Prof Ali Mohammad Naqvi

President

Aligarh Interfaith Center

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1. Interfaith Understanding is the Only Way Today

• Islam and other religion stand for peace and justice

The very name of Islam indicates peace and Islam had the mission of unity, peace and justice. The same is the message Hindu scriptures. Each chapter of Gita ends with the chant of shanty, shanti, shanti.

• No Peace without Interfaith Dialogue:

In the trouble-torn World Today, Interfaith Understanding is the only way. There cannot be peace in the world without peace among communities, and there cannot be peace among communities without interfaith dialogue and understanding.

• Societies are threatened by Violence:

Human history is filled with numerous past, and present examples that make religion and violence appear to be best friends. Since 9/11, religiously inspired violence has been considered one of the most pressing issues of our times.

• Crucial for Our Pluralistic Society:

India is a great country with different Faiths, with a rich history of religious tolerance. Great leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Sir Syed, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Ambedkar preached the gospel of inter-religious understanding and tolerance.

• India has a legacy of Inclusiveness and Love:

India is the land of the sages of Upanishads, Gita, Buddha, Mahavira, Amir Khusro, Khwaja Ajmiri, Nizamuddin Auliya, Dara Shikoh, Guru Nanak Dev ji, and Kabir Das. It has a tradition of inclusiveness, love and ahimsa.

• Essence of All Religions is One:

The Essence of all religions is one which is Godliness, Spirituality and Morality. There are striking similarities in the system of belief, forms of worship and the precepts.:

Thus, working for interfaith understanding is the only way we should vigorously follow and promote. Interfaith understanding is crucial for Global Peace, National Integration, and Sustainable Development and is in accordance with the teaching of the Qur’an and all other scriptures

                               

              Our Perspective                                        

                                   The Interfaith Tree

                                                                                                                               

                                                       

1. Systemic- Perspective:

• Religion is not a collection of dead rituals or religious sciences and a matter or pedantry. It is a way of life and a complete life system.
• This System of life can be visualized as a Tree. The roots are the belief in God and the spiritual interpretation of life. The ‘trunk’ of this ‘Tree” is constituted by a spiritual concept of the world, man, history, belief in the Divine Guidance and the Holy Books. The system of beliefs, worship, rites and rituals, individual value system, and social teachings all are branches.

2. Inclusive and Pluralistic Perspective:

• Different religions are like fruits of this Tree. There are multiple fruits, but all belong to one Tree. This diversity in unity is the scheme of Nature.
• We believe in the fundamental unity of all great religions of the world. Islam also believes that all prophets were from God and all scriptures and books were revealed by One God. Different religions are beautiful flowers from the same garden, or they are branches of the same majestic tree.
• Various religions were like the leaves on a tree. No two leaves were alike, yet there was no antagonism between them.
• One should have strong faith in his religion and a sympathetic understanding of the religions of others. He should abstain from fanaticism, absolutism, intolerance, or judgmental moralism.

3. Spiritual-Realistic Perspective:

• The Religious system consists of many components, but its essence is Spirituality; religion without Spirituality is a dead body. Religious perspective considers the reality of existence as Spiritual. However, it does not negate the reality of matter or worldly life. It is Realistic, not Idealistic.

4. Perspective of Love and Peace:

• Love is another essence of religion. Religion directs its followers to love of the Creator and the creatures, devotion to God, and respect for all. Teachings of all religions are to practice tolerance and not hurt others' feelings. Bloodshed, violence and terrorism are alien to Islam and all religions. In Islam, the right to life is an absolute value. Staying away from hatred and having a tolerant attitude are essential for humanity.

The result of this perspective is a stress-free individual and conflict-free society, inner peace, the global peace, national integration and all-round progress

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