Religions Unite to Tackle Hard Question

The heads of religious communities throughout Auckland are uniting this month to answer one important question: can peace be established through religion?

‘Establishing Peace through Religion’ is the theme set for the religious leaders representing their respective faiths at this year’s Religious Founders’ Day Symposium organised by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community New Zealand.

The purpose of the symposium is to encourage healthy discussion between religions on a chosen topic. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community began this symposium in New Zealand four years ago to help breed mutual understanding within communities and to encourage the message of peace.

Mr Mohammad Iqbal, Local President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, believes that people are desperate to find a solution to the problems within society.

“The need for such a discussion is well over due,” says Mr Mohammed Iqbal, National President of the Ahmadiyya Community. “With a growing number of stories in the media about terrorism and religious intolerance, it is time that each of the major faiths had a chance to respond to this issue.”

Mr Iqbal’s adds that “It is high time to remind the world that the purpose of any religion is to spread peace, tolerance and understanding, notwithstanding the abuse of religion at the hands of fanatics who make it an excuse for violence and the spread of terror, both inside and outside the faith.”

The event is inclusive of all faiths calling on Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist beliefs for enlightenment and religious harmony and is set to be held on Saturday 13 November starting at 2pm at the Manukau Samoan Methodist Church, 54 Trevor Hosken Drive, Wiri, Manukau. 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. It is acknowledged worldwide for its sincere efforts to promote peace and held the first Religious Founders’ Day symposiums in the 1920’s to help relieve the growing tension among different faiths in the Indian Sub-continent. A RFD symposium has now become a regular feature on the annual calendar of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in many countries.