NEWYORK: The Pakistan Christian Association of USA organized its 34th annual interfaith dinner on the eve of Christmas and New Year.
The interfaith dinner was held at a local restaurant in Hicksville, New York, began with the recitation of the Holy Book, the national anthem of Pakistan and prayers by the Christian community.
The aim of the Christmas and New Year celebrations was to promote harmony, unity and tolerance among different religions. Personalities of all religions participated and gave a practical message of interfaith harmony.
Addressing the participants, Pakistan Christian Association Chairman Williams Shahzad, Secretary General James Cyprian and Vice President Mazhar Abdullah said that our religious teachings and beliefs are certainly different, but nothing is greater than humanity.
The first Pakistani-American officer in the New York Police Department Inspector Adeel Rana and the executive director of Asian American Affairs in Nassau County Aun Naqvi also attended the event and appreciated the services of the Pakistan Christian Association.
They said that such events are very important because they promote religious tolerance, unity and strong ties between the community. Aun Naqvi presented a citation on behalf of the county.
Earlier, Father Ilyas Gill and Akram Gill gave a message of peace, love and brotherhood on the occasion of Christmas, while the coordinator of the Interfaith Committee Mushtaq Ahmed Kumbo stressed the importance of unity, tolerance and mutual respect.
The event was also addressed by Shan Shaheen, Humayun Safdar Qureshi and other dignitaries. The speakers paid tribute to the efforts of the Pakistan Christian Association and expressed their determination that the message of peace, love and brotherhood would continue to be spread through such interfaith events in the future as well.
Later, the guests were presented with the book “America Mere Agey” as a gift. A cake was cut on the occasion of Christmas, while the Pakistan Christian Association presented awards to various personalities for community services.
Special songs were also sung on the eve of the Christmas. Qawals also performed Qawwali which captivated the hearts of the participants and made the event memorable.
