Interfaith
Leaders from around the world met in New York on Wednesday and Thursday as part of a United Nations interfaith meeting.
They sought to bridge the gap between faiths, particularly in an age of “extremists.”
In particular, attendants called for:
- Celebration of religious differences
- Peaceful means of addressing problems without resorting to violence
- A decade for interreligious dialogue (a resolution from Philippines’ President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo)
- More peace talks in Israel
- A culture of tolerance
Attendees included:
- President Bush
- Israeli President Shimon Peres
- Lebanese President Michel Suleiman
- Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Salam Fayyad
- Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai
- A spokesman for the pope
- Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Egypt, Mohammad Tantawy
- And more
President Karzai stated,
“Conflict did not stem from religion, but the pursuit of narrow political objectives by certain adherents of religions or political ideologies.”
Find more statements and information from this African newspaper.
Here’s an interesting example of religious cooperation…
The New York Times reported today that 60 religious leaders (from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) have signed a statement asking governmental leaders to negotiate with Iran. They’re calling for peace, not potential war.
The statement draws examples of peace from all three religions and various sacred scriptures. It’s a great example of the kinds of positive outcomes that can be accomplished when we allow various religions to find a line of understanding and common ground. Their hope is that the presidential candidates will also read these words and consider peace as they work out their own Middle East policies. To see the full text of the statement (with the same name as the title of this post), click here.