[APWW-Meet] UN Invited to Create Interfaith Council

[Roberto Savio <soros@other-net.info>]

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UN Invited to Create Interfaith Council=20


By Tito Drago

MADRID, Jul 21 (IPS) - The participants at the World Conference on =
Dialogue in Madrid have proposed that the United Nations create an =
interreligious council.

The Jul. 16-18 conference, which was attended by 250 people representing =
Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other faiths, was =
opened on Jul. 16 by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Juan Carlos =
of Spain.=20

"Social dialogue should be not only interreligious but intra-religious =
as well, to achieve peaceful coexistence in the world," Federico Mayor =
Zaragoza, head of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace and chair of the =
Board of Directors of the international news agency IPS (Inter Press =
Service) said in his speech to the conference.=20

A working team to seek peace and international concord was established, =
and it was agreed to foment cooperation between religious, cultural, =
educational and media organisations "to confront sexual promiscuity, =
family disintegration and other vices."=20

It was also agreed to organise conferences, symposia, research and =
information programmes "to disseminate a culture of peace, understanding =
and coexistence," and to promote dialogue among followers of all =
religions.=20

The final document called on "the United Nations General Assembly to =
support the results reached by this conference, and make use of them to =
enhance dialogue among the followers of religions, civilisations and =
cultures, through conducting a special U.N. session on dialogue."=20

In his address, Mayor Zaragoza said that a terrible mistake had been =
made "when the values of humanity were exchanged for the laws of the =
market," and that to overcome the problem thus created, people must live =
by sharing, including knowledge about others.=20

"If we accept the equal dignity of every human being, if we accept the =
other as an equal, whatever his or her sex, race or ideology, the =
problems we face are resolved," he said.=20

"To achieve these goals, we need political will and the commitment of =
the media, because mutual understanding and knowledge, conciliation and =
reconciliation is the only way," he concluded.=20

The Conference was organised by the Muslim World League, a civil society =
organisation based in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, which represents =
the peoples of Muslim nations and minorities of Muslim faith in other =
countries, and has 40 delegations on five continents.=20

The assistant director of the Buddhist Association of China, Xue Cheng, =
said that "all beliefs are based on a common value, which is life in =
harmony with others." Because of this, the major problems of our time, =
such as wars, overpopulation and environmental degradation, should be =
confronted with a common global ethic.=20

Rabbi Claudio Epelman, head of the Latin American Jewish Congress, said =
that God created fish, birds and plants, but only one human being.=20

A Christian Arab priest, Econos Nabbel Haddad, head of the Jordanian =
Centre for Religious Coexistence, proposed the propagation of a =
religious culture based on tolerance, for which the only path is to =
"know one's neighbour" through culture and cultural exchange.=20

Haddad stressed that "the media play a crucial role, reinforcing =
communication with our neighbours."=20

The need for global dialogue was emphasised by Nichiko Niwano, head of =
the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, =
who said that "the world's peoples travel in a single vehicle, the =
Earth."=20

This vehicle suffers from global problems such as armed conflicts or =
climate change, which cannot be combated by any one country, so =
interfaith dialogue is imperative, he argued.=20

All religions are simply the same thing expressed in different ways, =
Niwano said.=20

Lawmaker Jos=E9 de Venecia, former head of the lower house of Congress =
of the Philippines, quoted the words of Catholic theologian and priest =
Hans K=FCng: There will be "no peace among the nations without peace =
among the religions, and no peace among the religions without common =
ethical standards."=20

In de Venecia's view, the global ethic "is not a substitute for any =
faith." Many conflicts which appear to be religious in nature are really =
"political and sectarian," like those affecting the island of Mindanao =
in his country, and Thailand, Palestine, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, =
Lebanon, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia.=20

It was de Venecia who proposed the creation of an interfaith council =
within the United Nations, and he asked King Abdullah and King Juan =
Carlos to support the initiative.=20

Redwan Naef Al-Sayyed, the chairman of the International Institute of =
Islamic Studies, proposed "drafting a foundational document for the =
creation of a secretariat to lay the foundations of an institution that =
will be a positive factor in the search for common denominators and a =
new global consciousness," a suggestion that was accepted.=20

At the conference, which was overwhelmingly dominated by men, a round =
table discussion was held on the position of women in religions, led by =
Spanish theologian Margarita Pinto.=20

One of the participants, Spanish theologian Juan Jos=E9 Tamayo, told IPS =
that women must recover the prominence that "without any doubt" they had =
had in the origin of all religions.=20

In spite of their historical role, "women have been largely marginalised =
and forgotten by all religions, since these are organised in patriarchal =
and hierarchical ways, excluding women from religious knowledge and =
tasks," said Tamayo. (END/2008)=20



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