| Meet Azam | Hey! I am a 20 year old, Leicester born and bred, Ismaili Muslim. I'm also a member of a group of young people who spread understanding and tolerance amongst the various beautiful faiths around the world. |
Arriving late I arrive late into the back of lecture theatre. Nobody stirs – being so engrossed in the presenter. I can’t help but notice and be excited by the variety of people there. | "It strikes me that there is a certain beauty to reaching god, defeating ones minds, and living love in different ways – through different religions." | | Azam Bata, Guest Contributor |
I can see white, brown, black, hijab's, turban's, topi's and faces full of undivided attention all sitting together. Annoyingly the tune from Kanye West, “Touch the Sky” is firmly lodged and playing in my head from my car journey here. The atmosphere of the lecture theatre is warm and welcoming, and the smell of food donated by different faiths - I think I can smell Samosa’s – wafts into the room. I sit back and relax as Reverend Amos Kasibante who is facilitating the night, comes and takes the stand thanking the Christian speakers. Seeing the similarities between different faiths I sat smiling through the different presentations, each presenter that came up was genuine and sincere, and it did not feel like I was being preached to. It felt like we were all just sharing what it was we loved, faith, God, and perhaps love itself.
 | | Woman wearing a Hijab |
As the evening moved on I could trace several threads weave their way through the different religions. Compassion, God, forgiveness, and contemplation of a sacred text were in every religion. Seeing the uniqueness of different faiths The Christians believe Christ is the Word, and accepting his sacrifice for our sins, means accepting Gods Grace, and then one is saved and becomes born again. The Muslims believe that the Quran is the Word, its central message being one of understanding god as most beneficent and most merciful! It is in living that message of Love with purity, piety and discipline, that a Muslim comes closer to Allah and finds peace; finds “Islam”.
 | | Photo of Lord Rama used for worship |
The Hindus see there being many paths to God - contemplation, love, surrender and there are eight paths or limbs in all to their practice, and many texts including the Bhagavad Gita. God is within us all, it is just up to us to find him. They say truth is one and it is known by different names and - I can’t help but agree with them. Sikhism fascinated me deeply. They have 10 Gurus (one who dispels darkness) and read the Guru Granth Sahib Jee, which contains the Word of god in the form of Shabads (poems). It’s meant to cleanse the mind of the reader. Reflecting on the evening It strikes me that there is a certain beauty to reaching god, defeating ones minds, and living love in different ways – through different religions.
 | | Guru Nanak Gurdwara |
I felt like a faith Connoisseur and tonight I had tasted all kinds of delicacies. In that room, we were all in it together trying to find some path of acceptance, trying to learn how to love each other in a world full of individuality and ego. Maybe I was reading too much into it, maybe it was a only one step in the right direction, maybe that tune which had been playing I the back of my head was getting to me, but whatever the case, I really felt I could touch the sky. For more information contact: Chirag rao – Leicester University ethnic diversity officer (19yrs, studying French/Law), who put on the night with an aim to encourage integration between different communities and to embrace and respect diversity. He was apprehensive of conflict but happy with the turnout and the peaceful nature of the evening. | 
