Muslim social worker & philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi wins top UN prize for tolerance and non-violence

UNITED NATIONS: Abdul Sattar Edhi of Pakistan and a Belgian human rights defender were Tuesday awarded a prestigious United Nations prize for their work in promoting tolerance and non-violence.

Edhi, the philanthropist, and Franois Houtart of Belgium were awarded the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Madanjeet Singh Prize on the unanimous recommendation of an international jury to UNESCO Director-General Koochiro Matsuura, according to an announcement in Paris.

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Dedicated to advancing tolerance in the arts, education, culture, science and communications, the prize was created in 1995 on the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, with the help of Indian writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, who is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. It is awarded every two years to individuals or institutions for outstanding contributions towards its goals.

Edhi, one of the most active philanthropists in Pakistan through his Edhi Foundation, a non-profit social welfare programme with over 300 centres, received the accolade for life-long efforts to improve the conditions of the most disadvantaged groups in Pakistan and South Asia, and promote human dignity, human rights, mutual respect and tolerance, according to UNESCO press release.

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First Muslim Congressman Excels in Foreign Outreach

Salam/Peace:

The first Muslim member of the U.S. Congress has become a de facto American emissary, meeting with foreign policy makers both here and abroad to preach peace and democracy.

Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat, had already developed an international reputation when he took his oath of office on the Quran last year. In his first term in office, he has built on that with congressional trips, State Department functions and internationally themed town hall meetings in his district.

"Peace is a key component of what I'm here to do," he said in a recent interview. "The overarching idea is that the world is safer if America has more friends, more understanding, more basis for communication.

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,411781,00.html