Islam Teaches Peace and Compassion

Washington, DC: Noted scholar Prof. Akbar S. Ahmed has said that Islam teaches peace and compassion in line with the sacred Abrahamic traditions. He laid stress on element of justice in worldly affairs, and added, that no religion teaches hatred to its followers.
Dr. Ahmed was speaking on 'How to tackle anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism in the Muslim World,' at a widely attended program at the auditorium of US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
CNN correspondent Andrea Koppel moderated the program, which was attended by an audience comprising scholars, academicians, students, and people hailing from all walks of life and religions.
Hatred, he stated, was the result of ignorance, as in fact was Islamophobia, which must be equally loathed and avoided.
He called upon scholars and interfaith speakers to strive hard in highlighting the "common bonds" among the faithful of the revealed religions "which will be a great service" to humanity, as it was also a pressing need of the hour. There were "quite many common beliefs and common Prophets" which Judaism, Christianity and Islam have. The common beliefs need to be understood. If negativity in practices is found, it could only be due to non- adherence of religious beliefs.
Conduct based on unjust thinking left its scars, he said, urging the gathering to realize that it was time to concentrate on positive things, which could contribute to the healing process.
In Islam, he said, there was no room for terrorism, since such a behavior was alien to its teachings, which stood for peace and compassion, and laid stress on balanced conduct.
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, head of Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of International Relations at the American University, discussed details of his recent trip to the Muslim world where he met with leading scholars, clerics and politicians to discuss anti-Semitism
and anti-Americanism in the region. Ahmed undertook the trip on behalf of the Brookings Institute, the Pew Center, and the American University.

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