CELEBRATED scholars and researchers are gathered together here today, in the Abode of Peace, to discuss universal peace from an Islamic perspective, as Islam, the religion of peace which has been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the messenger of mercy for all mankind, as well as Quran, the holy and sacred book, are greatly misunderstood. In short, Islam and Muslims have been wrongly portrayed as symbols of terrorism, underdeveloped and the subject of mockery in the full sense of these words.

This was stated yesterday by the State Mufti, Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Hj Awg Abd Aziz Juned, who was guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the Regional Conference on Islam and World Peace organised by Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) through the Faculty of Usuluddin.
The ceremony, which took place at the Rizqun International Hotel in Gadong, began with the recital of surah al-fatihah. The Co-Chairman of the event’s organising committee, Dr Abd Muthalif Afuwardeen then delivered a welcoming note in which he said that the world in recent years has “gone through a critical period in terms of man’s life, safety and security, as the minds and hearts have become full of fear and anxiety as a result of several sophisticated inner and outer problems”.

The State Mufti in his speech said that the conference is of utmost importance as the organisers expect that the voice of the scholars and researchers at the gathering will reach out to different parts of the globe to reveal the truth about Islam as a call of peace for individuals, for society, for the Ummah and the world at large.

He also touched on several commandments and religious narratives related to Islam, peace and lessons derived from real life events of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and followers. The two—day conference that carries the theme “Kesejahteraan Pemangkin Kebahagiaan Manusia” (Well-being the Catalyst of Human Happiness) is also hoped to draw all hearts and minds together as well as combine their endeavours to spread peace, general welfare and prosperity among all mankind.

A total of 70 working papers will be presented at the seminar by scholars and researchers from 10 countries. The seminar is meant as a platform for fruitful discussions on well-being and regional peace issues. The discussions, which are made based on widely accepted principles and high academic research, are hoped to produce a strong resolution which could assist world leaders towards establishing peace and well-being across the globe.

In organising such a seminar, UNISSA hopes to realise its aim of becoming a progressive and dynamic Islamic university by offering a viable “thinking package”. The majority of the working papers are based on research conducted by scholars in accordance with the foundations of al-Quran and al-Sunnah.

Yesterday’s seminar session began with a keynote presentation by Professor Dato’ Dr Ismail Ibrahim from Institut Islam Hadhari, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). The presentation was entitled “Kesejahteraan Sejagat: Persefahaman Dunia Islam dan Barat” (Regional Wellbeing: The Understanding Between Muslim and Western Worlds).

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