MANSEHRA: Speakers at an international conference have called upon the Muslims to follow the teachings of Islam and life of Syed Ahmad Shaheed who had laid down his life while fighting against the injustices and brutalities of Sikh government meted out to the Muslims and followers of other faiths.

`I see deterioration in the conduct of Muslims and all this is happening as we have left our Islamic system which gives equal rights and dispensation of justice to everyone without discrimination of religion, caste, creed and status,` said Dr Mohammad Ashraf Adeel, professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania in America, while speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day conference at the Hazara University on Wednesday.The conference titled `The role of Syed Ahmad Shaheed as a pioneer of Jihad Movement, preacher and reformer for the Muslims of subcontinent,` is being organised by the Hazara Chair at the Hazara University.

Scholars and researchers from the country and abroad presented their documents on the life of Syed Ahmad Shaheed and Islamic system of justice, citing the current rulers in the Muslim Ummah as one of the major reason for the downfall of Muslims.

Mr Adeel said that the Muslims should follow the Islamic justice system if they wanted their supremacy and dignity back.

He referred to the futile efforts of Muslim movements during the past 400 years which he said did not yield productive results.

`The cause of this failure is extremism and violation of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),` he said and urged the Ummah to adopt moderation and true system of justice which was practiced during the lifetime of the Prophet and later in the caliphate era.

Mr Adeel said that the Muslims should revive their culture which might pave the way for their success to face the contempo-rary challenges.

Dr Manzoor Hussain Shah, focal person of the conference, paid tribute to Syed Ahmad Shaheed for his sacrifices for the noble cause of rescuing Muslims of northern India from the barbarism and cruelty of the Sikhs, Hindus and exploitative forces of the British Raj.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Israr and Prof Habib Ahmad appreciated holding of such conferences and asked the Hazara Chair to make such this conference an annual feature for creating awareness among the youth here to set the things in the original historic perspective.

Ivon Cormmady from Ireland University, Mr Minhaj from Hong Kong University, and Khalil Tukat from Istanbul University, Turkey, would present their documents in the next session scheduled for Thursday (today).

Maulana Qazi Khalil, prayer leader of Syed Ahmad Shaheed Mosque in Balakot proposed that the Hazara University should be named af ter the great reformer and preacher.

Maulana Rehman said that the life of Syed Ahmad Shaheed was a role model for not only the Muslims but also for the followers of other religions as he stood against the injustices and atrocities of a government.