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Day of Peace in Dusseldorf, Germany
Written by UPF - Germany
Monday, September 21, 2009
Dusseldorf, Germany - Some 80 people assembled at the Goethe-Hafez Hall in Dusseldorf for a seminar on peace. Petra Heuwind-Saidy, an Ambassador for Peace in Dusseldorf, greeted the participants on behalf of UPF-Germany. Sergio Brina, President of UPF-Germany, introduced the organization and spoke about the UN International Day of Peace.
An Ambassador for Peace then presented an overview of the activities of the Universal Peace Federation in the Dusseldorf area. UPF aims to provide a platform for different groups and organizations for networking with each other for the sake of fostering peace in society. “The UPF tries to provide an environment which has a family feeling to it, making associated organisations feel comfortable and at home,” he explained.
Prof. Francesco Conidi, who teaches at the University of Cologne, then spoke on “The Basic Desire of Man to live in Peace.” Family has always played an important role in creating a peaceful society, even at the time of the famous philosopher Socrates, who is quoted as having said: “When you marry a good wife, you will be happy. When you marry a bad wife, you will become a philosopher.” But, in the words of Conidi, "don’t worry about me. I am both — a happily married man and a philosopher!"
Dr. Baharat Ahmad Shah Syed provided an insight into the Muslim family. In his words, women play three key roles within the family system: daughter, wife and mother. He tried to dismantle some of the prejudices surrounding the Islamic family model. Nevertheless, after his talk he had to answer many critical questions.
Next a young lady from Cameroon came to the podium to talk about her marriage with a Slovakian. The differences between African and European family life are quite striking, giving rise to frequent misunderstanding, she said. Both parties have to learn a lot before being able to work together harmoniously.
Dr. Dieter Schmidt, Vice President of UPF-Germany, talked about the ongoing erosion of the moral and ethical foundations of society. Families are loosing their sense of responsibility towards society, which is detrimental to the social fabric, he said. Effort needs to be made to reverse this negative tendency.
Werner Fehlberg of UPF-Germany then guided the participants through a “Water Ceremony,” in which representatives of different races and religious creeds each emptied a bottle of water into one big container. The ceremony was started by a Senegalese-Buddhist monk and a Hindu-Tamil nurse, representing the warring fractions in Sri Lanka. The ceremony was accompanied by the music of “We are the World.”
Finally new Ambassadors for Peace were appointed from among the audience. “During the past 30 years we never received such a recognition for our work,” said Mrs. Moschini, wife of Dr. Moschini, head of the German-Iranian Cultural Association, upon her appointment.
Thanks to moderator Herbert Beyer and various musical contributions, the eight-hour program passed smoothly. A sumptuous buffet provided for the physical well-being of the participants.
To read UPF's Declaration on the International Day of Peace 2009, click here.
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