Manila hosts Asian interfaith dialogue

First came religions, and with them fundamentalists. Many heroes of ancient and medieval history crusaded against each other and, like today’s extremists, pillaged in the name of God, until the great caliphates and holy empires fell. Then came nations, and their share of jingoists. New heroes rose by world wars in the name of race supremacy, until democracy tamed much of the intolerant urge for conquest. Inevitably, though, religionist and nationalist fervor combined to produce new fanatics. From them resulted the partitions of continents, hatred between tribes, ethnic cleansing of small countries, power grabs by religious parties, and, most prominent, atrocities by the al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf. Still more champions came to be revered for their capacity for violence.

From the accounts little mention is made of peacemakers. Fortunately they have not quit trying, whether or not they be called children of God.

Tomorrow leaders of major religions and nations will start in Manila a four-day interfaith dialogue. Assembled by the Christian Democrat International, it will focus on Asia-Pacific. Timely, due to the region’s need for respite from politico-religious strife. The discourse will seek to isolate groups that advocate terror and heal schisms within and between Muslims, Shiites, Sunnis, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs.

Among the delegation heads are: Abdullah bin Abdulmohsin of Saudi Arabia, secretary-general, World Muslim League; former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid; Mohammed Sherif of Libya, secretary-general, World Islamic Call Society; Thailand deputy prime minister Surakiart Sathirathai; Sen. Mushahid Hussain, secretary-general, Pakistan Muslim League; Taj Hamad, a Sufi Muslim and secretary-general, World Association of Non-Government Organizations; Shrivatsa Goswami Acharya of India’s Sri Radharamana Hindu Temple; Prof. An-Wu Lin, Confucian, National Taiwan Normal University; Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, chairman, Universal Peace Foundation; Dr. Thomas Walsh, secretary-general, UPF; Dr. Tong Chan Wah, Taoist; chief imam Cheikh Assane Cisse, a Sufi Muslim and president, Senegal’s African American Islamic Institute; Mohinder Singh, director, Sikh Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan; Phra Dhamakosacarya, Buddhist rector, Chulalongcorn University; a Jain ambassador; and Catholic Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu, Philippines.

All are influential leaders of their faiths and states. Indonesia’s Wahid was a Muslim teacher before he became president. Pakistan’s Hussain was former prime minister. Libya’s Sherif is the second most powerful man after Khadafi. Thailand’s Surakiart is expected to be Asia’s nominee as next United Nations secretary-general. All preach moderation.

The interfaith dialogue coincides with the formation of CDI’s Asia-Pacific wing. Christian Democrat International came from the union of European and Latin American parties. Its expansion into Asia-Pacific will mark its renaming as the Centrist Democrat International, to include other political parties from faiths and states that share the same humanist ideals.

CDI leaders believe that political parties, while aiming for religious peace, must also strive for economic advancement. The CDI Asia-Pacific wing will be composed initially of the Pakistan Muslim League, Indian National Congress, United Malaysian Nationalist Organization, Thai Rak Tai, URI Party of Korea, Funcinpec of Cambodia, and Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats of the Philippines.

Lakas leaders Gloria Arroyo, Jose de Venecia and Fidel Ramos will lead the hosts. Other Asian leaders to join an economic conference are: Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president, Cambodia National Congress; Shri Murli Deora and Saifuddin Soz, Indian National Congress; and Indonesian Amb. Irzan Tandjung, co-founder, Partai Demkrat. As Lakas president, de Venecia had proposed to the UN last year the holding of world interfaith meetings as a General Assembly project.

Naturally, CDI leaders from Europe and Latin America will attend: Jose Ma. Aznar, former Spanish prime minister, now CDI president, with Ana Pastor, former minister of education, and Antonio Lopez Isturiz, CDI executive secretary; D. Gutenberg Martinez of Chile, president, Christian Democrat Organization of the Americas; former Belgian prime minister Wilfred Martens, now president, European People’s Party; French minister of industry Francois Loos; Klaus Preshle of Germany’s Christian Democrat Union; Ferdinando Casini, Speaker of the Italian parliament and president, Inter-Parliamentary Union, with Ana Maria Cervone, CDI president for women, and Giovanni Carrenza, president, Unione Democratici L’Europa; Kiell Magne Bondevik, former Norwegian prime minister; and Mario David of Portugal, CDI deputy secretary general.

For them, peace and economic cooperation is a personal cause. Martens was prime minister when Belgium approved funding for Metro Manila’s Light Railway Transit-1. Aznar, a former tax collector, balanced Spain’s national budget without new taxes, but saw his party losing power after the 2004 terror attacks in Madrid. Casini, a frequent Manila visitor, is favored to be the next Italian prime minister. Bondevik, during his term as Norway’s leader until Sept. 2005, had hosted the peace talks between the Philippine government and communist insurgents.

Some may say the Philippines is the wrong site for Asia’s first high-level interfaith meet. It is torn by communist rebellion, Islamist secession and cultural prejudice. But then, peacemakers must begin somewhere.

* * *

E-mail: [email protected]