Afro-Arab youth fest to forge unity
Mar 04, 2008
The annual Afro-Arab youth festival due in Uganda on Friday will draw about 5,000 youth from over 30 Arab countries to discuss global issues under the auspices of the World Islamic Call Society (WICS) in Libya. We should applaud efforts made to forge unity in diversity, such as the State Department
Jaffer Senganda
The annual Afro-Arab youth festival due in Uganda on Friday will draw about 5,000 youth from over 30 Arab countries to discuss global issues under the auspices of the World Islamic Call Society (WICS) in Libya. We should applaud efforts made to forge unity in diversity, such as the State Department that promotes cultural pluralism in the US, the World Conference on Religion and Peace, the First Alliance of Civilisations Annual Forum in Madrid (January 2008) and Ali Babacan, the Turkish foreign minister, for his efforts in bridging relations between communities in the West and those in predominantly Muslim countries.
Other people that should be recognised are the president of Spain, José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero, prime minister Erdogan of Turkey, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, and president Jorge Sampaio, the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations.
It is disappointing that international media continuously portray Islam and terror as synonyms. Islam is a religion of peace as manifested in our salutation: Asalaam alaikum (peace be upon you). The Holy Qur’an states that if a person saves one life, it is as if he saved humanity, and if a person killed one human being, it is as if he killed humanity. Ironically, we have witnessed gruesome killings between Muslims in countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. This has sent wrong perceptions about Islam. The West shares blame for not honestly addressing the Palestine-Israel question, and for the continued occupation of Muslim countries, after ‘liberating’ them without the UN mandate, the indiscriminate bombings in their areas of operation and the use of the word ‘terrorist’ to demonise Islam. We should desist from the using religion as the agent of intolerance . We ought to treat each other as equal partners in society and improve communication and dialogue for a peaceful world the scriptures teach us to love one another because we are all equal before Allah.
Inter–religious movements should be supported in international initiatives such as the Afro-Arab Festival. The conference should focus on training the next generation of peace builders and how to bridge cultural divides.
The writer is the coordinator of human rights at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council
The annual Afro-Arab youth festival due in Uganda on Friday will draw about 5,000 youth from over 30 Arab countries to discuss global issues under the auspices of the World Islamic Call Society (WICS) in Libya. We should applaud efforts made to forge unity in diversity, such as the State Department that promotes cultural pluralism in the US, the World Conference on Religion and Peace, the First Alliance of Civilisations Annual Forum in Madrid (January 2008) and Ali Babacan, the Turkish foreign minister, for his efforts in bridging relations between communities in the West and those in predominantly Muslim countries.
Other people that should be recognised are the president of Spain, José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero, prime minister Erdogan of Turkey, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, and president Jorge Sampaio, the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations.
It is disappointing that international media continuously portray Islam and terror as synonyms. Islam is a religion of peace as manifested in our salutation: Asalaam alaikum (peace be upon you). The Holy Qur’an states that if a person saves one life, it is as if he saved humanity, and if a person killed one human being, it is as if he killed humanity. Ironically, we have witnessed gruesome killings between Muslims in countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. This has sent wrong perceptions about Islam. The West shares blame for not honestly addressing the Palestine-Israel question, and for the continued occupation of Muslim countries, after ‘liberating’ them without the UN mandate, the indiscriminate bombings in their areas of operation and the use of the word ‘terrorist’ to demonise Islam. We should desist from the using religion as the agent of intolerance . We ought to treat each other as equal partners in society and improve communication and dialogue for a peaceful world the scriptures teach us to love one another because we are all equal before Allah.
Inter–religious movements should be supported in international initiatives such as the Afro-Arab Festival. The conference should focus on training the next generation of peace builders and how to bridge cultural divides.
The writer is the coordinator of human rights at the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council