What does the Virgin Mary mean to Muslims?
Mary is a symbol of unity for Christians and Muslims in Lebanon. Her feast day, the annunciation, is a national holiday there.
For Christians, the Feast of the Annunciation on the 25 March celebrates the moment that the Angel Gabriel told Mary she was going to give birth to the Son of God – it is also a national holiday in Lebanon where Mary is important to both Christians and Muslims - in the Koran she is referenced 37 times.
Mary became a symbol of unity after the civil war of the 1980s and continues to be one for Lebanese people who worry that Islamic State will bring their extreme views and violence over its border with Syria.
John Laurenson follows the crowds as they celebrate Mary and talk to Muslims and Christians about the hope she represents for Lebanon and their affection for the woman they see as their Holy Mother.
Produced and Presented by John Laurenson Picture: AFP/Patrick Baz
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Heart and Soul
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