The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Victoria hosted the Ramadan Iftar dinner at the Bait-us-Salam mosque (House of Peace) Langwarrin on Sunday On 7th April 2024. This initiative brings members of diverse communities together to share insights, experiences, and practices related to fasting and build harmony.
The event was attended by over 400 members of the local community members, community leaders, council members, Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Victoria Police. The event had representation from various religious backgrounds, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam. The symposium aimed to foster interfaith dialogue, promote mutual understanding, and celebrate the rich diversity of religious traditions within our community.
The keynote address of the program was delivered by the local Imam and missionary of the Langwarrin mosque; Imtiaz Ahmed Naveed. He expressed his gratitude for all participants, speakers and volunteers who contributed to the success of the event. He emphasised the importance of such initiatives of breaking bread together and fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and cooperation. Though we are representing our different faiths here tonight, we are all here for our common passion of fostering interfaith dialogue through our shared understanding of the significance of fasting in our religions.
Honourable Frank Greenstein from the Jewish Council of Victoria also was present among the esteemed guests who is a fierce advocate for interfaith and multicultural harmony wings, there were members from Australian Multicultural Media Centre.
Local Imam and missionary Atif Zahid of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, presented the introduction to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and services offered worldwide to humanity throughout the world. A video by Hon. Rabbi Ralph Genende was played to audiences and he expressed the importance of holding such events to bring the communities together and promote harmony among Muslims and Jews in current situations and fasting in Judaism. Hon. Sri Rama Das Adhikari spoke about the fasting in Hinduism and importance from scriptures and another video message was played from Hon. Hojun Futen regarding fasting in Buddhism. The attendees also visited the Quran exhibition on display and took part in interesting dialogue with the local Imam and community representatives. The event was followed by dinner and guests and community members enjoyed breaking the fast and dinner together. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community extends its sincere appreciation to all those who participated and supported the Interfaith Symposium. We look forward to continuing our efforts to promote dialogue, cooperation, and peace among people of all faiths and build bridges within the broader Melbourne community.
About us: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are Muslims who believe in the Messiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be on him)(1835-1908) of Qadian. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1889 as a revival movement within Islam, emphasising its essential teachings of peace, love, justice, and sanctity of life. Today, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the world's largest Islamic community under one Divinely appointed leader, His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) (b. 1950). The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spans over 200 nations with membership exceeding tens of millions.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a very peaceful, law abiding, nonviolent and loving community. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the leading Islamic organisation to categorically reject terrorism in any form. Similarly, the Ahmadiyya Community is the only Islamic organisation to endorse a separation of mosque and state.
Today, it continues to be an advocate for universal human rights and protection for religious and other minorities. It champions the empowerment and education of women. Its members are among the most law-abiding, educated, and engaged Muslims in the world.
