UK: 'Murder in the Name of God' Parliamentary Debate

As I prepared to leave my office and head for the Houses of Parliament on the 18th of May 2011, I began contemplating the government’s role in the protection and promotion of peace. Is peace at the forefront of the government’s agenda? Does the government condemn all groups which promote hatred and create disorder?

However, the more relevant issue I should have been focussing on was the Parliamentary Conference, held by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I was leaving for. This conference, in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons, shows that the British government does endorse the views of peaceful groups in society whether they are religious or not.

The panel composed of:

Rafiq Hayat - The national President of the Ahmadiyya Community UK
Dominic Grieve – QC Member of Parliament, The Attorney General
Hazel Blears - Member of Parliament
Sam Zarifi - Director of Asia Pacific at Amnesty International
Ziauddin Sardar - writer, broadcaster, cultural critic and author
Lord Eric Avebury - Human Rights Activist
Dr. John Bew - Co-Director of International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation
Shehrbano Taseer - Journalist and Daughter of former Governor Salman Taseer

The media outlets present at the conference were MTA international, a global satellite network based in London and Pukaar news.

The title of the event was ‘Murder in the Name of God’ which was a policy debate on the rise of extremism internationally and its impact on Britain. The event was hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in conjunction with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK. Over 70 guests attended the successful debate.

Hopefully more events and conferences promoting peace will be held in the British Parliament and across the country. So that an effective policy can be made which helps the lives of innocent men and women living in Britain and around the world.

Click here to see pictures of the debate


Zubair Ahmed - Founder of THE AHMADIYYA POST