|
Dialogue between Muslim
and Christian worlds must: Kazakhstan president
By
Sarwar Kashani
Astana,
Oct 17 (IANS) The future of the world was at risk if measures
for peace and reconciliation between Muslims and Christians
were not taken immediately, Kazakhstan President Nursultan
Nazarbayev warned here Friday.
Kicking
off an international conference on 'Common World, Progress
Through Diversity', he stressed the need to jointly stave
off threats to world security due to terrorism and the apparent
discord between Muslims and other faiths.
The
summit is being held in a multi-storeyed pyramid shaped architectural
masterpiece called the Palace of Peace and Concord.
Nazarbayev
said in his address that some hotheads were predicting a "global
stand off between Islam and Christianity".
"The
message is being imposed that Muslims represent a threat to
Western civilisation or that the Christian world is driven
only by a blind desire to have neo-colonial revenge over Islamic
countries.
"These
insinuations should be condemned. I refer both to Islamophobia
and anti-Western sentiments. Today, it has become important
as never before to join our efforts in fighting attempts to
divide the humankind into friends and foes," he said.
Condemning
what he said were "mass media outrages" against
the feelings of followers of other religions, Nazarbayev warned
that "journalists involved in these practices will face
outrages against their own faith".
"That
is why, it is imperative to stave off the division of the
world along civilisational, cultural and religious lines and
unite in the face of common threats to humanity."
He
said no global problem could solved be without the engagement
of the Islamic world, which accounts for one-fourth of the
world population.
"Rapprochement
and trust between people can be achieved only on the basis
of mutual understanding and genuine respect for one another
rooted in true knowledge (about each others') values and beliefs."
He
underlined three "principles of understanding" for
the dialogue among different religions.
"First,
we should give up centuries-old stereotypes. Second, we should
consciously resist temptation to invade spheres sacred to
other people. Something that is sacred for one cannot be a
butt of jokes for another.
Third,
we should realise that there are threats that are common for
all cultures and civilisations. Not only terrorism but also
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, transnational
crime and environmental degradation."
He
said a "fateful denial of spirituality, a tradition that
has existed for thousand years - thanks to many religions
mainly Islam and Christianity, was even more dangerous".
Asserting
that the Astana conference was a tangible contribution to
the expansion of dialogue between cultures and civilisations,
Nazarbayev said: "Without dialogue our planet is threatened.
Dialogue and common sense should prevail over discord and
insanity."
Indo-Asian
News Service
Prabuddha
Bharata>>>
Vedanta
Kesari>>>
Vedanta
Mass Media>>>
|
