Interfaith Peace Service at the Al Mahdi Institute - Birmingham, United Kingdom

Interfaith Peace Service at the Al Mahdi Institute Birmingham, United Kingdom, June 12, 2022 By David & Patricia Earle Imam Shahid Tameez gave our Mission. Dr Sadia described the invocation, the Islamic ‘Call to Prayer’, appalling conditions in which so many

A round 150 people of all faiths, cultures, races and different ethnic backgrounds came together at the Al Mahdi Institute in and was followed by our first speaker, Sheikh Arif, the Institute’s Director. We then invited seven ladies to share a short reading or prayer from the Hindu, families are living, in Yemen, and UKIM’s efforts to help feed some of the people through building bakeries and distributing bread daily. We asked Selly Oak, Birmingham for an Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, for donations to help this work and Interfaith Peace Service under the Baha’i and Brahma Kumari faith were able to collect £650 through theme ‘Healing our Wounded World’, traditions. Before leaving the stage, a everyone’s generosity. including 8 faith leaders and 2 bouquet of roses was presented by Patricia Earle then presented Birmingham City Councillors. We met Viola Dirnhofer to our Jewish lady, Ambassador for Peace awards to six under the beautiful, cloistered arches Ruth Shire, who was 101 years old just very deserving ladies, and we of the Institute’s Prayer Hall / Chapel, a short time ago. Amazing! concluded our afternoon with delicious which help to create a very warm, Our next 2 speakers were Dr Pyara refreshments and fellowship in the embracing atmosphere. Quite several Singh Bhogal, a member of the dining area and grounds of the people also joined online, through the National Sikh Council, and Mrs Ruth Institute, where some people renewed Institute kindly live streaming the Jacobs, representative of the West acquaintance, and many others made event via a YouTube link Midlands Jewish community. A piece new friends. It was so wonderful to of devotional music was then offered, meet again, face to face, and heart to an original interfaith song composed heart after the Coronavirus pandemic. by Tom Pritty, who sang together with Some people would have stayed a lot Viola. The song received a very warm longer, if we had not had to vacate the round of applause. property around 5.00pm! A very Our final 2 speakers were Rev Carver productive and meaningful experience, Anderson, a ‘practical theologian’ and judging by the amount of positive social scientist, and Dr David Earle feedback we have received. from the Universal Peace Federation. To connect with the reality of our ‘Wounded World’, we then heard a message from E. Y. of Youth and Students for Peace who had travelled recently to Moldova to join in the Peace Federation’s efforts in helping hundreds of Ukrainian refugees, and finally Dr Sadia Ahmad of the United Kingdom Islamic