followed by Christchurch on 14 March and Futuna Chapel in Wellington on Sunday 17 March following the public open day.

Source

• Eventfinder
• Image: TenOne