Kuwait: “Unity in diversity is the strength for us Indians,” said Sunil Jain, the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait. He was addressing a jam-packed gathering of Indians from different faiths and walks of life at an Iftar party organized by the Indian Muslim Association – Kuwait (IMA-K).
The units from Fahaheel and Abu-Halifa of IMA-K organized the party at Saad Mutlaq Isbiyae Auditorium, Fintas, inviting people from various faiths to foster friendship. Sunil Jain (Indian Ambassador to Kuwait) and Abdul Aziz Al-Duaij (Manager IT, KNPC) were the chief guests.
Speaking on the occasion, Sunil Jain said, “Today, we celebrate diversity and our motto should be unity in diversity.” He highlighted that the objective of Ramadan is to make us free from ego, lust and to feel the hunger of the poor. This is the ultimate means of understanding the hardship that poor people face in real life. Moreover, he insisted that we should keep away from those who tend to divide us in the name of religion, quoting Gandhiji, “Ishwar Allah Tere Naam, Sabko Sanmati De Bhagwaan.”
Abdul Aziz Al-Duaij emphasized that Ramadan energizes the soul and helps in making a person good towards others. Dr Abhay Patwari (President, Indian Doctors forum), Venkata Siva Rao (President, Telugu Kala Samithi), Jeyakumar (President, Tamilnadu Engineers Forum), GS Reddy and Satish Chandra Shetty were also present on the dais. They appreciated the initiatives taken by IMA.
Hasan Taha, an Islamic scholar, delivered a lecture on the subject, ‘The Message of Ramadan’. He stated that Islam gives the freedom of selection, quoting from the Qur’an ‘There shall be no compulsion in Religion’. He highlighted that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the man with the highest moral character.
Sharafuddin Soofian, academic counsellor and media personality, delivered a speech on ‘Religious Harmony: Need of the Hour’. He emphasized the respect ordained by the Holy Qu’ran for humanitarian values and highlighted the importance of harmony. He said that everything in the universe from atomic particles to celestial bodies are in perfect harmony with each other. Quoting from the Qu’ran, he said, “O mankind, indeed we have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.”
He stressed on the eradication of the newly emerged evil of “intellectual untouchability” in our society. Various communities should come closer and understand each other. The lame way of trying to know others by simply looking into behaviours has led into many misconceptions and fears. He ended his speech by the couplet of Iqbal, “Mazhab Nahi Sikhata Aapas Me Bair Rakhna, Hindi Hai Hum Watan Hai Hindustan Hamara…”
A brief introduction about IMA’s objectives and activities was given by Parvez Hanif, where he highlighted the services rendered to the Indian community by IMA by conducting several social activities in the form of educational workshops, relief funds, awareness campaigns and the like.
The program was followed by an open Q&A session and concluded with a delicious buffet dinner. The program began started with the recitation of Holy Qur’an. Parvez Hanif convened the program. Mansour delivered the vote of thanks. Around four hundred people attended the event.