I thought you might like to know how World Interfaith Harmony Week went at the UN. I also want to thank everyone who did something special, held a CC meeting or observed the Week with prayers.
Prior to the meeting, Religious NGO members were asked to submit quotes from their tradition that address the "other". I printed them out on colored paper and them on display along the walls for the breakfast. One of quotes did not make it on the wall, so I am sharing it now to give you the idea of what was posted. “All human beings regardless of religion, race, national origin, color, creed, or gender – are living icons of God, innately worthy of such respect and dignity.” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
The morning went very well. We had about 100 people attend the event. The speeches were short and to the point. They we less than 30 minutes, so people could enjoy the food and company. There was a Welcome from Commissioner Christine MacMillian, Director of The Salvation Army Social Justice Commission. I welcomed people and was the MC. Rev. Deborah Moldow gave an opening with a Minute of Silence to set the tone. USG Akasaka shared some of the SG's message for the Week and mentioned the importance of human rights in Interfaith Harmony and how interfaith harmony helps build a culture of peace.
Click here for photos.
HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al Hussein opened his time by joking about the length of his name. He went on to say that the real purpose of the resolution is to go beyond the social gatherings and reach out to congregations and places of worship to encourage them to site passages from their own traditions to acknowledge the "others" as a way of breaking down stereotypes. He shared that the resolution emphasizes the terms "love of God and love of neighbor or love of the good and love of neighbor." Since Feb already holds Valentine's Day, it seemed like a good month to include this resolution that encourages love!
Marc Scheuer, Director of the Alliance of Civilizations shared how the Alliance is dedicated to Interfaith cooperation and how UN High Representative for the Alliance, President Jorge Sampaio supports World Interfaith Harmony Week. Stephen Hanmer from UNICEF shared the importance of Faith based organizations in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. He also shared that spiritual well being for the child is mentioned four times in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Dr. Azza Karam from UNFPA spoke about the importance of UNFPA working with faith based organizations. She was also grateful to be with us as a past president of the Committee of Religious NGOs and as a person from Egypt.
I was able to share the story I got from the URI list serve that told how Christians were protecting Muslims at prayer during the demonstrations in Egypt. I was also able to encourage communities of faith to recognize what they are already doing to build Interfaith Harmony.
May Peace Prevail on Earth,
Monica
