The world needs to find solutions, to the problems in the religious books, created by globalization in the modern age, claimed the participants during the first day of the two-day long International Seerat Conference 2020, organized by the Seerat Chair of the University of Karachi.
The participants of the moot expressed these views during the inaugural session of the moot on Saturday. The theme of the conference was Prophetic Teachings: Peace, Co-existence and Reconciliation. The ISC 20' was held at the Professor Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Auditorium located at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, Karachi University.
The chief guest of the ceremony, US Consul General in Karachi Rob Silberstein, while expressing his views at the inaugural ceremony of the ISC 20', shared that significance of Karachi University sponsoring this event cannot be understated. He quoted that the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah always talked about equal rights for the different minority communities living in Pakistan and observed that minorities in Pakistan are living peacefully with complete freedom. "With 52,000 students, and graduates succeeding in fields from physics to politics, the arts, sciences, and religious scholarship, the University of Karachi has an important role in shaping the intellectual tapestry of this nation and our world."
He shared that promoting religious freedom has always been an important part of United States foreign policy because it is a foundation for peace and prosperity. He said that both our countries recognized the high importance of religious freedom when we signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Together with almost every other country, we agreed that a high standard was needed to protect the human rights of people of all faiths.
Rob Silberstein observed that the incentives for us to work together to build societies that respect religious freedom are great. A society that accepts and embraces diversity in religious thought creates space for economics, trade, and people to prosper and thrive together. "I commend the efforts of the Seerat Chair, Faculty of Islamic Studies at Karachi University and particularly the KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi to promote a deep understanding of Islam and of other religions. Your quest for diverse religious perspectives is building a strong foundation for your students and your country's future."
On this occasion, the KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that Karachi University has organized the history-making two-day long International Seerah Conference based on interfaith cooperation in pursuit of peace and harmony and hoped that positive message would be spread around the world. He mentioned that delegates from the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, America, and Europe are participating in this grand event to present their papers and share valuable views to support the cause of global peace and fraternity among various societies. "Seerah conferences and seminars have been an old tradition for Muslim all over the world including Pakistan. It is a matter of particular pride for me that the University of Karachi is organizing this Seerah Conference, which is unique in that it is for the first time in our history that this event is being attended by scholars of Islam and other notable faiths followed by a large population of the world."
The KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi observed that this event will communicate a very positive message to the world with regard to co-existence founded on peace and respect of the beliefs and faiths of one another.