Senior Religious Leaders Take Action to Build Peace in Middle East,
Strengthen Muslim-Christian Dialogue, and Call for Participatory Governance in Burma
-Middle Eastern religious leaders of different faiths to form multi-faith
Religions for Peace council to advance peace process-
(NEW YORK, 7 December 2007)-The Executive Committee of the Religions for Peace World Council-senior religious leaders representing all major faith traditions-meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, announced new multi-faith initiatives to address the world's most urgent issues.
The religious leaders endorsed the just-announced Religions for Peace multi-religious Middle East Council of Religious Leaders and the recently formed Religions for Peace Inter-religious Council-Palestine; offered Religions for Peace as a facilitator of the highly sensitive global Muslim-Christian dialogue; and continued its call for constructive dialogue and participatory governance in Burma, offering its service to the Government of Myanmar to assist in building a just peace. Religions for Peace is the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition.
"Through common action on three critical issues-common living in the Holy Land, Muslim-Christian dialogue, and the peaceful aspirations of the Burmese people for participatory governance-the world's faith communities are exercising moral leadership," said Dr. William F. Vendley, the Religions for Peace Secretary General.
Twelve members of the Religions for Peace Executive Committee forged consensus on profoundly relevant global issues at their year-end meeting on 5-6 December at the Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt.
"The actions taken by such diverse religious leaders demonstrate the power and relevance of multi-faith cooperation to address the most serious issues of the global community," said V. Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, Moderator of Religions for Peace.
The Executive Committee released three official public statements regarding the Middle East, Muslim-Christian relations, and Burma; below are excerpts. [Full texts are attached.]
Middle East
"New initiatives are now being taken to build peace in the Middle East. Concrete solutions to the issues of the borders of a future Palestinian State, the future of Jerusalem and the rights of return of Palestinians can and must be achieved."
"We, the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace, urge the Palestinian and Israeli political leaders to take bold steps to advance a just and durable peace," the first statement said. "We also urge that other states-those in the region and those assisting in the peace process, notably the United States-redouble their efforts to support a practical and principled peace process."
"While a political solution depends on a just resolution of the legitimate political aspirations of Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land," the first statement continued, "we, as religious leaders, also know that true peace and reconciliation will require the active participation of the religious communities."
"We are grateful ... for the recent establishment of the Religions for Peace Inter-religious Council in Palestine," the first statement concluded. "We are further deeply heartened by the commitment of religious leaders to establish a Religions for Peace Middle East Council of Religious Leaders, designed to facilitate multi-religious cooperation for peace across the region. We stand in solidarity with these multi-religious mechanisms and commit ourselves to help to support and strengthen them to take concrete action to build peace."
Muslim-Christian Dialogue
"The Executive Committee of Religions for Peace, meeting in Alexandria on 5-6 December, 2007, welcomes the open letter to Christian leaders, ‘A Common Word Between You and Us,' issued on 11 October 2007 by 138 Muslim leaders," the second statement said. "The letter comes at a crucial time for Christian-Muslim relations and represents a positive and constructive spirit."
"The Muslim leaders' letter ... explores the scriptures that are holy to Islam and Christianity, in order to emphasise similarities in the understanding of love for God and love for fellow human beings," the statement said. "These convictions inspire values that are also deeply held and widely shared by many other great religious traditions: the responsibility to care for all people and to work for peace, justice, righteousness and protection of the environment. While our faiths remain genuinely diverse, a coalition of cooperation can and should be built on this convergence of moral commitment."
"Mindful that Christian and Muslim leaders are the primary subjects of the dialogue called for in the letter, the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace offers itself as a facilitator of processes which build on the letter and the responses to it and which further enhance dialogue and common action."
Burma
"We view with hope the engagement by the government of Myanmar with the United Nations Secretary General's Special Advisor to Myanmar, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, and with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the National League for Democracy," the third statement said. "These preliminary steps, however, must become sustained engagement for peace."
