Peace and harmony: Muslims urged to live by compassion, kindness

Speakers urge Muslims to exhibit and practice good behaviour towards everyone

ISLAMABAD: Non-Muslims and the West judge us from our conduct and actions, not from the teachings and preaching of the Quran and Islam. If Muslims take a good course of action for world peace, only then will the entire world believe that Islam is a religion of peace, kindness, compassion and benevolence.

These views were expressed by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf while addressing the opening ceremony of a two-day “International Conference on World Peace (ICWP) organised by the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission.

The minister said that if Muslims did not demonstrate and practice good behaviour towards others, the world will look at us and consider us violent and ill-mannered.

While quoting the life and conduct of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he said that a speech without action, an observation without experience, a life without health and a nation without peace was worth nothing. “Each of us is an ambassador of Islam and each of our actions will either bring a good or bad name to our religion, which is a religion of peace and security,” he said.

International Islamic University Islamabad President Prof Dr Ahmad Bin Yousif Al-Draiweesh said that it was high time to disseminate the message of tolerance and patience among human beings to promote peace in world societies.

NUML Director General Brig Azam Jamal said that the entire world was passing through a phase of disharmony, uncertainty, internal chaos and terrorism, but only a few were blamed for all the malaise.

He said that while terrorists were fighting for their vested interest, but their actions were unfairly linked to Islam.

The conference aimed to create awareness among followers of various religions of the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the message of peace in the light of his teachings, his concept of tolerance and promotion of interfaith harmony.

While talking to the media after the conference, the federal minister said that the government has formulated a 13-point code of conduct with while taking all stakeholders in the loop to eradicate sectarianism in the country.

HEC Executive Director Mansoor Akbar Kundi, former IIUI Faculty of Shariah dean Prof Dr Muhammad Ziaul Haq, Islamic Studies Department Head Dr Abdul Ghaffar Bukhari, national and international scholars and a large number of students attended the opening ceremony.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2014.