According to rahyafte ( the missionaries and converts website):
An Exclusive Interview with a Catholic brother who had a trip to Arbaeen, Pedro José Saavedra Macas from Spain, by Bentolhoda Mofakhami
Brother Pedro! Rahyafte Team (related to Edoardo Agnelli Islamic Association) appreciates you for agreeing to hold an interview and also for your efforts to show the real image of Islam.
First of all, please tell us about yourself. (Name, country, work, field of study, grade, age, where you grew up, and anything interesting about your life).
My name is Pedro José Saavedra Macيas, I live in Seville, southern Spain and I am 42 years old. I dedicate myself to art direction and design, in different disciplines: branding, editorial, web, etc. both on and offline. Although I do not usually mix it with work, sometimes I do, at a more artistic level, I do photography and video. Now immersed in projects related to beauty, melancholy, wandering and drift, spaces and those that inhabit them, also with the video linked with travel experiences, the environment and the world of solidarity: the West Bank, Lebanon, North Korea, Iran, Transnistria, Chernobyl …
How do people in your country treat Muslims?
Generally well, we are very close to Morocco and we know, even though it is very simple, what Islam is. However, there are always people with prejudices. The terrorism of extremist groups that attributed, erroneously, the Islamic religion to their actions has done a lot of bad for the Muslim religion in Europe. Islam is a religion of peace.
What was your purpose when you started Arbaeen’s trip?
Spiritual. I can say that I know more or less well that it is the Shia, I already attended the Ashura in Iran in 2013. For me, the purpose was to record on video and tell the world that there was a multitudinous pilgrimage of love and peace. Behind all my work there was an act of spirituality. Everything I have recorded has been from a point of view spiritual.
How do you see the pilgrimage of Arbaeen?
Wonderful! It is the celebration of joy, unity, where solidarity, compassion, and love is transversal to all religions, races, and cultures. I have seen and proven it. No matter where you come from, Arbaeen is a movement in pursuit of universal justice.
How was the behavior of the Iraqi people (with you)?
Really wonderful! It hurts me to see how in the West we have lost that sensitivity, that love for our neighbor. I have never felt alone on the road, everything has been helping, smiles, and love.
How did the Muslims treat you when they discovered that you were a Catholic?
As to any of theirs, although I would say different, because when they found out that I was a Catholic they treated me even better. As if I were a guest who comes to visit a friend with peace and love. I am used to being treated by the Shiites with love.
Have you been in contact with Muslims before your trip to Arbaeen?
Yes, I am Catholic but I love religious rituals. I have very good Muslim friends, and I talk about religion with them.
How did you get to know the pilgrimage of Arbaeen?
Reading, curiosity, and social networks, which little by little echo in that great event.
What was your opinion about Islam and Arbaeen before your trip? Did it change after your trip? If yes, could you explain how it changed?
I have to say that I already knew that this experience would be unique for me, I know the love that the Shia gives off for the world, and I was convinced that it would be a unique experience. So I thought and so it was, something unforgettable.
How was your experience different from the reflection of non-Muslim media?
Really this pilgrimage, this movement is not well-known in the West or by the media.
What attracted you the most about Arbaeen?
Children, their smile, their happiness and how they offered water, nuts, tea, fragrances, and spreading love.
Do you have any interesting memories of Arbaeen that you want to share with us?
Invited by the NOG Arbaeen Europe, they took me to meet a man who lived right next to the Euphrates River, and he told us weeping how happy he was to work all year long so he could offer help to the pilgrims along the way. It was very exciting! Amazing!
Are you interested in having another trip to Karbala or attending the Arbaeen pilgrimage next year?
Yes.
Was this trip hard for you?
Hard? That’s impossible. No matter how much love went, I could get tired. It’s not hard. It’s wonderful.
What is your opinion about the ethics of Islam?
All men are equal before God.
Has anyone from your family or relatives tried to stop you from traveling?
No. If I had been prevented, I would have gone as well and then I would have told them what Arbaeen is like. My family is used to that I move around the world.
May Allah help all the Muslims in the world and May Allah hasten the reappearance of Imam Zaman (atfs) to help bring peace and justice to the world. And May we use our potential to help Islam and promote the true beauty of Islam.Thank you very much for your attention.
DUA: Allah!
please accept this from us.
You are All-Hearing and All-Knowing.
You are The Most Forgiving.
You are The Most Relenting and repeatedly Merciful.
Allah! grant us The Taufiq to read all the 5 prayers with sincerity.
(Taken from To Be Earnest In Prayers By Amina Elahi)
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