"We urge the United Nations and regional mechanisms, such as ASEAN, to use all tools at their disposal to encourage meaningful, peaceful dialogue between the government and all sectors of society in Burma."
"We, the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace, offer our good offices to assist these organizations and the government of Myanmar in taking the steps needed to achieve a just peace," the statement concluded.
On 19 November 2007, a multi-religious delegation from Religions for Peace delivered to the ASEAN Chair in Singapore more than 3,000 messages of support for the Buddhist monks of Burma from people of different faiths in almost a hundred countries.
Religions for Peace is the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition advancing common action for peace since 1970. Headquartered in New York and accredited to the United Nations, Religions for Peace works through affiliated inter-religious councils in 70 countries in six continents.
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Religions for Peace Executive Committee Statement on Building Peace in the Middle East
Alexandria, Egypt | 6 December 2007
New initiatives are now being taken to build peace in the Middle East. Concrete solutions to the issues of the borders of a future Palestinian State, the future of Jerusalem and the rights of return of Palestinians can and must be achieved.
We, the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace, urge the Palestinian and Israeli political leaders to take bold steps to advance a just and durable peace. We also urge that other states-those in the region and those assisting in the peace process, notably the United States-redouble their efforts to support a practical and principled peace process.
Taking the political steps necessary to build peace will require great courage and political will of Israelis and Palestinians. This courage and will exists, but demands every support and encouragement. As the senior religious leaders of the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land noted recently: "Palestinians yearn for the end to occupation and for what they see as their inalienable rights. Israelis long for the day when they can live in personal and national security." "Together"-they noted-"we must find ways of reaching these goals."
Today, both communities must take steps to break cycles of violence and offer tangible expressions of good will designed to build confidence. We urge the Israeli and Palestinian governments and peoples to withstand any violent attempts of extremists to hijack the peace process and to summon the great courage necessary to build confidence. We note with appreciation the many grassroots efforts in this regard.
While a political solution depends on a just resolution of the legitimate political aspirations of Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land, we, as religious leaders, also know that true peace and reconciliation will require the active participation of the religious communities. Jewish, Christian and Islamic believers are profoundly attached to the Holy Land. The spiritual heritages of these communities have shaped the history of the Holy Land and their living faith is itself an irreplaceable force for advancing a just peace and reconciling communities deeply injured by decades of violent conflict.
We stand in full solidarity with the courageous and heartening signs of cooperation among the religious communities in the Holy Land. Concretely, the religious leaders there have identified respect for holy sites to be among their highest priorities. They are united in the conviction that all-political leaders and the diverse religious communities-must take active steps to ensure the integrity and independence of places of worship and protect them against acts of desecration, aggression or harm. The religious leaders are particularly committed to ensuring that their own holy sites are not misused for purposes that are opposed to the peaceful aspirations of their religious traditions. We pledge to support them in their related initiatives.
Confident that cooperation among the religions in the Holy Land is a unique and irreplaceable key to building peace, we call on relevant governments and those responsible for the political peace process to recognize the importance of interreligious initiatives and to engage them appropriately. At the same time, we urge that the religious leaders in the Holy Land intensify their efforts to facilitate communication and cooperation among their communities designed to build understanding and confidence, relief from suffering and the healing of deep injuries.
In this regard, we note with special appreciation the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. We are grateful for the multi-religious efforts in Israel-including our Religions for Peace affiliate there, the Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel-and for the recent establishment of the Religions for Peace Inter-religious Council in Palestine. We are further deeply heartened by the commitment of religious leaders to establish a Religions for Peace Middle East Council of Religious Leader, designed to facilitate multi-religious cooperation for peace across the region. We stand in solidarity with these multi-religious mechanisms and commit ourselves to help to support and strengthen them to take concrete action to build peace.
