Hundreds Unite at the 2012 Peace Conference to Promote Justice and Equality

Media Release

For public release – 24 October 2012

Politicians, religious leaders and hundreds of Aucklanders across all ethnicity united at the 2012 Peace Conference hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community filling the Te Tuhi Centre of Arts Auditorium in Pakuranga to capacity during the Labour Weekend.

The Conference, held on Saturday 20th October was themed “Justice & Equality – a key to global peace”, coinciding with “The Week of Prayer for Peace”. 

Religious leaders from major faiths such as Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Islam spoke on the topic of Justice and Equality, as Politicians stood united on the day to express their support of the event.

The National President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mr. Mohammed Iqbal during his introductory speech said “Nowadays, we see an intense wave of indignation and anguish sweeping through the world. In the name of freedom of speech, people are attacking each other’s faith and the uproar it creates with counter reaction is very concerning. Whether the act is in the form of offensive caricatures or a slanderous movie made against the Holy Prophet Muhammad, whether it be an attack on churches or temples or ridiculing any holy character or belief; all these acts are unacceptable and affects us as well”.

Maulana Shafiq ur Rehman said, “The truth is that peace and justice are inseparable; you cannot have one without the other. Certainly, this principle is something that all wise and intelligent people understand. We also know that all governments claim to make policies that are based on justice and all claim that the establishment of peace is their primary objective. Yet, in general, there is little doubt that restlessness and anxiety is increasing in the world, and so is disorder spreading. This clearly proves that somewhere along the line, the requirements of justice are not being fulfilled.”

Senior politicians from National and Labour party stood in unison, finding common ground in supporting the purpose of the conference and encouraging communities to foster such engagements across New Zealand.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community concluded the event with joint prayers and dinner.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a religious organisation, international in its scope. With its sincere desire for peace, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community has grown and is established in more than 200 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. It is internationally renowned for its services to humanity by providing disaster relief, medical facilities, energy and education worldwide.

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