Abbas Bin Suleman, Swaziland Correspondent
In the mid-morning of 6 July 2019, people from around Magele came to witness an interfaith dialogue with the theme “Religious Tolerance and National Peace – Our Collective Obligation”. Though the attendance was less than expected, the event was a huge success.
The Local President of the Jamaat, Tahir Dlamini Sahib opened the proceedings with the welcome address and silent prayer.
The resident Missionary Abbas Bin Suleman, briefing the participants on what interfaith dialogue was all about, said that dialogue between different faiths begins when people meet each other without judgment and when misunderstanding is replaced with trust. He added that there was mistrust and suspicion and the best way to remove that from among faith-based organisations was through healthy interfaith dialogue. He encouraged all stakeholders to consider very seriously such events so as to foster peace and harmony leading to progress and development in our communities.
Speakers took turns to give their heartfelt speeches concerning the theme of the day, “Religious Tolerance and National Peace, Our Collective Obligation”.
Mr Ntokozo Salim Dlamini, who is a member of our Jamaat and also a prince of the area, spoke on behalf of the Royal Kraal and gave a good and excellent account on the gathering and theme. He mentioned that elders of the royalty are very happy to see various members of the Magele community coming to witness and hear for themselves what is meant by religious tolerance and national peace and the collective effort in ensuring that. He called on the people of the Magele community to work together with the Jamaat for the benefit of themselves.
On behalf of the chairman and the member of parliament, the councilor highlighted that he was very happy to be part of the invited guests. He was thankful to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for granting their request for a water tank and for which the Jamaat responded by donating a 5,000-litre water tank to the Royal Kraal. He stated that these actions indeed reflected the motto: “Love for all, hatred for none”.
The councilor is also a pastor and speaking on behalf of his church, submitted that he admired this bold initiative and said his church was looking forward to working with our Jamaat for the general good of the Swazi people. He mentioned the words of the Khalifa on the banners we displayed which read, “Rather than erecting walls that will keep us apart, we should build bridges that bring us closer together”. Thus, he encouraged everyone to respond to the statement by building bridges that brings us together.
The event was brought to a close with a prayer led by the councilor and pastor at 1pm, Alhamdolillah!