The keynote speaker of the evening was Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He gave an emphatic and enigmatic speech on the resonance of the diversity within the UK, and indeed the commonwealth.
Source/Credit: This is Your Local London
By Mashood Ahmad | October 27, 2017
‘Love for All, Hatred for None’. The zealous, humanitarian and world renowned slogan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was once again echoed at the 2017 PAN African Peace Symposium which congregated at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Surrey, England on the 21st of October 2017.
The highly coveted and anticipated gathering of the Symposium was organised by the PAN African Association, an auxiliary organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The organisation, comprised of Ahmadi Muslims of African provenance, had engineered this year’s Peace Symposium orbiting the important theme of ‘Unity in Diversity’. It is a theme which is paramount in today’s day and age, where prejudice, bigotry and racism orchestrate polarisation of communities in our society; when at such times of division communities should unite to bring about a moral and spiritual metamorphosis in the minds of the people.
Present at the event were esteemed individuals from both sides of the social spectrum and originating from not just African provenances, but all walks of life. Guests ranging from ambassadors and members of Parliament to local residents and councillors attended the significant gathering to address the plethora of socio-political issues plaguing our societies. Guests included Dr Boomer Douglas, Chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK, Councillor Ifthiqar Chaudhury, Mayor of Runnymede, and the Councillor of the Embassy of Algeria and Dr Emrena Belle, MBE; amongst a myriad of other distinguished individuals.
Spearheading this year’s Peace Symposium was Mr Tommy Kallon, President of the PAN African division of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He gave an engaging and comprehensive address on the importance of ‘Unity in Diversity’, emphasising the fact that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community represents the renaissance and rejuvenation of Islam as a religion, and that the ethos of Islam is to serve and fulfil the sanctified human rights of others. Likewise, he also highlighted the crucial importance of moral and social purification and the supreme need to establish the virtues of piety, honesty and integrity in to the social architecture of our societies.
Subsequently following the speech was the presentation of a short documentary comprised by the PAN African Association shedding light on the humanitarian works accomplished by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Africa. The documentary crystallized the excellent work completed by PAAMA, Humanity First and the Ahmadiyya International Association of Architects and Engineers in improving living standards in Africa for the poor and destitute. Most notably, in developing standards of education, water sanitation, electricity, housing and food sanitation by constructing schools, community centres, intermediate water technology such as hand pumps and wells, solar panels, sustainable housing and improved farming and irrigation technology. According to their statistics, access to clean water was given to over 3 million people and over 800 new schools had been erected with developed libraries and science laboratories.
Succeeding the documentary were the esteemed government individuals who gave short speeches on the importance of ‘Unity in Diversity’. Councillor Marsie Skeete, Councillor for Merton spoke on the liberating vision of peace and humanitarianism which is embraced and spearheaded by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Furthermore, his Excellency Julius Peter Moto, High Commissioner of the Republic of Uganda to the UK, highlighted the importance of needing to eradicate corruption in government and establishing peace from a political standpoint. The Deputy High Commissioner of Ghana to the UK spoke passionately on the charity and humanitarian works of the Ahmadiyya Community in Africa in raising living standards for millions.
The keynote speaker of the evening was Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He gave an emphatic and enigmatic speech on the resonance of the diversity within the UK, and indeed the commonwealth. He talked of the UN Charter of Human Rights and the importance of protecting human life. He underlined the importance of embracing diversity whilst still unifying together to oppose racism, prejudice and terrorism. In addition to the address of Lord Ahmad, keynote speaker Mr Rafiq Ahmad Hayyat, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in the UK talked of the division in our communities catalysed by acts of terrorism and brutality, which do not reflect the true image of Islam or its followers. He discussed the role of religion specifically in exterminating such radical and fundamentalist ideologies and paving a pathway to peace.
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However, perhaps the most magnetic and inspiring segment of the Peace Symposium was the address of the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, which was read aloud by the President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association. The Caliph wrote an inspiring and zealous address on the vitality of establishing peaceful community cohesion and cooperation by identifying teachings and virtues universal to all religions and adhering to them to establish peace within society, saying “God willing, the people of the world are granted wisdom so that instead of moving rapidly towards destruction and catastrophe, people come to realise the need to step back from the abyss and seek to build bridges of love and peace in society”.
In an interview with Mr Mansoor Ahmad, member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, winner of the Merton Community Award and former Governor of Rutlish School, he stated: “There is a great reward for unity in diversity in every religion as the expression teaches an element of kindness, brotherhood and compassion. It strengthens our relationship with each other”.
To conclude, at testing times of conflict and division, the PAN African Association and indeed the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have established their legacy as a community embracing the true Islam of peace and brotherhood. Their Peace Symposium is testimony to the community’s dedication to relieving human suffering and building bridges between creeds and cultures, and the sheer diversity in guests and attendees denotes the resonance of the community in the work that they are accomplishing all over the world.
By Mashood Ahmad- RR6
Read original post here: UK: Ahmadiyya Muslim Association's PAN African Peace Symposium 2017 Held
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