More than 50 volunteers from the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy and the Church of Scientology worked together to safeguard and improve the environment of the Great Mosque of Rome.

The Grand Mosque of Rome (Moschea di Roma) is the largest mosque in the Western World. At 30,000 square meters, it can accommodate more than 12,000 faithful at a time. Located at the foot of the Monti Parioli, it is also the seat of the Italian Islamic Cultural Center.

 

A meeting place for religious services, it also serves a cultural and social role, providing religious education, wedding ceremonies, funeral services, exhibitions and conventions. The City Council of Rome donated the land for the mosque in 1974, the first stone was laid in 1984, and the President of the Italian Republic attended its inauguration on 21 June 1995.

Last month, Volunteer Ministers from the Church of Scientology joined mosque members in an environmental initiative in the neighborhood surrounding the mosque, in keeping with the precepts shared by both Muslims and Scientologists. Islam places great emphasis on physical and spiritual cleanliness. And The Way to Happiness, the common-sense moral code written by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, a moral code Scientologists adhere to, enjoins people to safeguard and improve the environment.

The team of volunteers collected and disposed of brambles and shrubs, weeds, brushwood and trash, making access to the mosque by pedestrians easier and restoring the beauty of the area.

“It was a day that required great commitment from all the volunteers because of the overwhelming heat, but we were richly rewarded by the results,” said Elena Martini, spokesperson for the Church of Scientology in Rome.

“It is a collaboration that carries forward a common project, both of fraternity and friendship and with a common goal, that of caring for the environment,” said Dr. Nader Akkad, imam of the Grand Mosque of Rome. “Religions have a very important task, to create fraternity, to create a common space of friendship. Nowadays, it is very important for religious faiths to cooperate for the collective good, and certainly one of the best ways to do this is to take care of the environment, the people and the relationships of those people who live in this environment.”

Leaders of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy and the Church of Scientology plan to follow up with future initiatives in service to the community.

Among the precepts of The Way to Happiness that inspired the Scientology volunteers in this initiative are: Set a Good Example, Safeguard and Improve Your Environment, and Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others. The full text of the common-sense guide to better living has been made into a book on film that airs on the Scientology Network on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.