Press Release: AMC Delhi Peace Symposium
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Delhi organized peace symposium at Chinmay Mission, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 13th April’ 2013 to promote the values of peace, tolerance and universal brotherhood. Religious leaders from different faiths praised the efforts of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on spreading Pluralism and Tolerance. The event saw participation from different sections of society including academicians, politicians, media-persons, students, businessmen, social workers and bureaucrats.
The theme for this year was ”Interfaith Harmony”. The symposium aims to promote a deeper understanding of Islam and other faiths and seeks to inspire a concerted effort for lasting peace.
Addressing the gathering, Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati, regional Head of Chinmaya Mission appreciated the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s effort to promote communal harmony and peace. He said that we need to highlight the similarities in different religions to promote peace.
Speaking on the same theme, Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, Honarary Secretary, Judah Hymn Synagogue, Delhi said that we need to celebrate the diversity and pluralism in society in order to attain peace. He emphasized upon the importance of practicing inter-faith harmony and tolerance in our daily life.
Speaking on the Islamic view of Peace, Syed Dawood Ahmad, President Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Delhi said that Islam never monopolizes truth. He said that Holy Quran lays stress on respecting people belonging to different faiths to establish peace.
Other Notable speakers at the symposium were:
1. Mr. Harinder Pal Singh (chairman of the Gurmat College, Delhi)
2. Dr. A H Khan, Vice President of PUCL (People’s Union for Civil Liberties), national vice-president of the India Adult Education Association
3. Kumari Asha Behenji (Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University)
4. Ven. R Sumiththananda Thero, Bhikku In-Charge Of Delhi Center of Maha Bodhi Society Of India.
5. Professor J.L.Kaul, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
6. Chaudhary Mateen Ahmad, Member of Legislative Assembly, Delhi
7. Maulana Ataul Mujeeb Lone, Missionary Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
8. Swami Shantamanda Ji, President Ramakrishna Mission Delhi
The symposium was organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Delhi. It was chaired by Syed Tanvir Ahmad, Secretary for External Affairs of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, India. This is the third Peace symposium that the community has organized in New Delhi. The community has been organizing such symposiums throughout the globe.
National branches of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have launched campaigns that reflect the true and peaceful teachings of Islam. Ahmadi Muslims the world over are engaged in grassroots efforts to distribute millions of ‘Peace’ leaflets to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, host interfaith and peace symposiums, and present exhibitions of The Holy Qur’an, to present its true and noble message.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community was founded in 1889 by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian, India. He claimed to be the expected reformer of the latter days and the awaited one of the world’s religions (the Messiah and Mahdi of the latter days). His mission was to revive the peaceful teachings of Islam and engender in people’s hearts the love of God and the duty to serve mankind.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is led by a system of Khilafat or spiritual leadership. His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad is the community’s fifth Khalifa and is based in London. His Holiness leads his global community and inspires it to serve humanity with the spirit of kindness and humility that is integral to Islam.
The community is now established in more than 200 countries and it spearheads an international effort to promote education and health across the developing world as well as a global peace campaign to engender respect and human rights for all.
Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, Honarary Secretary, Judah Hymn Synagogue, Delhi
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast growing international revival movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, it spans over 200 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. Its current headquarters are in the United Kingdom.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long-awaited Messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) (1835-1908) of Qadian. Ahmad(as) claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus(as) of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad(sa). Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes that God sent Ahmad(as), like Jesus(as), to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. Ahmad’s(as) advent has brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival. He divested Islam of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings. He also recognized the noble teachings of the great religious founders and saints, including Zoroaster(as), Abraham(as), Moses(as), Jesus(as), Krishna(as), Buddha(as), Confucius(as), Lao Tzu and Guru Nanak, and explained how such teachings converged into the one true Islam.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the leading Islamic organization to categorically reject terrorism in any form. Over a century ago, Ahmad(as) emphatically declared that an aggressive “jihad by the sword” has no place in Islam. In its place, he taught his followers to wage a bloodless, intellectual “jihad of the pen” to defend Islam. To this end, Ahmad(as) penned over 80 books and tens of thousands of letters, delivered hundreds of lectures, and engaged in scores of public debates. His rigorous and rational defenses of Islam unsettled conventional Muslim thinking. As part of its effort to revive Islam, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues to spread Ahmad’s(as) teachings of moderation and restraint in the face of bitter opposition from parts of the Muslim world.
Similarly, it is the only Islamic organization to endorse a separation of mosque and state. Over a century ago, Ahmad(as) taught his followers to protect the sanctity of both religion and government by becoming righteous souls as well as loyal citizens. He cautioned against irrational interpretations of Quranic pronouncements and misapplications of Islamic law. He continually voiced his concerns over protecting the rights of God’s creatures. Today, it continues to be an advocate for universal human rights and protections for religious and other minorities. It champions the empowerment and education of women. Its members are among the most law-abiding, educated, and engaged Muslims in the world.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the foremost Islamic organization with a central spiritual leader. Over a century ago, Ahmad(as) reminded his followers of God’s promise to safeguard the message of Islam through khilafat (the spiritual institution of successorship to prophethood). It believes that only spiritual successorship can uphold the true values of Islam and unite humanity. Five spiritual leaders have succeeded Ahmad(as) since his demise in 1908. It’s fifth and current spiritual head, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, resides in the United Kingdom. Under the leadership of its spiritual successors, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has now built over 15,000 mosques, over 500 schools, and over 30 hospitals. It has translated the Holy Quran into over 70 languages. It propagates the true teachings of Islam and the message of peace and tolerance through a twenty-four hour satellite television channel (MTA), the Internet (alislam.org) and print (Islam International Publications). It has been at the forefront of worldwide disaster relief through an independent charitable organization, Humanity First.