Over 100 people from various faiths joined students on February 7 in Plainview, NY to listen to messages of peace and unity to commemorate the UN-designated World Interfaith Harmony Week.
The event at the Plainview Jewish Center on Long Island was titled ‘Educating Youth for World Peace’ and brought together faith leaders, educators, and public figures to promote interfaith harmony. It was hosted by the Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center along with Shanti Fund and HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light), the Seoul, Korea based international peace group which is in special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council.
The event began with opening remarks from the host and co-hosts and statements from local elected officials, including New York State Senator Steven Rhoads and Supervisor Joseph Saladino from the Town of Oyster Bay.
“HWPL does such amazing work and its mission is something that we should all try to take to heart, because to me, interfaith harmony is really the only solution that will solve many of the problems that we have,” Senator Steve Rhoads said. “The world will divide us in a million different ways if we allow it, but the one common theme that we have, the one thing that unites us all, is our common belief in something greater than ourselves.”
Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jain community leaders spoke about the significance of interreligious harmony and peace from the perspective of their own religious traditions and scriptures.
Surinder Singh Chawla, Chairman of the Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center (Plainview Gurdwara) amd Jagjit Singh Saggu introduced the teachings of Sikh religion, which took the best from Hinduism and Islam and can be called the world’s first interfaith religion.
Pankaj Mehta, an interfaith peace advocate, addressed the issue of religious persecution and suggested practical steps for the community to protect the right to religious freedom.
Arvind Vora, a Jain, talked about the formation of Long Island Multi-Faith Forum after 9/11 and the installation of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the foyer of the Suffolk County Executive Building in Hauppauge, an initiative of Shanti Fund. He chairs both LIMFF and Shanti Fund.
Nitin Ajmera, Chair of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, related how he was sent by his Jain parents to a Christian school in New Delhi, imbibing an interfaith outlook. But he warned that the secular outlook gets to be taken as no-religion when the need is for taking the best from many faiths.
Muhammad Ajmal, Imam of Masjid Darul Quran in Bayshore, quoted verses from the Quran to argue that Islam stands for peace and harmony.
“The world will divide us in a million different ways if we allow it, but the one common theme that we have, the one thing that unites us all, is our common belief in something greater than ourselves.”
~ New York State Senator Steve Rhoads
Two educators emphasized the importance of teaching the youth core values, including empathy, unity and understanding, to create young ambassadors for peace.
Dr. Mary O’Meara, Superintendent for the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central Schools District, said: “In our schools, we engage in many activities and programs such as ‘No Place for Hate,’ ‘Unity Day,’ and ‘Start with Hello.’ We also have embedded a civics rubric in all of our social studies classes so students have a way to judge themselves.”
The youths played a key role in the program by participating in several cultural performances. Young people from the Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center (Plainview Gurdwara) sang traditional hymns and presented a dance.
Through their fan dance, a South Korean group promoted unity and harmony.
HWPL received a certificate of recognition from New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay for their role in organizing the Interfaith Harmony Week event.
HWPL New York Branch leaders Amanda Akue and Andre Fadhel along with Surinder Singh Chawla from the Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center posed for a photo honoring their MOU to implement HWPL Peace Education to train and develop peace educators.
From the Plainview Jewish Center, Rabbi Steven Conn addressed the gathering and said they felt honored to provide the venue for the commemorative gathering. They look forward to future programs that can unite diverse members of the community.
Jewish Center President Shea Lerner said, “I think in the times we live in, all we hear is hate and intolerance and conflict. So, we have to avail ourselves of any opportunity to get together with like-minded people who believe in peace and justice and equity.”
The World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed at the UN General Assembly by King Abdullah II of Jordan and was unanimously adopted by the United Nations in 2010 to be observed in the first week of February every year.
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