PICNA organizes Compassion Event to Celebrate South Carolina’s Interfaith Harmony Month
PICNA brought together leaders from many faiths to discuss the subject of Compassion, on Sunday, January 2019 at Masjid Noor Ul Huda, a prominent mosque in Columbia, SC. The program was organized as part of the Interfaith Harmony Month that has been celebrated in the Palmetto State since 2012.
The center piece of the program was a panel discussion that was followed by an engaging Q&A session. The panel comprised of:
- The Rev. Brenda Kneece, Executive Minister, SC Christian Action Council - Christianity
- Rabbi Jonathan Case, Beth Shalom Synagogue - Judaism
- Claudia Brinson of Columbia College - Buddhism
- Amarjit Singh - Sikhism
- Chaudhry Sadiq - Islam
The program commenced with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Imam Bashir, resident Imam of Masjid Noor Ul Huda followed by welcome comments by Chaudhry Sadiq, President, PICNA. Cheryl Nail, Vice Chair of Interfaith Partners of SC, briefed the audience about the Interfaith Harmony Month and admired the great contribution from PICNA and the Muslim community. Pastor Julie Bird of McGregor Presbyterian Church, then recounted the prosperous partnership between the Muslim Community and their Church Congregation who had bonded together to help the refugees.
Opening the panel discussion, the moderator, Rev. James Thomas emphasized the need for Compassion in our society to help relieve human suffering. Rabbi Case explained how the root word of Compassion was common between Hebrew and Arabic. The Rev. Brenda Kneece, representing Christianity, elaborated on various forms of Compassion and how we could help alleviate human suffering by showing love, mercy and compassion. Claudia Brinson, speaking as a Buddhist, recalled the teachings of Buddha while Amarjit Singh quoted Guru Nanak’s sayings about serving humanity. Chaudhry Sadiq, in his brief talk, elaborated on God’s infinite Benevolence and Compassion and how God called Prophet Muhammad as ‘Mercy for all the Worlds’. Chaudhry related instances from the Prophet’s life to show his exemplary compassion in the face of adversity and persecution. He concluded his comments by stating that Islam was nothing but Love, Mercy and Compassion.
In the Q&A session that followed the panel discussion, the audience engaged the panelists with very relevant and loaded questions that made the session intensely absorbing and enlightening. The participants of the program bonded together, enjoyed sumptuous snacks and left with fond memories of a splendid program.
RSS Feed
