Asia

“We have 9/11 every day in Pakistan,” said Fr. James Channan, Regional Coordinator for the United Religions Initiative (URI) in Pakistan, speaking on “Interfaith in Pakistan” at the Chapel at Croton Falls on Sunday, July 10, 2011. He explained that more than 35,000 people in his country have been killed by terrorists, making ordinary life very unsafe. There are now guards outside of mosques and churches. And it was a particular shock when Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who had been appointed Federal Minister for Minorities, was assassinated in March 2011 for his stance on the blasphemy laws often used as an excuse for persecution. Fr. Channan believes that ignorance is the root cause of terrorism and thus education is the real key to a brighter future.

“We are creating religious harmony and peace through education in a slum where there was no concept of education,” said Yuel Bhatti, a founder of ABC4All Pakistan Cooperation Circle and school principal. “We are trying hard to motivate the community that education is the only way towards peace and love for humanity.”

For the past four years, URI Korea has organized a Youth Leadership Peace Camp in partnership with the Korea Ministry of Culture and Tourism. This year the Peace Camp took place June 24-26 in Seoul. Dr. Abraham Karickam and Dr. Hira Paul Gagnegi, URI Coordinators from India, and Father James Channan, URI Coordinator from Pakistan, who are members of the URI Asia Executive Council, joined the Ven. Dr. Jinwol Lee and the young adults attending the Peace Camp this year. In addition to sharing their perspectives on interfaith work, they joined in youth activities and took this opportunity to develop plans and programs to sustain and develop URI across the Asia region.

Sixty one years ago on this day (June 25th, 1950), the Korean war erupted, which lasted for three years, causing much destruction and painful division. UN army comprising soldiers from 16 nations fought the battle, which was very rare. 10 million people had to part, for no reasons and still those millions long for a family re-union. Yes, today is the Korean commemoration day and we, the URI youth Camp family visited the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) to offer prayers for peace, with hundreds who flocked there with the same intent.

Greetings of peace and love on the celebration of URI's 11th birthday of the URI Charter signing on June 26, 2011. In the past 11 years, URI has made outstanding acheivements towards the goal and vision of URI's Preamble, Purpose and Principles. Many congratulations to all of you and URI family. To download this card and share, go to www.uripakistan.org 

With blessings and prayers in coming years.
Yuel Bhatti

Ranchi Cooperation Circle members gathered for two events to protest the death and imprisonment of local social activists in the state of Jharkhand, a very high-alert Maoist active state.

On the occasion of the 112th Birth Day of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the National Poet of Bangladesh, the Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue of the Department of World Religions and Culture of Dhaka University held a seminar on “Kazi Nazrul Islam and Interfaith Harmony” on May 25, 2011.

In a land where, because of what you believe about God you might be blown to bits by a bomb or beaten to death by a mob, "peace, tolerance, harmony" are muscular, risky and dangerous words. This is the kind of life that URI's Father James Channan lives, and this is at the core of URI's agenda in Pakistan.