BENGALURU: Upholding the need for secularism to bring peace in today’s world, scholars and poets spoke of Imam Hussain’s supreme sacrifice to battle injustice and the spirit of ‘Hussainiyat’ at the 34th Annual Hussain Day Convention on Sunday. Speakers drew parallels to the US-Iran war and Ayatollah Khameini’s killing, and the need for communities to walk together in peace.
“To me, secularism and Hussainiyat are one and the same. Hussainiyat teaches us that we should not stay quiet when our neighbour is troubled; it teaches us to speak up,” said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera.
The convention this year chose the theme ‘Secularism for Global Peace’ to foreground a world increasingly challenged by conflict, division and intolerance, and to uphold the principles of equality, justice, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence, regardless of faith, belief, and background.
There were also references to politics in India. “It is a shame the Central government acts as a stooge for America, while Palestine dies. Iran will not lose this war. They target Muslims, but their gazes are on the deposits of temples and churches, and the Ram Mandir loot proves my point,” Saharanpur Congress MP Imran Masood said.
The confluence of scholars and speakers included Pandit Vijaykumar Sharma from Prayagraj, Dr Syed Mohammed Ali Al-Hussaini, Karnataka State Board of Auqaf, Rev Fr Victor Lobo, vice-chancellor, St Joseph’s University, Giani Buta Singh, head granthi, Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha and others. Celebrity music composer Salim Merchant, poet Manzar Bhopali and Sufi artist Khanak Joshi rendered moving songs.
For over three decades, the Hussain Day Convention has served as an interfaith platform dedicated to promoting dialogue, understanding and harmony. The convention commemorates the sacrifice of Imam Hussain, who stood against tyranny in the historic Battle of Karbala over 1,400 years ago.