A Morden mosque will host a global Islamic community’s symposium promoting peace and cooperation this month.
The National Peace Symposium, hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, will focus on reconfirming Islam as a religion of peace in a time of escalating conflict.
The event, now in its 14th year, will take place on March 25 at the Baitul Futuh Mosque.
A key part of the symposium is the awarding of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace in a celebration of charitable work on a national and international level.
This year the prize will be awarded to Setsuko Thurlow, a peace activist and lifelong campaigner for nuclear disarmament, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a 13-year-old school girl.
His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, leader of the community, will provide the keynote speech at the event, which will focus on the theme of global conflicts and the need for justice.
The symposium was set up in 2003 but deputy director of communications Farooq Aftab said it took off after the 7/7 bombings in response to a growing extremist threat.
Mr Aftab said this message is just as pertinent today as it was in 2005.
He said: “The recent rise of nationalism and extremism, fuelled by injustice, faltering economies, and growing mistrust, has caused communities to be pulled apart, and divisions to become ever deeper.”
With more than 20 million members from more than 200 countries, and on average half a million new members per year, the community has been called the world’s fastest growing denomination of Islam.
Their work has been grounded in community based outreach, contributing to local charities, organising community blood donations, and working to help fight homelessness in south London by providing lodging and meals to vulnerable individuals irrespective of race and faith.
Featured image courtesy of stevekeiretsu, with thanks.
