Large groups of young Egyptians, including Muslim Brotherhood members, gathered in Heliopolis, an upper class district of Cairo, on the Christian holiday of Good Friday.

While Christian compatriots commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Muslims volunteered to help with arrangements such as managing traffic and assisting visitors.

Except for Friday prayer break, the Muslims stayed there till sunset, when the Christian concluded their worship, to distribute Falafel sandwiches, a traditional food on Good Friday.

A multi-religious group of four men organized ‘Ieish-o-Malh’ that literally translates to ‘Bread and Salt’, a saying in the Arab world referring to coexistence and good relationships.

Brainstorming sessions for volunteers to come up with creative ideas for creating atmosphere of tolerance in Egypt. – Supplied photo

Mohamed Sharaf el-Din reaches out to Nubian girls speaking about how diversity should be managed. – Supplied photo

Three incredible leaders speak at their flagship event, Sawy Culture Wheel. – Supplied photo

Team leaders of Ieish-o-Malh with Father Athanasios in a Heliopolis Church northern Cairo.

Logo of Ieish-o-Malh. – Supplied photo

Another day of presentations at brainstorming sessions for volunteers. Egypt experience the worst Christian-Muslim clashes in recent history after Mubarak’s ouster. – Supplied photo

Children in Tahrir Square use Ieish-o-Malh tools to draw symbols of coexistence. Church beside a Mosque under Egypt's flag. – Supplied photo

Another boy show off his pencil color painting depicting cross-religious harmony during a rally in Tahrir Square, Cairo. – Supplied photo

Cairo’s impact agents who spearhead inter-religious harmony exactly when the world needed it the most.– Photo by Mohamed Sharaf Eldin

Brainstorming sessions for volunteers to come up with creative ideas for creating atmosphere of tolerance in Egypt. – Supplied photo

Mohamed Sharaf el-Din reaches out to Nubian girls speaking about how diversity should be managed. – Supplied photo

Three incredible leaders speak at their flagship event, Sawy Culture Wheel. – Supplied photo

Team leaders of Ieish-o-Malh with Father Athanasios in a Heliopolis Church northern Cairo.

Logo of Ieish-o-Malh. – Supplied photo

Another day of presentations at brainstorming sessions for volunteers. Egypt experience the worst Christian-Muslim clashes in recent history after Mubarak’s ouster. – Supplied photo

Children in Tahrir Square use Ieish-o-Malh tools to draw symbols of coexistence. Church beside a Mosque under Egypt's flag. – Supplied photo

Another boy show off his pencil color painting depicting cross-religious harmony during a rally in Tahrir Square, Cairo. – Supplied photo

Cairo’s impact agents who spearhead inter-religious harmony exactly when the world needed it the most.– Photo by Mohamed Sharaf Eldin

The four founding members, two Muslims and two Christians, include an ex-Muslim Brotherhood member, a Salafi follower of puritan Islamic school of thought and a volunteer in Church Services.

Yet, there's more than just a name.

It all started on Facebook where Hesham Hassan started a discussion with the Muslim Brotherhood’s stance towards Copts, and a woman providing space for debate amongst friends i.e. trainer Mohamed Sharaf el-Din, engineering university student Mina Nagi and pharmacist Ramy Sabry.

The four men, aged 25 to 35 years, agreed to meet following an online debate. The multicultural group watched a movie in a cinema club and continued discussion on understanding each other’s perspective.

Two other joint hangouts with some fresh bread led to creation of ‘Ieish-o-Malh’.

"We wanted to encourage people to know each other and break social seclusion and accept everyone in the community without prejudices. Committed Muslims and Christians don't differ on how important education is or how vital it is to fight unemployment", said Mina Nagi, who studies communication in a Cairo university.

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