The World Federation of KSIMC

Essex Jamaat held its annual Interfaith Day on Saturday 7th March at Galleywood Heritage Centre, Chelmsford. Invitations were warmly extended to many religious and secular organisations, including local churches, synagogues, temples and schools, as well as to local politicians and other notable community representatives.

The central theme for the event was ‘Spring and the Environment’. Appropriately, the event was blessed by mild and welcoming Spring sunshine, alhamdolillah.

An exhibition of books, leaflets and posters welcomed invitees, guests and Jamaat families approaching the entrance to the community hall. Seating was arranged around a large oval, thus encouraging all to participate equally and openly.

A member of the youth of Essex Jamaat acting as MC began by reminding visitors of a few housekeeping rules. The event started with a beautiful recitation of the Holy Qur’an, followed line-by-line with English translation by young members of the community. The MC went on to introduce the President of Essex Jamaat, Br Fayyaz Haji, who thanked all for attending and hoped and prayed for a successful event. This led to the main speaker of the day, Essex Jamaat’s resident alim, Shaykh Abbas Ismail.

Shaykh Abbas spoke around the main subject covering three angles; religious, spiritual and the physical environment. This was followed by a lively discussion around these themes, contributed to by many people representing many aspects of local society and religion and it was a wonderful opportunity for all to learn from one another and to better appreciate each other through mutual dialog, discussion and understanding.

The day ended with a sumptuous meal, allowing all attendees the opportunity to mingle and network.