On the global level, as leaders of the world's largest and most representative coalition of religious leaders who work together for peace, we commit ourselves-as a sign of solidarity-to accept the invitation of our religious colleagues in the Holy Land to meet as an Executive Committee at the earliest convenient time in Jerusalem, the city considered holy by three great religious traditions.
(End of Statement.)
Religions for Peace Executive Committee Statement
on the Muslim Leaders' letter of 11 October 2007
Alexandria, Egypt | 6 December 2007
The Executive Committee of Religions for Peace, meeting in Alexandria on 5-6 December, 2007, welcomes the open letter to Christian leaders, "A Common Word Between You and Us", issued on 11 October 2007 by 138 Muslim leaders. The letter comes at a crucial time for Christian-Muslim relations and represents a positive and constructive spirit.
The Executive Committee acknowledges that the signatories of the letter represent all parts of the world and every major tradition within Islam. Among them are many senior religious leaders and respected scholars. Together they offer a valuable opportunity for deepened understanding between Christians and Muslims.
The Executive Committee also welcomes the many positive responses to the letter which have come from various Christian leaders, ecumenical bodies and institutions of Christian theological scholarship. Responses indicate that the dialogue has been brought forward, and this should continue through further explorations of the letter, the responses to it and further study of its core content: the love for God and the love for fellow human beings. It is our hope that such explorations will also lead to common expressions of service to humankind.
The Muslim leaders' letter is theological in nature. It explores the scriptures that are holy to Islam and Christianity, in order to emphasise similarities in the understanding of love for God and love for fellow human beings. These convictions inspire values that are also deeply held and widely shared by many other great religious traditions: the responsibility to care for all people and to work for peace, justice, righteousness and protection of the environment. While our faiths remain genuinely diverse, a coalition of cooperation can and should be built on this convergence of moral commitment.
Interreligious dialogue is brought forward when we, religious people, become conscious of the values and commitment we share. At the same time dialogue also needs to address in openness and honesty the issues on which we disagree and even those that can be the cause of conflict among us. When we explore these issues we also need to understand how and why religions can be misused to further conflict and even violence. We commit ourselves to clearly speak out against such misguided use of our own religious traditions.
Mindful that Christian and Muslim leaders are the primary subjects of the dialogue called for in the letter, the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace offers itself as a facilitator of processes which build on the letter and the responses to it and which further enhance dialogue and common action.
The Executive Committee also encourages Muslim and Christian leaders to ensure that the letter is made known to the faithful of churches and mosques throughout the world.
(End of Statement.)
Religions for Peace Executive Committee Statement
on Peaceful Dialogue and Participatory Governance in Burma
Alexandria, Egypt | 6 December 2007
The global Religions for Peace family is united by the belief that any act against the religious communities under the government of Myanmar is an act against all of the world's faith communities. We note with appreciation the 25 September 2007 statement of the Religions for Peace Secretary General, Dr. William F. Vendley, calling for "the world's religious communities of all faiths to stand with the Buddhist monks in their peaceful protest."
We view with hope the engagement by the government of Myanmar with the United Nations Secretary General's Special Advisor to Myanmar, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, and with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the National League for Democracy. These preliminary steps, however, must become sustained engagement for peace.
We urge the government of Myanmar to:
- Engage in peaceful dialogue with all parties to promote participatory governance;
- Utilize facilitation and mediation expertise and resources of the United Nations, ASEAN and other relevant international and regional organizations, in the advancement of peaceful dialogue and participatory governance;
- Refrain from the use of force in response to any peaceful protest;
- Allow the United Nations and ICRC representatives full and unfettered access to detention facilities, and release still detained protesters and political prisoners.
We urge the United Nations and regional mechanisms, such as ASEAN, to use all tools at their disposal to encourage meaningful, peaceful dialogue between the government and all sectors of society in Burma.
We, the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace, offer our good offices to assist these organizations and the government of Myanmar in taking the steps needed to achieve a just peace.
(End of Statement.)
