By Lesroy W. Williams
Observer Reporter
(Basseterre, St. Kitts) – The University of the West Indies hosted a service of celebration to mark 60 years since its founding.
The service took the form of an interfaith service and had as its theme, “Unity in Diversity: Building Bridges, Harnessing Hope, Strengthening the Ties That Bind Us.”
The event was held April 20 at the Ocean Terrace Inn Conference Room, Fortlands.
Representatives from Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Rastafarianism, Baha’i and Assemblies of Yahweh shared perspectives on their faiths and highlighted that even though there are differences to be found among the various faiths, there are commonalities that unite them. The service began with the drumming of the Rastafari and ended with Bob Marley’s “One Love.” The service was punctuated with songs, chants, prayers, dance, readings and religious presentations.
Ms. Darlene Hodge, from the Baha’i faith, in her presentation said that the Baha’i Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent religions. Its founder, Baha’u’llah (1817-1892), is regarded by Baha’i as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad. The central theme of Baha’u’llah’s message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society.
Fr. Bernard Latus, S.V.D., gave the Christian perspective. He said that the Christian religion was founded two thousand years ago on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew who for Christians is the Messiah, the Anointed One. The major divisions of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. The sacred writing of Christianity is the Holy Bible which contains the Old Testament: sacred scripture of the Jews and Christians and particularly the New Testament—the original Christian sacred writings. Christians are obliged to live by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the apostles contained in the New Testament.
Mr. S Joshi in his perspective of Hinduism said that Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is the world’s oldest major religion that is still practiced. Its earliest origins can be traced to the ancient Vedic civilization. A conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, Hinduism has no single founder. It is the world’s third largest religion following Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal. Other countries with large Hindu populations include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and Canada.
Elder Calvin Jenkins of the Assemblies of Yahweh in his presentation said that they believe that the personal revealed name of the Heavenly Father is YAHWEH and the name of His Son is YASHUA. These names according to him are important for salvation. He said that Assemblies of Yahweh believe in keeping the commandments of Almighty Yahweh including the dietary laws of Leviticus 11, the weekly Sabbath, New Moon and Annual Feast Days of Leviticus 23 which sums up the plan of salvation and the redemption for mankind.
Mr. Abdul-Karim Ahmed from the Muslim community said that Islam is built upon five major pillars. One, The Testimony of Faith, which involves belief in Oneness of God (Allah); belief in His angels; belief in Scriptures; belief in His Messengers; belief in the Day of Judgment and belief in Destiny – either good or bad. Two, Salat, which is the observance of the prescribed five daily prayers. Three, giving Zalat, which is giving 2.5 percent of what remains of one’s wealth every year to charity, after all personal debts and obligations, have been deducted. Four, fasting during the month of Ramadan from dawn to dusk. Fasting involves avoiding food, drink, sex and all forms of ‘forbidden’ acts. Five, Pilgrimage to Mecca: The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is a once in a lifetime obligation for those who are physically and financially able to perform it.
The University of the West Indies was founded in 1948 with 33 students from across the Caribbean. The U.W.I. has evolved into the region’s flagship institution of higher learning today serving more than 15 Caribbean countries.
In an excerpt from “The University of the West Indies: A Caribbean response to the challenge of change” by Phillip Sherlock and Rex Nettleford wrote: “The founding of the University, like the founding of the West Indian nations, was a product of the positive response of the West Indian people to the challenge of change and deprivation. Encouragement, advice, funding came from the colonial authorities and from Britain but only because of the intellectual quality of the people, their character and capacity of political leadership, and these were the products of the quality of the people themselves. The sons and daughters of the West Indian people, inheritors of a tradition of greatness, will create a great university. This is the faith as we begin the story of the founding and growth of the University of the West Indies.”
Professor E. Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor and Chair, U.W.I. 60th Anniversary Central Planning Committee spoke at the celebration.
“We have thousands of iconic lecturers and graduates who have lived our University’s Mission,” Prof. Harris said. “They have created intellectual bridges to the wider Caribbean Region and global arena. . . We will continue to produce graduates who are critical thinkers, reflective and yet proactive, committed to life long learning and inbred with a sense of good citizenship and ethical behavior.”
The University of the West Indies has three main campuses, Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Cave Hill in Barbados. There are also U.W.I. centers in 12 countries.
