COLUMN: "Women Promoting Peace' highlights Muslim community symposium

"I had never been to a mosque before,GÇ¥ shared Joan Brown with the audience at the interfaith women's symposium hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Seattle in Monroe. "But when I was introduced to Tehmina Ali just three days ago, she invited me to this event. And since I had never been to a mosque before or attended an event like this, I thought to myself, "I should give it a try.' GÇ¥

On Sunday, March 13, the women's auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Seattle chapter, hosted its biannual interfaith symposium for women on the pertinent topic of "Women Promoting Peace.GÇ¥

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, whose motto is "Love for all, hatred for none,GÇ¥ is a peaceful Islamic sect founded more than 125 years ago by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The community holds interfaith activities like these throughout the world, through its various chapters, to promote peace and tolerance and improve social and interreligious harmony.

What was special about this symposium was that it was the first symposium held by the community in its new mosque. The community, which had been meeting in Lynnwood for the past 20 years, bought its new property in Monroe in the summer of 2015 to accommodate its growing membership in the state of Washington. In addition to inviting previous friends from the Lynnwood area, this symposium provided them with an opportunity to reach out and connect with people in its new locality.

"I didn't even know we had a mosque in Monroe,GÇ¥ Brown said.

A panel of three speakers from different organizations and walks of life gave examples of the many different ways people, and in particular, women, can promote peace and tolerance in our societies.

In her opening words, Tehmina Ali gave the audience an extended introduction about herself and explained, "Telling each other a little bit about ourselves is one way to spread peace.GÇ¥ During the complimentary dinner afterwards the 69 women who attended the event got the opportunity to do just that: learn more about each other.

Talking about the many facets of establishing peace, Dr. Ayesha Haq, speaker for the women's auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Seattle chapter said, "Peace begins from within.GÇ¥ She gave the audience seven rules on how to establish inner peace, including through forgiveness, gratitude and low expectations.

"When you love unconditionally and don't have high expectations of others,GÇ¥ she explained, "everyone is happier.GÇ¥

People can also help others to find peace in their lives by giving them love and support, which was the message from presenter Samantha Johnson. A high school student who had had to deal with the suicidal death of a close friend, Johnson founded the Monroe Youth Coalition to encourage people to "be the changeGÇ¥ and offer support to youngsters dealing with difficulties in their lives.

To deal with the issue of peace among people of different faiths, the speakers demonstrated that educating others about one's faith helps promote tolerance and interfaith harmony. Jasjeet Kaur, a speaker for the Sikh faith, spoke about how her 5-year-old son had been bullied at school for wearing a turban. She explained how she, as a mother, channeled her emotions of anger from the situation into positive action. Together with her husband, she spent an entire day at their son's school, educating the students about the teachings of their faith.

"The children enjoyed trying on turbans. It was a great day for everybody,GÇ¥ Kaur remarked.

Haq used verses from the Quran to show how the practices of ISIS and other so-called Muslim terrorist organizations do not align with the peaceful teachings of Islam. Also, at the start of the event, members of the women's auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community held banners reading "NotInMyName,GÇ¥ a global campaign by Muslims to stand up against the un-Islamic actions of ISIS. One of the guests commented afterward, "Thank you for teaching us about the real teachings of Islam and what the majority of Muslims believe. Islam is not represented by the actions of a few terrorists as the media portrays.GÇ¥

As the floor was opened up for questions and comments, many people in the audience took this opportunity to thank the speakers for their insights and the Ahmadi Muslim women for organizing an event to help bring together people of different faiths and, in particular, eradicate some of the misconceptions about Islam that exist in our society today.

"I challenge you, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,GÇ¥ added Brown, "To find more people like myself and invite them to your mosque, to such events, so that they too can learn about the true teachings of Islam.GÇ¥

This article was written by Bushra Bajwa, a member of the women's auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Seattle.