Special Report

The Peace-Vision of Islam Exhibition and Convention needs to be emulated in other cities too as it will open the doors to better understanding of Islam by people of other faiths.


Peace - Vision of Islam Exhibition/Conference spread over a ten-day period from 17th to 26th December, 2004 in Bangalore is an extremely honest and laudable effort on the part of the Peace Organizing Committee. One can sense a palpable urgency on the part of the organisers to ensure that this effort on their part is a success in every way. The exhibition is spread over a very large area, with a number of pavilions with each being dedicated to a display and audio-video presentation of specific facets of Islam. A pretty well versed team of volunteers is there in numbers to educate and explain to the visitors all that they want to know and even more. There are workshops and training programs for men and women and so on. The sheer size and volume of Islamic literature is very impressive in terms of diversity and availability of material on any chosen topic. Further there are diversely structured topics on which Islamic scholars presented talks. The most eminent among them being Dr. Zakir Naik, Hussain Ye from Malaysia, Dr. Jaafar Idris from Sudan, Abdul Majeed , Hussain Az-Zahrani and Yusuf Estes from the U.S.A.


The beauty of listening to Speakers of such eminence is their ability to shed light on that facet of Islam which was hitherto either unknown or if known, existed purely on the strength of faith and not logic. This is precisely what brother Estes, himself a revert to Islam from being a Christian preacher was able to bring out when he said that virtually all religions say and believe in one God but none except a Muslim does so because he not only has faith, but also scientific evidence of the existence of God. Dr. Naik had some very revealing things to say about the evidence of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) in the Hindu scriptures. Amazingly, he advocated the learning of Sanskrit by Hindus to enable them read and understand their Vedas that would make them see the similarities between Islam and Hinduism and which in turn could bring about a better understanding between the two great religions of the World. He also dealt with the concept of Tawheed (Uniqueness or Oneness of God) in a very logical manner and left no one in doubt as to why and how Allah subhana wa taa’la is one and only. Dr. Idrees dealt with the aspect concerning Sunna and Hadith and left none in doubt as to its relevance together with Quran in order to practice the religion in a manner that pleases Allah. Brother Hussain Ye, a Malaysian of Chinese descent who had himself reverted to Islam when he was 18 years of age had some extremely useful things to say. He came down heavily against some of the practices of Muslims today, which are so contrary to the true spirit of Islam. There is so much more that one can really go on and on.


I sincerely believe this is an effort that should be recognised for what it is. It is important that such exhibitions, seminars and symposiums become a regular feature so that they shed the aura of being an event by the Muslims for the Muslims. Rather they become so naturally open and accessible that no non-Muslim should feel awkward or uncomfortable walking in and inter-mingle with the people there. This will only happen if there is obvious and conspicuous presence of non-Muslims in the crowd. As it is, there was a sprinkling of non-Muslims in the crowd on virtually all the days but I believe there are still a whole lot more non-Muslims who would like to come to such events because they are genuinely interested in learning about the religion after what they might have read or observed of it in their day to day life, but in the absence of an obvious and easily accessible forum they remain deprived to whet their appetite for this knowledge. As for Muslims on their part, they are not able to approach a potentially inclined non-Muslim because they are themselves not too sure how the person concerned will receive their approach. I think this is where the common Muslim should be able to define his role. How it is that he can help? I believe he can help by being there to learn himself and at the same time contribute financially in such a way that such efforts do not become financially unviable for the organisers. It will also be useful to invite suggestions and ideas from both Muslims and Non-Muslims as to what more can be done. How best can such events be hosted and structured? As for the Organisers themselves, they will have to try very hard to absolutely ensure that this exercise of hosting such events is purely a Dawah (Presenting Islam to all) effort and is certainly not an effort for material gain. (The writer can reached at adilsar2004@yahoo.co.uk)

“I want Islam to be showcased to the world in its pure form.”


Some call him Zaks, some call him Zakir Bhai. He has loads of work to do and so many commitments to fulfill, but Zakir Ahmed remains unruffled and there is no trace of tension on his face- but peace-pure peace!


Chief of the Zak Group in Chennai, his dynamism has rubbed off on his team too. The Peace-Vision of Islam-the international exhibition on Islam that concluded in Bangalore recently and is set to travel to Chennai has been the brainchild of Zakir Ahmed.


A man of few words, Zakir believes in being focused as he feels that is the only way things will get done.


Born into a family where Islam is practised in its purest pristine form, Zakir, 47, grew up in an ambience of peace and joy with his eight other siblings. “My father Haji Syed Abdul Ghafoor was my main source of inspiration. He was a visionary and a dynamic individual. He gave all the children freedom to grow up with their own independent identity that was strictly in adherence to Islam, “ says Zakir.


Haji Ghafoor instilled the values of Deen in his children advising them to serve the community through the Halal way.


“ When my father passed a away in 1999, I felt a vacuum and we know that the path to paradise for my father was his ilm, his zakat, his good deeds and we, children. I felt responsible that I had a duty towards Allah and I know by serving the commu-nity, I would get soulcom-fort,” says Zakir.


Zakir spent some days introspecting and felt that the Muslim community deserves much more than just educational awareness. He arrived at the answer that harmony within the community can be attained only if the Muslims read and understand the Quran with meaning.


“So then, the Peace Exhibition was born. I wanted Islam to be showcased to the world in its pure form. So through banners, digital posters, seminars, essays, quiz and women’s programmes, which could all be brought under one roof, I took up the initiative and the first Peace-Vision of Islam Exhibition was held in Chennai in 2003,” recalls Zakir.


The Exhibition in Bangalore was a roaring success with a large number of non-Muslims thronging the Peace Grounds and going back with positive thoughts about Islam.


“Even if one person changes for the better after visiting this exhibition, I feel we have done something. We expect the Exhibition to bring about a revolution among the old and the young. It is important that they follow the path of Allah. We intend to take this Exhibition to many places and pray that Allah gives us the hidayath and the health to continue this work,” says Zakir.


Amidst phone calls and visitors seeking his advice, Zakir may give an impression of a perfectionist and he is one. But the faraway look on his face and intensity of emotions while he talks about his father and the Exhibition, reveals a man who wants to take the whole world to the path of Allah no matter how tough this task could be!