South Auckland community asks for tolerance

Panmure is becoming the heart of change next weekend with the help of one south Auckland community.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community New Zealand, with its centre in Manukau, is inviting together leaders from all the major faiths in Auckland to discuss how peace, loyalty and tolerance are achievable through religion. The community aims to improve relations amongst various religions by holding an annual interfaith Peace Conference helping to
build understanding and peace amongst religions, and promote their motto ‘love for all hatred for none’.

The worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community held the first peace conference in the 1920s as a Religious Founders’ Day, to help relieve the growing tension among different faiths in the Indian sub-continent. The New Zealand branch adopted the event nine years ago to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding within communities.

Mr Mohammad Iqbal VRD, JP, National President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, believes that New Zealand is at crossroads of cultural transformation and people need to be accepting of one another to avoid conflicts as experienced in other countries.

“We are witnessing conflict in countries in the name of religion and it is our duty to ensure that the purpose of any religion is to spread peace, tolerance and understanding,” says Mr Iqbal.

“Today, Auckland alone is host to over 100 ethnic communities. Religious Heads in New Zealand need to take lead and promote peace, tolerance and loyalty to the state, as well as each other, as we deal with the changing face of New Zealand’s diverse community.”

The Peace Conference is inclusive of all faiths with speakers from Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Islam sharing common beliefs of religious harmony.

It will be held on Saturday 5th of November starting at 3pm at the Panmure Community Centre Hall, 7-13 Pilkington Road, Panmure. The event is open to the public with refreshments and dinner provided by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a religious organisation, international in its scope. With its sincere desire for peace, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community has grown and is established in more than 200 countries with a following of over 200 million. It is internationally renowned for its services to humanity by providing disaster relief, medical
facilities, energy and education worldwide.