On Wednesday 22nd October, a reception was hosted by Justine Greening MP at the Houses of Parliament in celebration of the Khilafat Centenary. This event was attended by Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, as well as various MPs, including Rt Hon Hazel Blears (Secretary of state for Communities & local governments) and Dominic Grieve (Shadow Home Secretary).
Huzoor addressed the guests present on various contemporary issues affecting the peace of society, such as the conflicts which divide the world today, which could lead to greater problems. Huzoor stated:
"It is my fear that in view of the direction in which things are moving today,the political and economic dynamics of the countries of the world may lead toworld war… Therefore, it is the duty of the superpowers to sit down and finda solution to save humanity from the brink of disaster."
Huzoor said that the only way to avert further disputes was for all governments to act justly and congratulated the British government for showing such fairness in its recent history.
Huzoor went on to address the issue of terrorism, saying that no form of terror or violence was sanctioned in Islam and those who used Islam to justify their heinous acts cause the world to be distrustful and even hateful towards Islam. Huzoor said that a mutual respect for all religions and beliefs was necessary for true peace to emerge.
Huzoor also addressed the issue of crime in society, saying that Islam’s true teachings were to try and reform those who had done wrong and that crime has to be fought at its root cause, which is the development of an unjust society.
Huzoor concluded his address with the issue of the current economic crisis which has engulfed the entire world. He stated that the ’credit crunch’ should be taken as a warning that the western system of interest based capitalism is wholly incompatible with a fair and just society.
The event was also addressed by Justine Greening, Gillian Merron (Foreign Office Minister), Hazel Blears, Dominic Grieve and Simon Hughes (president of the Liberal Democrats). A concluding vote of thanks was given by Lord Eric Avebury.
Following the event, Huzoor was given a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament and held private audiences with Nick Clegg MP, (leader of the Liberal Democrats) and Lord Bishop Nazir Ali.
Full coverage of this event will be shown on MTA this weekend:
