UK: Muslims hold national peace conference

This year's peace conference will give the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community an opportunity to highlight its Love for All Hatred for None campaign, which has been running in the capital and beyond, promoting peace and tackling misconceptions about Islam.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Int'l Desk
Source & Credit: Community Newswire | Religion
By Emma Foster | Surrey | March 18, 2010

Up to 500 politicians, faith and community leaders, councillors and members of the public are expected to attend a Muslim peace conference on Saturday.

The conference, organised by Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, will take place at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, Surrey, and aims to give people of all faiths and no faith the chance to discuss issues and ideas.

Basharat Nazir from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK said: "This will be the seventh national peace conference - we hold smaller conferences in cities across the UK but this is our central event.

"It's a chance for people from across the community to get together to really exchange views and have open discussions.


"Often misunderstandings between groups can creep in if people just work quietly in their own areas, purely because people aren't talking to each other. Once people get together and start communicating with each other they realise they are actually working on the same agendas.

"The conference is a chance to promote peace and understanding and also respond to some of the negative views and misconceptions people have about Islam."

This year's peace conference will give the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community an opportunity to highlight its Love for All Hatred for None campaign, which has been running in the capital and beyond, promoting peace and tackling misconceptions about Islam.

Posters featuring messages of peace have been placed on buses in the capital as part of Love for All Hatred for None and campaigners are hoping to deliver peace leaflets to 2.7 million homes across the UK.

This week the bus campaign has been extended to Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, Hartlepool, Dewsbury and Sheffield.

Rafiq Hayat, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, said: "It is not sufficient simply to proclaim that Islam is a religion of peace. It is beholden on every Muslim to be the living embodiment of this golden Islamic principle - and to demonstrate it in their daily life.

"The level of misunderstanding about Islam by Muslims and non-Muslims is all too apparent. The campaign and its first key conference this week seeks to address this head on.

"Our peace conferences are held across the country and bring together people of all faiths and of no faith with the common aim of promoting peace. We stand opposed to extremism in all its ugly forms and our efforts to champion the cause of peace reflect the true Islamic teachings and values."

The community will also present the first Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace to Lord Avebury at the conference.

The prize will be awarded each year to someone who advances peace and promotes religious tolerance.

Basharat Nazir from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK said: "Lord Avebury has worked tirelessly with our community for a number of years and has done a lot to help us highlight the plight of Ahmaydiyya Muslims who are being persecuted around the world, such as in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

"The idea behind the award is to identify a person who does excellent work promoting understanding between faiths.

"We are pleased to give Lord Avebury this first award in honour of all the work he has done in this area over the years."

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community has more than 160 million followers across the world. Its motto is "Love for All, Hatred for None". For more information about the community's campaign visit www.LoveForAllHatredForNone.org.

end

Read original post here: MUSLIMS HOLD NATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE