New York, United States—The head of UPF-USA was invited to speak at an interfaith conference held by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
More than a hundred people, including representatives of major religious groups and interfaith advocates, gathered at the Bait-uz-Zafar mosque, located in the Hollis neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, on the afternoon of Sunday, April 3, 2016.
Richard De Sena, the president of UPF-USA, was one of the seven panelists representing different faith traditions. He testified to the successes in interfaith programs that Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon have had through UPF and explained the core values and areas of work of UPF in the United States.
The discussion focused on the topic “Religious Teachings and Contemporary Challenges.” Local government officials were also invited, including David Weprin, a member of the New York State Assembly, and Barry Grodenchik, a member of the New York City Council.
A prominent Muslim in New York City, Imam Shamsi Ali, served as the conference moderator. Imam Ali is the chair of the Al-Hikmah Mosque and director of the Jamaica Muslim Center, the largest Muslim center in Queens. In 2002 he was appointed Ambassador for Peace by the Inter Religious Federation for World Peace, and in 2008 he was presented with the Islamic Center of Long Island (ICLI) Interfaith Award.
The participants, who represented diverse communities, listened attentively to the speakers and made strong determinations to practice the great teachings that they learned at the conference.