Interfaith Understanding Dialogue-InFUD 2013
Chancellor Hall, 1st April – Even the management of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) gives the thumbs up for Interfaith Understanding Dialogue (InFUD) to proceed next year, claimed Hussaini Bin Saa’id (CE) the Project Manager. It was said that they might make the theme for the next InFuD an open topic.
Interfaith Understanding Dialogue is a faith-to-faith talk between four different religions which took place in Chancellor Hall, UTP. This was the 3rd time for this event was held under the topic “Ritual is My Scripture: Relevant or Outdated?” which brought together the most influential religious leaders and UTP students alike. The main speakers were Brother Shah Kirit (Islam), Reverend Father Joseph Stephen (Christianity), Krishnan (Hinduism) and Ir. Kiang Keng Hong (Buddhism). In his opening remark, the Deputy Vice Chancellor iterated the importance of this event in bringing together the diverse society of UTP into common understanding and respect.
When asked after the event, Brother Shah Kirit gave positive feedback; from the numbers in the audience and the Q&A session, he felt that his message was well delivered. Time constraint is the common problem, he commented, since he felt that it is better to have an enthusiastic audience with questions than a silent crowd.
When asked after the event, Brother Shah Kirit gave positive feedback; from the numbers in the audience and the Q&A session, he felt that his message was well delivered. Time constraint is the common problem, he commented, since he felt that it is better to have an enthusiastic audience with questions than a silent crowd.
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| A line-up of the speakers. |
Below is the summary of the talk given by each speaker invited:
ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE: According to Brother Shah Kirit, a Muslim is anyone who obeys God, even though Islam is derived from some founding words such as salaam, and aslaam which all refer to the meaning, ‘peace’. Brother Shah Kirit delved deeper to point out the five pillars in Islam, and Muslims’ recognition of other prophets that God sent to the world before prophet Muhammad. “We respect and recognise other beliefs, are committed to charity like alms (zakat), and advocate against racism”, he added.
CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE: Meanwhile on behalf of Christianity, Reverend Father Joseph cited the 3 sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation as the rituals for the Christian faith. He highlighted the importance of the seven gifts in relation to the holiness of the number seven itself. “You do not become a Christian for worldly gain, but to be the church yourself, hence Christians are not born, but made,” Reverend Father Joseph added.
BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE: From Buddhism, Ir. Kiang Keng Hong emphasised that ratana sutta is what makes a strong Buddhist. It means that all the virtues actually depend on the person practicing them. He explained that the sign of bowing low to a tree implies that if you can show your respect to nature, you can then make a difference by respecting your fellow human beings. He also pointed out the importance of charity, and avoiding from doing harm to others in any way.
HINDU PERSPECTIVE: On Hinduism, Krishnan cited the evolution of consciousness for Hindus. There are three important stages which should be undergone by Hindus, which are: [animal-man which is the body], [man-man which is the mind], and [God-man which is the soul]. He also iterated the importance of participating in charity works, giving alms, and living a life according to the values from Hinduism.
On acts of terrorism, the speakers refuted any violence done in the name of religion and described the perpetrators as ‘those who follow what they do not know’. Brother Shah Kirit reaffirmed this by putting it in the clear that people should be able to differentiate what the religion actually teaches and what its followers practice. Father Joseph added that all religions are pathways to reach God. On the other hand, Krishnan on behaviours of a Hindu elaborated that ritual is not connected with the heart but with God, thus Hindus should pray from the heart and not the mind.
Nevertheless, the event was not as lively as envisioned by Hussaini. He felt that the event was still lacking in terms of participation although the total number of audience who came was estimated to be more than a thousand. “There were many complications, like time constraint. We wanted more time, but the management only gave us a few hours,” he added, “Plus, there were too many Muslims. This was meant for people from all religions so next time, we’ll try to do better in promoting this event.
Nevertheless, the event was not as lively as envisioned by Hussaini. He felt that the event was still lacking in terms of participation although the total number of audience who came was estimated to be more than a thousand. “There were many complications, like time constraint. We wanted more time, but the management only gave us a few hours,” he added, “Plus, there were too many Muslims. This was meant for people from all religions so next time, we’ll try to do better in promoting this event.
By Mangar Mawut, PE & Adhwa Anuar, ICT
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