TO create better awareness and understanding of Islam and its message of peace for the entire humanity Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) organized a 10-day international Islamic conference and exhibition at Mumbai from November 23 to December 2, 2007. Dr. Zakir Naik, president of IRF was recently in Saudi Arabia to deliver a public lecture entitled ‘ Kingdom of Peace' in Riyadh. Dr Zakir Naik visited Makkah for ‘Umrah and despite his very tight schedule that particular Friday he gave us time to talk about the International Islamic Conference, his recent tour of the Gulf countries, Peace TV and his visit to the Kingdom. Asked what was the purpose and theme of the Mumbai conference, Dr. Zakir said that it was the first conference of its kind in the history of the Muslim world. The conference was organized on the 30-acre Somaya ground. “It took some 10 months for preparation and planning. Our team of workers, designers, décor specialists, visualizers and engineers worked relentlessly to present a global kaleidoscope presenting Islam as a religion of peace. Some 20 English-speaking Islamic speakers presented lectures to remove misconceptions, false fear and hate of Islam and Muslims globally. Dr. Zakir said that our purpose was to explain that justice, human rights, moral values and peace - be it on an individual or at a worldwide collective level - are a must for effective human progress and global unity. Asked specifically about his trip to the Gulf countries and the sort of response he received from the public and the authorities he said: Dr Zakir Naik (ZN) said: Alhamdulillah two weeks ago I was in Kuwait. It was my third visit and the organizers had told me that they expected around 3,000 people for the public lecture, but Masha' Allah there were some 20,000 who attended the lecture. The newspapers in Kuwait described it as historic because such a large number of people had not gathered before to listen to a public lecture. The response was very encouraging.Q. Your lecture at the National Guard Centre in Riyadh was entitled ‘Kingdom of Peace' - for the benefit of our readers and the larger audience wherever this publication reaches – could you please elaborate on the theme and the thrust of your lecture in Riyadh?ZN. Well, my main theme was Jannah, the Kingdom of Peace . Allah is the Lord of the Heavens and Earth. He is the All-Powerful, All Knowing. One of His attributes is Al-Salam meaning peace. He is peace and He is the source of peace and the Kingdom of peace is Jannah. I highlighted the fact with the help of quotations from Scriptures of other religions like Christianity, Hinduism and the Holy Qur'an that the path/the key to enter this Kingdom of Peace is by accepting that ‘There is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Prophet' and by following the Divine Laws.Q. The press in India had reported a controversy about one of your remarks made at the International Conference that Islamic Research Foundation had organized last December – could you elaborate on that?ZN. The controversy was raised in some quarters about one of my remarks. The conference was attended by Muslims and non-Muslims and the remarkable feature was that it was attended by scholars of all schools of thought and madhahibs. My remark about Yazeed was misunderstood and hence the controversy. However, what I had said at the conference was endorsed by a large section of the scholars from different schools of thought within Islam and Alhamdulillah the controversy now rests in peace!Q. Peace TV has been in operation for over two years now. Looking back are you satisfied with its performance and achievements and what are your future plans?ZN. When we launched Peace TV we didn't have enough funds but Alhamdulillah, with Allah's help, we launched it successfully. With Allah's help and support that we receive from our audience it is now the most watched Islamic TV channel of the world. Our programmes are telecast 24-hours a day, seven-days-a-week to a worldwide audience of some 75 million. In the beginning we reached audiences in Asia, Africa and the Middle East but now barring South America our broadcasts reach the farthest corners of the world. Over this period we have made improvements in the field of graphics and programme production and I think the audience appreciation is reflected in the response that we receive. Since we keep a tight control on our expenses Peace TV is very cost-effective. (Syed Neaz Ahmad is a faculty member at Umm Al-Qura University & Editorial Consultant of Muslim World League Journal, Makkah. He can be reached at: [email protected]) __
