Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy wins Silver for World Interfaith Harmony

By Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID)
March 19, 2013

QUEZON CITY – The Judges for the World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) Prize announced on March 17 the Winners for the 2013 Prize, awarded by the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Foundation of Jordan.

The World Interfaith Harmony Week is a celebration adopted by the United Nation, which was proposed by H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2010. This is based on the pioneering work of The Common Word Initiative, which started in 2007. It calls for Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in a dialogue, based on two common fundamental religious Commandments: Love of God and Love of Neighbor; without having to compromise their basic religious tenets. The WIHW provides a platform for all interfaith groups and groups of goodwill to become aware of each other to build and improve their relationships, and strengthen their movement and positions by building ties and avoiding duplicating each other’s efforts.

The prime mover of A Common Word Initiative, a ground-breaking interfaith dialogue vehicle from the Muslim World, is Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan.

The distinguished panel of judges included H.R.H. Princess Areej Ghazi; H.B. Patriarch Theophilus III - Patriarch of the Holy City, Palestine and Jordan; H.E. Bishop Munib Yunan - Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and President of the World Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches; Father Nabil Haddad - Founder and Executive Director of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Centre; Dr. Minwer Al-Mheid - Director of the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought; Mr. Nabil Al-Sahib - First Deputy of the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought; Mr. Aftab Ahmed - Office Director of the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.

First Prize Winner: $25,000 Grand Prize and a gold medal will be awarded to the Interfaith Mediation Centre, Kaduna for their event ‘Imam and Pastor from Vengeance to Forgiveness’ in Nigeria;

Second Prize Winner: $15,000 Prize and a silver medal will be awarded to the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy for their event ‘A Common Word Towards A Common Peace’ in the Philippines;

Third Prize Winner: $5,000 prize and a bronze medal will be awarded to the Department of National Unity and Integration for their event ‘World Interfaith Harmony Week Malaysia 2013’ in Malaysia.

According to the announcement, “In judging, the judges were mindful particularly of those who had the courage to hold events in areas marked by recent interfaith tension or conflicts. They took into consideration efforts made despite scantiness of resources, but also took into consideration the excellence of efforts. They further took into consideration whether events were consistent with the text of the U.N. Resolution establishing the Prize”.

PCID organized simultaneous interfaith dialogues focusing on the message of A Common Word, conducted in 4 Philippine cities.

In the National Capital Region, the event was held at the PCID Conference Room, NCPAG Annex Building Conference Room, University of the Philippines, Quezon City. In Zamboanga City, it was held at the Women Support Center, RT Lim Boulevard, Zamboanga City. In Cebu City, at National Commission on Muslim Filipino (NCMF) Office, Cebu City. In Iligan City, at Mahad Al-Nur Al-Islamiya, Ceanuri Village, Camague, Iligan City.

Surprised and joyful, PCID President Amina Rasul said she was contacted by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought on March 17 while she was spending a family day in Tagaytay. “The announcement was a truly pleasant surprise amidst these weeks of sorrow and tensions”, she said.

She said that PCID worked very closely with the Noorus Salam to implement the event. PCID has been providing capacity building for the Noorus Salam, an organization of Muslim women religious teachers and civil society leaders. One of their shared advocacies is to propagate the meaning of A Common Word and the true relevance of interfaith harmony to attaining peace. PCID was supported by the Magbassa Kita Foundation Inc (MKFI), a Foundation that promotes literacy as the vehicle for peace and development in Muslim Mindanao.