Merry Christmas Celebration 2008

Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Muslim-Christian Dialogue Forum (MCDF) jointly hosted a Christmas programme in the Danish Hall of the central secretariat in which the Principal Officer of the American Consulate, Brian D. Hunt and Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri were the chief guests. Recitation from the Holy Quran and Bible was made followed by recital of Naat. Christmas hymns were also sung at the occasion. The leaders of both communities cut Christmas cake, lit the candles of peace and expressed solidarity by holding one another’s hands.

Sahibzada Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri addressing Christmas celebrations 2008

Addressing the ceremony of Happy Christmas, Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri, the member of Supreme Council of MQI, said peace was the collective message of all religions and faiths. No religion of the world propagates or recommends the use of terror, intimidation, violence and extremism. It is responsibility of followers of all faiths that they should not let handful of extremists destroy the peace and order of the world.

He said the Holy Prophet (saw) and Jesus Christ devoted their sacred lives for the promotion of peace and love in the world. The Holy Prophet (saw) gave an order of peace at a time when no one knew meaning of peace. He said when terrorism is perpetrated in Sri Lanka, India, Israel and other western countries; no one dubs it as Tamil, Hindu, Christian and Jewish terrorism. On the other hand, if it happens so in Muslim countries, it is called Islamic terrorism. The reality is that no religion allows its followers to indulge in terrorist activities. He said Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri was spreading the message of love, peace and interfaith dialogue across communities, cultures and religions.

Brian D. Hunt, Principal Officer of the US Consulate, speaking at the occasion of Christmas celebrations 2008

In his address to the programme, Brian D. Hunt, Principal Officer of the US Consulate, said that Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri were working to bridge the differences among various faiths by removing misunderstandings and confusions. His services for promotion of international peace, harmony and interfaith dialogue deserve to be appreciated. He said he was in complete agreement with Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri that terrorism had no religion. We would have to know about each other with open mind and spread God’s message, which is based on peace and love. Giving peace to the turbulent world was, no doubt, a daunting task but we needed to pool our resources together to achieve it through joint efforts. We would have to promote the message of peace of the Holy Prophet (saw) and Jesus Christ.

Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, said that we celebrated the Christmas from the core of our hearts as we believed that Jesus Christ was the prophet of Allah and without acknowledging this fact, the faith of a Muslim is not complete. He said no religion of the world lays its foundation on hatred, violence, terrorism and extremism. Islam is a religion of peace and the Prophet of Islam (saw) has taught his followers about love, peace, brotherhood and harmony. All religions of the world share these values. The Pakistani people are a peace-loving nation. He said we condemned the Mumbai terror attacks. It was a heinous conspiracy to destroy peace of world and South Asia. He said this gathering was the symbol of the fact that the Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and Muslims of Pakistan were united for security of Pakistan.

Director Foreign Affairs MQI, Muhammad Mustafa (G.M. Malik), said Minhaj-ul-Quran International wanted to create the atmosphere of peace and harmony by eliminating hatreds and confusions. He said about 50 million people died in the World Wars I and II but none died of bullet fired by a Muslim. PAT Secretary General Anwar Akhtar Advocate and Brig. (r) Iqbal Ahmad Khan said MQI was playing central role in promoting peace, harmony and interfaith dialogue. Its credit goes to Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. Paster in Charge of No-Lakha Church, Rev. Dr. Majid Abel, said the respect for Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri was increasing in our hearts day by day. Bishop John said Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has established from practical step that he is an ambassador of peace and harmony. It is not easy to eliminate hatreds but MQI is busy spreading message of peace. Dr Kanwar Feroz said the Muslims and Christians remained together till Karbla and John Christian got martyred in Karbla. Dr Marqis Fida said Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri celebrates Christmas for Christians practically. Agha Murtaza Poya, Dr Munwar Hussain, Rafia Rauf of Minhaj-ul-Quran International Norway and Sohail Ahmad Raza also spoke at the occasion.

Photography by: Qazi Mahmood-ul-Islam