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Meet together, speak together, let your minds be of one accord.
Hinduism


* The Global Peace Festival is no longer a project of UPF. GPF was incorporated independently in 2009.

An Equal Place for Every Creed and Race Print E-mail
By Hamish Robertson   
Friday, January 16, 2009
Between the festivities of Christmas past and Carnival coming, the Universal Peace Federation managed to catch the attention of Trinidadians for a moment in January. A speech event, entitled “Good Governance and True Families” was held in the formal intimacy of the Council Chamber, City Hall, Port-of-Spain, capital of Trinidad, on January 15th, attended by more than 40 people, including the Ambassador of Costa Rica, the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of Port-of-Spain, several district councillors, as well as religious and social leaders.

The Mayor of Port-of-Spain, Mr. Murchison Brown, welcomed the audience in a short speech and the meeting was chaired by Brother Noble Khan (former senator). Prof. Hamish Robertson explained the life of the founder and the main ideas of the Universal Peace Federation, with special application to the situation in Trinidad and Tobago. A video on the UPF was shown. A panel of speakers representing the three major faiths of the country — Christian (Bishop Claude Arthur), Hindu (Pandit Bramdeo Maharaj) and Muslim (Brother Noble Khan) — was then moderated by Rev. Sterling Belgrove from the Rose Foundation. Several leaders of the Spiritual Baptists were also present in the audience.



The situation in Trinidad and Tobago favors religious and racial unity. The national anthem extols a land where “every creed and race find an equal place.”  However, the problems of family breakdown, crime and violence have reached alarming proportions. UPF is seen as being able to offer real solutions.


The following day, January 16th, representatives of the UPF joined with the Rose Foundation in nominating the village of Lopinot in the Northern Mountains of Trinidad as a World Peace Village. Mr. Farouk Khan, tourism officer of Lopinot, presided over the event. Lopinot combines elements of the French, Spanish, African, and Amerindian traditions. A Peace Pole was also presented to Lopinot village, which will be inscribed with the words “One Family under God” in eight different languages.  

Though a relatively small island nation, Trinidad and Tobago is like a microcosm representing the races and religions of the world. We hope that the benefits of racial and religious unity will also help to bring about a true family unity, which is the foundation of a crime-free society.