HUNDREDS of people gathered in Banbury Town Hall last night for the visit of Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais -the Muslim equivalent of The Pope.
In his speech, which was translated from Arabic, the sheikh thanked the people of Banbury for welcoming him and stressed common principles between Christians and Muslims such as kindness and respect.
He read a passage from the Qur'an and, just bef
ore leaving, gave a bouquet of flowers, which had been handed to him earlier in the evening, to Banbury Guardian photographer Will Johnston.
The sheikh has visited Banbury before but this was the first time he has come in an official capacity.
He said: "Banbury is beautiful. The people are great and whenever we enter the town I always smell the coffee. I would like to thank the people of Banbury."
See next week's Banbury Guardian for the full story.
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