Internatinal Seminar on "Peace and Progress: Role of Religions" held at AMU

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A Two-day International Seminar on "Peace and Progress: Role of Religions" was held on February 11-12, 2012 at Kennedy Hall, AMU, Aligarh. It was organized in conjunction by the think tank Institute of Objective Studies and Faculty of Theology, AMU, Aligarh

Read the entire summary of the conference on the link below along with a bunnch of photos.

Some excerpts
Internatinal Seminar on "Peace and Progress: Role of Religions"

In his welcome address Prof. Ali Mohammad Naqvi, Dean Faculty of Theology, described IOS as a think tank and lauded its Chairman Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam's tireless efforts in the field of study and research.

The theme of the seminar, he said, was "fundamental, thought-provoking and contested." Western discourse understood progress primarily in a material, unidimensional and technical sense. "Might comes from science, but right comes only from religion," he remarked.

Religion, however, had not always been a force for the good. Pre-Renaissance Europe, as also other regions and societies, saw oppression in the name of religion, which had often been used as a foil to power, Prof. Naqvi remarked.
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In his inaugural address Sheikh Gamaluddin Mohammad Kotb, head of the Fatwa Committee of al-Azhar, Egypt and a member of IIIT Washington, said that in Islam "one of the names of God is al-Salam (Peace). It is not without reason that Islam derives from the same word that means peace, and the name of the final abode in heaven is Darus-Salam (home of peace).
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In his address Dr Mustafa Hussein Sairfi from Doha, Qatar, said that no progress was possible without peace and no peace was possible in a stagnant society. Peace is the key idea in Islam. Quoting scripture he said peace lay in the remembrance of God. He referred to the Islamic precept that the "entire creation is God's family." Peace must prevail in the family.
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Church leader Dr M D Thomas said peace was known by many names: Salam, Shalom, Shanti, Aman, etc. "People have different ideas of peace: it is absence of war, inner (personal) tranquility, tolerance and, even inaction. Some take it as a personal state of mind, others relate it to God. Yet others see it in the way human affairs are transacted. Peace, in fact, is life," he remarked.
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Jain guru Swami Dharmanand a congratulated the IOS for holding such a meaningful seminar with the collaboration of Faculty of Theology, AMU. He said the 20th century had witnessed a great deal of material progress, to the effect that today millions of people lived the life of kings of earlier ages. Yet, the 20th century had also witnessed two World Wars that killed millions of people.
"Wars are born in the minds of men, and it is the mind that must be at peace with itself to prevent wars", he asserted. Among the enemies of peace were "growing consumerism and loss of control over ourselves, as well as inequity."

Discipline, the Swamiji said, would lead to internal peace and wide access to education, jobs and health services would provide external peace.

Buddhist intellectual and director of Tibet House in Delhi, Genshe Dorji Damdul, said that there was no mind-body dichotomy about peace or progress. "The mind experiences peace and progress through the body. Mind and matter together constitute material and spiritual progress."

Lack of harmony between the two led to conflict and suffering and in harmony dissolved all pain. He said it was a dynamic process that had to be happily accepted.

"The world is like a single living body today, each part dependent on the other. Such interdependence leads us to care for each other. In this scenario divisions and differences are bound to occur. The role of religion is to make us appreciate and celebrate that diversity," he philosophised.

In his address Swami Sarwananda Sarswati congratulated the IOS for presenting "such a beautiful bouquet of flowers of all religions" at the seminar. He said there was a simple mantra for peace: "Remove hatred from amongst us and peace will follow."
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Prof. Tejinder Singh Lamba, a member of the session's presidium, chose to spoke, not on war or peace, but on "just war", which often preceded peace.

A war against aggression, "as waged by Guru Tegh Bahadur, is a just war." Martyrdom was part of a just war, which was fought not merely to end suffering but to advance the cause of justice, he asserted.
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Ms Singh said simran (self-realisation) and seva (selfless service) were crucial to the faith. Sikhism envisages a casteless society, religious tolerance, living truthfully "rather than just believing in truth", charity, providing food and shelter to the needy. The four doors of Harmandir Sahab, she said, represented four great religions. The institution of offering food and shelter to everyone had some interesting aspects to it. When Emperor Akbar visited Golden Temple he too was offered food from the langar.
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Resolutions:
(1) Religions have their important role in establishing peace at the country level as well as at the international level. All religions of the world teach us love of the Creator and love of humanity, to shun hatred and violence, and to have good moral conduct in dealing with each other. Therefore, it is the responsibility of religious leaders to propagate universal values fully well.
(2) All religions have taught mankind to base their dealings with each other on principles of justice and equality. Further, man is taught to be compassionate in dealing with women, children, the aged and the minorities, enjoining justice, peace and tranquility. These can't be established unless human dealings are unbiased. This Seminar, therefore, urges the governments to ensure justice sans any discrimination whatsoever. Further, they should also ensure freedom of expression, productive economic activity for betterment and to ensure citizens' rights to everyone without any discrimination.
(3) It is wrong to say that religion is a hurdle to progress. The fact is that religion encourages and supports all those activities which are in harmony with humanity and morality with benefits to man. Every religion appreciates all those activities which are beneficial to human development, and goes to encourage spirituality in man.
(4) For human welfare and maintenance of peace not only the material development, but moral development, and revival of humane values are also essential. Therefore, this Seminar urges upon the governments not to merely reckon scientific technological and economic development only as standard of development, but also to give importance to improvement and enrichment of educational system and developments of social and economic enactments, so that all individuals and groups of the people attain high moral standards in all our spheres of their activities giving due importance to humane and moral values. Without these, our development shall remain scanty.
(5) Lastly, the IOS is requested to establish such an organization, which shall work for understanding between people of different faiths and religions, giving consideration to each other's views and to jointly work for establishing brotherhood among the people. It is envisaged that this organization shall hold regular InterFaith Discussions; shall publish literature concerning these, and shall hold meetings on common human and social problems to remove misunderstandings from our midst, so that establishment of a social order be made possible, based on brotherhood, mutual understanding, non-violence and on principles of peace and tranquility.
 

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