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Muslim peace conference condemns terrorism | |
(about 9 hours later) | |
Thousands of Muslims are attending a peace conference in London which is condemning terrorism. | |
About 12,000 Muslims are understood to have gathered at Wembley Arena for Islamic group Minhaj-ul-Quran's Peace for Humanity Conference. | |
The conference is launching a campaign to get one million people to sign an online declaration of peace by 2012. | |
Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri says the conference will send a message that 10 years of extremist activity should end. | Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri says the conference will send a message that 10 years of extremist activity should end. |
'Love and smiles' | 'Love and smiles' |
Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is the founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran and is the lead speaker at the event. The cleric told BBC Radio 5 live the conference would also commemorate the recent 10th anniversary of 9/11 and send a message that mankind should unite against extremism. | |
"We should strive together, to bring an end to the era of extremist terrorism so that the peace and love and fraternity - which is lost because of unfortunate extremistic activity in the last decade - should come to end and we may restore the peace, love and smiles on the faces of mankind." | "We should strive together, to bring an end to the era of extremist terrorism so that the peace and love and fraternity - which is lost because of unfortunate extremistic activity in the last decade - should come to end and we may restore the peace, love and smiles on the faces of mankind." |
Minhaj-ul-Quran says Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri's declaration for peace will call for tolerance, respect and justice. The cleric also condemns terrorism. | |
"We reject unequivocally all terrorism because at the heart of all religions is a belief in the sanctity of the lives of the innocent. The indiscriminate nature of terrorism, which has in recent years killed far more civilians and other non-combatants than it has combatants," he said. | |
Other speakers due to appear included London's Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes; Dr Joel Hayward, the dean of the RAF College Dr Joel Hayward, Conservative MEP Sajjad Karim and Muslim scholar Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. | |
Video messages of support from politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, opposition leader Ed Miliband and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles were also due to be played along with a collective multi-faith prayer. | |
Last year in London, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri launched a fatwa - or religious ruling - against terrorism. | Last year in London, Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri launched a fatwa - or religious ruling - against terrorism. |
Are you going to the peace conference? Send us your stories using the form below. | Are you going to the peace conference? Send us your stories using the form below. |