Muslims for Peace held its 16th annual Interfaith Prophet Muhammad Day Conference on 16th October, where Dr Hasnain Walji and other keynote members were recognised for their efforts and service in community building.
Who is Dr Hasnain Walji?
Dr Hasnain Walji, PhD, was born in Tanzania and now resides in California. He is an educator, speaker, historian, filmmaker, author and scientist in the field of nutrition, with 26 books to his credit. His books, all written from a naturopathic perspective, are endorsed by the Natural Medicine Society of England and translated into several languages, including Spanish, French, German, Turkish, Hungarian, Portuguese and Chinese. He is a contributor to several journals on environmental and Third World consumer issues and was the founder and editor of The Vitamin Connection – an International Journal of Nutrition, Health and Fitness and Healthy Eating. He has also written a script for a six-part television series, The World of Vitamins.
A summary of His Community Service
Dr Hasnain’s institutional work for the Muslim community spans over 30 years. Since 1976 he has served the World Federation as Secretary-General, Vice-President and then in the capacity of President. He is also a founding director and the Current President of the Mulla Asghar Memorial Library and Resource Center (MARC) in Toronto. He has served as editor of Shia International and Living Islam Magazines and is a regular contributor to several Islamic Journals. He has also travelled worldwide, lecturing and reciting Majlises in English, Urdu and Gujarati.
Dr Hasnain is particularly interested in the History of the Khojas and has produced a Documentary called The Khojas – A journey of faith. He currently serves as the Head of the WF’s Khoja Heritage Project.
What is Muslims for Peace, Inc?
Muslims for Peace, Inc. was created in 2001 to unite individuals from different faiths through education and community-strengthening activities. The organisation firmly believes that educating others about our similarities is the most effective way to connect people because education and dialogue will always demonstrate that we have more similarities than differences. The small acts between people on a daily basis – a conversation, a helping hand, sharing a meal – foster a spirit of respect towards each other, build bridges of understanding, and facilitate the peace-making process all over the world.
Annual Prophet Muhammad Interfaith Conference
This year marked the 16th year of the annual Prophet Muhammad Interfaith Conference. The conference took place in New Jersey, US, on 16th October, on the theme of – Family in the Tradition of Major Faiths.
The conference had four key speakers on the panel – Professor Juan Cole from the University of Michigan, Scholar Sayed Jawad Qazwini, and Authors Walter Ruby and Sabeeha Rehman. It was attended by members of the Muslim community and various elected officials, especially Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Sayed Jawad Qazwini spoke about the importance of unity and how we need to perceive each other as individuals with shared values as he wowed the hundreds of attendees at the Monroe Senior centre.
During his speech on family values, Dr Hasnain stressed that ”Increasingly, today, beliefs relating to family are being interpreted on an individualistic basis and less so in terms of religious injunctions. Many now look to religion more for its personal meaning and less for its societal rules. By default, Muslims along with their fellow citizens have to navigate through these redefined standards of conduct, which more often than not, are incompatible with faith traditions as regarded to the structure, rights and responsibilities of an ideal family. As a result, the power of the religious hierarchies over individual thought and behaviour are all on the decline.”
The conference concluded with a small award ceremony, recognising a few individuals for their efforts and service in community building. Dr Hasnain Walji was awarded for Inspiring to build a peaceful community, celebrating 50 years Lifetime Community Services Award.
The Khojanews team congratulates Dr Hasnain Walji for this Lifetime Achievement Award and pray to Allah (swt) to grant him success in all endeavours and to accept all his efforts and service, Ameen.