Sultan Mahmood, Communications director with the AMC, said, “We should be open to listen,” adding that with each conference he’s at, “I take back many things.”
 |
| Photo by: Joanne McQuarrie/Record-Gazette |
Source/Credit: Peace River Record Gazette
By Joanne McQuarrie | September 18, 2014
A small crowd attended the first annual World Religions Conference in Peace River on Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre.
The conference was hosted by a global religious organization called the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC), founded in 1889, with millions of followers in over 200 countries. The Community is known for its approach to interfaith dialogue, and advocates universal human rights and protections for religious and other minorities.
This set the format for Saturday’s gathering, with three panelists speaking to the theme of the afternoon, ‘Is Religion a Source of Peace or Conflict’? The trio included Dennis Whitford, Senior Advisor, Peace River Aboriginal Interagency Committee, Native Spirituality; Pastor Keith, Boschman, First Baptist Church, Christianity; Maulana Syed Taha, Islam. Wanda Laurin moderated the afternoon’s session. Event organizer was Malik Agyemang, with the AMC.
Following each panelist’s presentation, Laurin read questions submitted by audience members. Boschman commented that, “Everyone is one in Christ.” Whitford said, “Spirituality is a way of life; it’s getting up in the morning and encountering the Creator throughout the day.” Taha encouraged people to “start with yourself” when it comes to changes in your perspective about spirituality.
After the conference was over, Agyemang observed that, “We have a lot in common, from the speeches. Every religion preaches peace, love and harmony.” The vision of the AMC, he said, is “to break all these barriers between religions, so people love each other.”
Sultan Mahmood, Communications director with the AMC, said, “We should be open to listen,” adding that with each conference he’s at, “I take back many things.”
Of the 23 members of the AMC, based in Edmonton, half attended a conference they organized in Grande Prairie at the same time as Peace River’s. When they concluded that day, all travelled to Yellowknife to another AMC conference.
joanne.mcquarrie@sunmedia.ca
---------
Photo: Three panelists spoke to the theme of the inaugural World Religions Conference Sept. 13 at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre. Left to right: Asim Hanif, Sultan Mahmood, communications director, both with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; panelist Dennis Whitford, native spirituality; Terry Sawchuck, Town of Peace River councillor; panelist, Pastor Keith Boschman, Christianity; Wanda Laurin, moderator; panelist Maulana Syed Taha, Islam; Malik Agyemang, event organizer, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and; Farid Ahmed, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Read original post here: Inaugural World Religions Conference comes to Peace River
This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.