Transcript of the Talk given and Prayer for Peace made by Dr. Munawar Haque at the Opening of the Reflection Room at the Michigan Corporate Headquarters of Dialog Direct on August 22, 2019

Greetings of peace,

I am Munawar Haque – Imam of the mosque and Islamic Center known as the ‘American Muslim Diversity Association,’ (AMDA), located in the city of Sterling Heights. I feel truly blessed to be amid the proud members of the ‘Dialog Direct’ team who have gathered here to celebrate the grand opening of their newly established Reflection Room.

Working in the corporate world often entails demanding responsibilities and obligations that at times become overwhelming and may often lead to stress and anxiety. It is claimed that stress may easily be the single greatest contributor to illness in the industrialized world. For an organization, to pay attention to stress reduction of its employees is not simply a nice thing to do; it will likely result in the single greatest cost savings to that organization.

The Reflection Room provides a quiet, inclusive and welcoming space where people can relax and relieve their stress. They can pray, meditate, reflect, or practice other forms of mindfulness based on their own beliefs. There is no one who does not need to lift up the heaviness that is placed at times upon his or her heart, mind, body and soul. Establishing a quiet place for employees to go to privately handle stress, grief, or to simply be silent for a moment not only pays immediate dividends in improved morale, but also brings about long range potential reductions in health care costs, absenteeism, apathy, frustration, and more.

The Reflection Room can also be another answer to that long searching question regarding embracing inclusion in the workplace. As the diversity of employee populations continue to grow, our responsibility to provide an open and accepting workplace also continues to grow. Visitors to the Reflection Room celebrate their differences, knowing that a culture of inclusivity and peaceful co-existence will strengthen their institution. That is why more and more HR professionals are committing themselves to make stress relief for their organizations a priority.

Let us pray for peace at our workplace, our homes, our communities, our societies, and for the entire world. O Lord of the worlds! We lean toward Your trust and mercy that You keep our minds and hearts at peace. Allow us to be able to come to work in peace and not feel ashamed, hurt, embarrassed or worried. Please brush away our weariness, binging clarity, reassurance and calmness; bringing hope, understanding and kindness; bringing comfort, healing and care,
so that we may be inspired in our work. Keep our minds clear and focused on all that we need to achieve, and grant us the wisdom to overcome difficulties and find solutions. Fill this office with inspiration and energy. Help the ‘Dialog Direct’ employees to work as a team and bring out the best in each one of them.

We thank you O Lord for the gifts you have blessed us with. We thank You for the skills and abilities that You have given us. We commit to using them responsibly in Your honor. Give us a fresh supply of strength to do our job. Bless our projects, ideas, and energy so that even our smallest accomplishment may bring You glory. O Almighty God! When we are confused guide us; when we are tired, energize us; and when we are totally burned out, strengthen us. And Lord, even in the most stressful moments, help us find rest in You.

We pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding on to what we believe to be right. May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred.

We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence, oppression, and injustice. Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we and all men and women were created.

Thanks to the effort of so many and the Hand of God, this Reflection Room, God-willing will serve as a space of peace, refuge, and inspiration to many.

May the work that we do and the way we do it bring faith, joy, and smile to all that we come in contact with today and every day. May everything we do bring hope, life, and encouragement to those around us. May our work place be full of fun and friendship, and may relaxation and harmony inhabit this space, bringing light, laughter and rejoicing. Amen.

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