“Muhammad (PBUH) - Messenger of Peace” Conference creates bridges of understanding

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (GA Chapter) hosted a conference “Muhammad^PBUH-Messenger of Peace” on March 16^th at its mosque in Norcross to educate citizens from Atlanta about the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad ^PBUH. In the past few years we have seen a surge of “Islamophobia” with hateful videos of the Prophet spread on the Internet.  This event was an effort to reach out to the community to decrease the friction between faiths and cultures, in order to educate and build greater respect amongst each other. 

This special event included video presentations, a speech and a poster exhibition depicting the various aspects of the Prophet’s persona, life and teachings. A gathering of about seventy people including forty-four guests from various faith traditions, such as, Christianity, Sikhism, Baha’i faith, agnostics and non-Ahmadi Muslims attended the conference. The Prophet ^PBUH had a love for humanity that had no bounds and guests were also introduced to Humanity First,  a non-profit global sister organization of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that aims to relieve suffering caused by natural disaster and human conflict with the aim of promoting peace and understanding in ways that strengthen the people’s capacity to help themselves.

 The event was well received by the guests of various faiths and was deemed an experience of enlightenment with regards to the character of Muhammad ^PBUH.  Christopher Sherry of Dunwoody expressed his enjoyment and said “It was an impressive presentation. It brought back sad memories for me years ago as Greek guerillas attacked travelers at the Athens airport. I remember how torn I felt at once-my country and my heritage at odds. Many Atlantan Greeks, (and I am sure it was country wide) went to the church to apologize for what a few had done. I know this is not the same, but I can see how difficult it must be.”

The floor was opened for questions after the presentation, followed by refreshments. Some of the guests included the Democratic Party Cobb County Chairperson Ms. Melissa Pike, Atlanta Gurdawara representative Mr. Gogi Basi, a group of six members from North Decatur United Methodist Church and Ms. Suzanne Sen from ‘Khabar’ Magazine.

 The transmission of knowledge across cultures is a key for us to learn from one another to build tolerance and understanding. This effort was part of a nation wide “Muhammad^PBUH-Messenger of Peace” campaign in which all 73 chapters of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community U.S.A are hosting conferences in their local area. A website www.muhammadfactcheck.org has also been launched where fellow Americans can learn more about the Prophet of Islam and join the conversation on Twitter with hash-tag #MyMuhammad.