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Religious leaders seek ways to tackle violence  | November 27, 2007

AMRITSAR • Leaders of key faiths met in the holy Indian city of Amritsar yesterday seeking ways to break the bitter cycle of sectarian violence, the organisers said.

The third meeting of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders, a group founded in 1996 to promote inter-faith dialogue, brings together prominent Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists in a five day-forum to “share wisdom” on how to avoid conflicts, said Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein.

The backdrop of religious-related violence was a constant reminder for the leaders that a process is needed to help people work out bitter disputes, such as sect clashes among Muslims, Buddhist monks protesting the junta in Myanmar or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Goshen-Gottstein said.

“The main goal is to consolidate the gains of previous conferences and find a strategy to develop a broad educational curricula,” he added. Previous conferences were held in Spain in 2003 and Taiwan in 2005.

Speakers include the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Chinese-controlled Tibet who has lived in exile in India since 1959.

“Leaders like the Dalai Lama will debate what is possible or appropriate in sharing wisdom across faiths and even the question of whether we should,” said Simon Cohen, a spokesman for the event and managing director of Britain-based Global Tolerance.

“One thing that all agree on is the concept of giving and receiving love and forgiveness. We want to bring that into the real world,” he said.

Other participants include Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo of India, Chief Rabbi Joseph Azran of Israel and religious scholar Adamou Ndam Njoya of Cameroon.

Posted by admin at November 27, 2007 04:25 AM


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