Despite months of lockdown, New Zealand religious leaders and youths from various religions participated in the ‘Online Religious Youth Peace Camp’ to resolve conflicts caused by cultural and religious misunderstandings.

The camp was held online, by the New Zealand branch of an international peace organization named HWPL on December 11. Although the first time held in New Zealand, HWPL's religious peace camp has been held 36 times in 23 countries so far, including Finland and India, through branches of each country.

HWPL Religious Peace Camp aims to create a venue for citizens around the world to experience different religions, allowing to encounter inter-religious conflicts and disputes and find solutions.

During the event, Sikhs, Muslims, and Christian leaders working mainly in Auckland and Wellington, gave presentations on ways to achieve peace from a religious point of view. followed by discussions with young people on how to understand and respect between religions and how to communicate peacefully.

One of the religious leaders who attended the event, Imam Mustenser Qamar, of the Wellington Ahmadiyya Muslim community, said, "If we understand each other better we can work together on our commonalities - one of the principles of the Holy Quran that we should get together on what is common between us, and working together is the way forward. Although we may come from different faiths, we should understand each other's perspectives. Hopefully this event will break down barriers and lay those foundations."

Regarding the event, host said, "New Zealand has become an increasingly multicultural in recent years. Through our work with youth from various cultures and religions, we have heard their stories how they experienced cultural and religious misunderstandings firsthand.”

"They said that the shooting at two mosques in Christchurch in 2019 is a prime example. We hope that the participants will have time to understand and communicate with various religions and cultures, and to think about the causes and solutions of religious conflicts through the program.", she added.

Meanwhile, HWPL New Zealand held a workshop with IPYG, an youth-centered peace affiliate group of HWPL, to discuss solutions regarding our youth’s mental health in August.

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