United Nations, April 23
As sectarian violence
tears apart societies and atrocities are promoted in the name of faith,
religious leaders gathered here for a high-level meeting on tolerance
and countering extremism raised their voice for reconciliation and peace
through education.
"Buildng a peaceful and inclusive society"
requires "respecting each and every religion and honoring each and every
faith," said Sri Sugunendra Theertha, the head of the Udipi Shree
Puthige Matha.
He was one of the speakers Wednesday at a
High-level Thematic Debate on "Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation:
Fostering Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Violent
Extremism" that was convened by General Assembly President Sam Kutesa.
He
said Hindu philosophers and teachers over the millennia have taught
people to respect other religions and this attitude was needed to bring
peace.
He recounted the experience of Acharaya Madhava, the 13th
century founder of the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy to whom his
Matha, or seat of religious learning, traces its lineage. On a
pilgrimage to the north of India, Madhava was confronted by the army of a
king "of another faith," he said. Madhava went up to him respectfully
and held a dialogue with him. The king was touched by this action of
peace and openess and gave him a share of his kingdom, Sugunendra
Theertha said.
In dealing with extremism, he said, a baffling
problem was that "using violence to counter violence results in more
violence and aggression. Instead, he said, "education was a peaceful
weapon" to counter extremism.
He suggested that all schools
should teach the Bible, the Koran, the Granth and the Vedas. "Act like a
bee, which collects honey from all flowers," he said. "Collect the best
from all religions and distribute love and peace."
Bhai Mohinder
Singh Ahluwalia, the chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha in
Birmingham, Britain, spoke of the need for reconciliation in a time of
sectarian strife.
"Reconciliation is inextricably linked to compassion and forgiveness for ensuring sustainable peace," Ahluwalia said.
Some
people were quoting isolated passages from religious texts to promote
extremism in the name of faith, he said. To counter this, religious
scholars need to work to clear misquotations of religious texts for
extremism, he said.
"It is only throgh empowering the mind of the
individual through good values and virtues is it possible to foster a
peaceful and inclusive society," he said.
Speaking at Wednesday's session, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said, "Religion does not cause violence; people do."
"Violent
extremism is not a North-South or East-West issue," he said. "It is
not confined to a particular region or religion. It transcends borders
and exists across the world."
To counter the attraction of
extremism to young people, Ban said, "We must show them another way, a
better way. That includes working to end poverty, inequality and lack of
opportunity".
(Arul Louis can be contacted at [email protected])
