By IRNA,
New Delhi : The First International Seminar on Peaceful Co-existence in Islam and Indian Religions kicked off Saturday at India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
The two-day seminar, organized by the office of the Al-Mustafa International University of Iran in New Delhi, aimed at building better relations between Islam and believers of various faiths in India.
The seminar was inaugurated by Dr. G R Mahdavi, Head of Al-Mustafa International University of Iran in New Delhi.
“India is the land of religions and faiths, land of temples and mosques, land of Gnosticism and all-embracing love, and land of people, enjoined with each other as tolerant people, who in spite of their different religions and mode of thinking, are living with each other in togetherness”, said Mahdavi inaugurating the seminar.
He said that India with her people, her religions, her temples and for her old and meaningful textual provisions, presents to the world model of an ideal peaceful co-existent society.
Meanwhile, Seyed Mehdi Nabizadeh, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi in his message on the occasion, read by Asghar Ashenagohar, an official of the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi, said: “We all are the birds from one nest, although colors of our skins are different, though we talk in different languages, though we have belief in different religions, though we belongs to different cultures, but all of us have a common home”.
In his short message, Nabizadeh expressed his belief that people were created in different regions with different religions, languages and colours just to distinguish them from each other and not to make discrimination.
Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawwad, a prominent Shia Scholar and Friday Prayer leader of historical Asafi Mosque at Lucknow, in his keynote address while comparing the basic tenets of Islam and other religions said that Islam does not teach terrorism, nor does it instigate communal hatred. We all are creatures of one God. We all are equal. There is no conflict between Islam and other religions. There is a need to highlight values and teachings that call for unity.
Mohd. Adib, Member of Parliament, Syed Shahid Mehdi, Vice Chairman Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Mahamandleshwar Geeta Manishiparam pujya Swami Shri Gyananand ji, Swami Shantatmananda Ram Krishna Mission, Swami Agnivesh, President world Arya Samaj, Maulana Dr. Mufti Mukarram, Shahi Imam Fatehpuri Mosque, Delhi, S S Noor, Vice Chairman Sahitya Academy and Arif Mohd. Khan, former Minister of India also spoke on the occasion.
They urged to “counteract” the manipulation of religions or religious differences for political ends to preserve the unity of society.