Photos: Abdul Haseeb (Jaihoon.com)
Feb 24 2005, Sharjah
‘All religions stand for peace and restrains its followers from violence and bloodshed. It was the misguided actions of a handful of its followers who painted a picture seeming otherwise’.
This was the opinion voiced at a seminar held at Sharjah last week (Feb 18 2005). The event was attended by social workers and other religious figures. The chief invitee was PV Vivekanand, a prominent senior journalist who had spent more than 30 years in Middle East and is currently editor of a leading UAE-based English daily.
Shimsar-ul-haq, an ex-student of Darul Huda (Kerala) introduced the topic and focused on the universal brotherhood as enjoined and encouraged by Holy Quran and life of Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam as well as the predecessors of Islam in its missionary days. He reminded that it was the peaceful and single-handed efforts of a simple Sufi, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, by which the heart of North India opened itself for Islam to spread. He also drew the audience’s attention to the advent of Islam in Kerala with the coming of Malik Dinar and companions and how they were welcomed by the then Hindu King- giving his sisters in marriage to the Arabian guests and vacating their temples so as to allow them to perform their prayers.
PV Vivekanand explained how misconceptions about Islam crept into the media world and events like martyrdom and honor killings prevalent in the Arab world added fuel to the biased reporting, especially among Western media.
The function was held at the KMCC auditorium in Sharjah and Jaihoon was also invited by the organizers to attend it.
