Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Muslim Association - UK
By Imran Jattala | March 21, 2012
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the UK is set to hold its annual event, The National Peace Symposium, on March 24, 2012.
The event will be held at the landmark Baitul Futuh Mosque, the largest in Western Europe.
The symposium will also see the International Peace Prize being awarded to SOS Children’s Villages UK – a charity that has excelled in the field of service to humanity by working tirelessly to provide life-changing opportunities for tens of thousands of vulnerable children in some of the most difficult and challenging areas of the world.
The charity's work in Chile, Zambia, Malawi Ivory Coast and indeed right the across the developing world has blazed a trail in enabling practical human development.
The symposium - organized under the auspices of the Khalīfa of Islām, Hadhrat Mirzā Masroor Ahmad - is a key event of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK and it plays an important role in promoting a better understanding of Islam and other faiths.
“The people of the world should not only be concerned for their own rights, but should also look at their own obligations and be concerned for the welfare of others,” said Hadhrat Ahmad at the 2011 Peace Symposium. “The real foundation for peace is honesty which emanates from the heart.”
The keynote speech will be delivered by Hadhrat Ahmad who heads the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
This seminal annual event has hosted many distinguished speakers and attracts hundred of guests from all walks of life including parliamentarians, faith and civic leaders as well as representatives from numerous charities and faith communities.
At the last year’s peace symposium Abdul Satar Edhi and the Edhi Foundation received the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace, in recognition of his phenomenal humanitarian work.
The community says there will be exhibitions and an opportunity to take a tour of the venue, Europe’s largest Mosque, Baitul Futuh in Morden, South London which is far more than a mosque; encompassing the largest function halls in that part of London, library, exhibitions, television studios and much more.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who plans to attend the event, issued a encouraging statement concerning the National Peace Symposium.
“I applaud the efforts of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to strive for peace and to build bridges between diverse communities,” Mayor Boris said.
“Conferences such as these provide a platform for people to come together and demonstrate strength in unity. But it is at the grassroots that the real hard work is done to build a more cohesive and tolerant society.”
“I therefore applaud the Ahmadiyya Muslim ethos ‘Love for All Hatred for None’ that underpins all their work,” the Mayor further added.
Mayor Boris expressed that as one of the oldest Islamic communities in the capital, “the Ahmadiyya Muslim community has greatly contributed in shaping the city’s landscape with the first Mosque in London and by working for better community relations.
“I believe we must lead the world in promoting peace and tolerance,” says the mayor, “especially in this Jubilee and Olympic year.”
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has an estimated membership of 160 million across 200 countries. The community raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities, builds schools and hospitals open to all and promotes dialogue and understanding between communities.
The UK chapter of the community - established in 1913 - built London’s first purpose built mosque (in Putney, south west London) and now has over 100 branches across Britain.
-- UK: National Peace Symposium and Awards Dinner set for March 24; Muslim Caliph Keynote Speaker
-- Ahmadiyya Times
-- By Imran Jattala. Follow in Twitter: @IJattala
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