Venue: Nabab Nawab Ali Senate Bhavan, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Date: November 27-29, 2010
Rapporteur: Dr. Deepali Bhanot, Professor in Sanskrit, JDM College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
Introduction:
The 2nd International Conference on Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue-2010 was held from the 27th – 29th November, 2010 at the Senate Bhavan, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh and was jointly organized by the
- Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (CIID); Department of World Religions and Culture, University of Dhaka,
- Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO (BNCU) and the Ministry of Education, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in cooperation with the Islamic Education, Scientific & Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Regional Office in Tehran and UNESCO Office in Dhaka.
The Conference brought together distinguished Professors, scholars and researchers representing different faith communities from home and abroad to present their views and offer suggestions on the importance of inter-religious and inter-cultural cooperation for establishing Peace in this era of Globalization. In all, forty five (45) delegates from seventeen (17) countries participated in the conference.
The Inaugural Ceremony:
The Inaugural Ceremony was chaired by Prof. AAMS Arefin Siddique, Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka. Dr. Abbas Sadri, Director, ISESCO, Regional office in Teheran and Mr. Derek Elias, Office in-Charge, UNESCO, Dhaka were the Guests of Honour, while Dr. Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Secretary, Ministry of Education, Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Advocate Mohd Shahjahan Mia, Hon’ble State Minister, Ministry of Religious Affairs graced the occasion as the Special Guests. The Conference was inaugurated by Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Mr. Md. Tazuddin, Programme Officer, BNCU conducted the inaugural ceremony.
The Inaugural Opening Ceremony of the three-day conference began with the recitations from the Holy Scriptures. Welcoming the delegates and the guests, Prof. Kazi Nurul Islam, Director, CIID, University of Dhaka said that as we are increasingly living in a global village, the religions, in spite of historical differences, instead of dividing and destroying, must seek to unite all people for the attainment of world peace. In order to prevent the fanatics, racists and political opportunists from their divisive roles that threaten to break down the moral fiber of human society, there is an urgent need for people from diverse faith groups and cultural backgrounds to cooperate with each other for peace and harmony on this Planet Earth. He also appealed to the eminent guests to urge the Government to declare 24th May, the birthday of the National Poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam as the Interreligious Harmony Day. Advocate Md. Shahjan Mia said that no religion of the world teaches to dishonor other human beings. Rather all religions of the world teach what is good for human kinds. So, it is true that for world peace we do strongly need to accept the ethical teachings of all religions. If we can ensure these ethical teachings to be practiced in our society, we can gain a better and safer social system. He congratulated CIID and BNCU to hold this kind of international programme and also assured his support for this kind of programme in future. In his Inaugural address, the Hon’ble Minister of Education said that, militancy has risen in Bangladesh as it got patronization from some political parties but there is no place for militancy as peace loving people of Bangladesh always stand against all kinds of religious fundamentalism. He added that Bangladesh has always been a country of religious harmony and there would be no place for fanaticism in the country. He further mentioned that in the constitution of Bangladesh, equal rights for all people is ensured.
The distinguished speakers at the Opening Ceremony congratulated the Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (CIID) of the Department of World Religions and Culture of Dhaka University and Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO (BNCU), for promoting intercultural dialogue and harmony by organizing the 2nd International Conference on Interreligious and Interculural Dialogue, 2010. They were of the opinion that in a society of diverse cultures, religions and faiths, acknowledgement and appreciation of other religious beliefs and cultures alone can bring about a tolerant universal culture. Peaceful dialogue between civilizations, cultures and faiths can foster mutual understanding and a harmonious relationship in a pluralistic society.
In his presidential address the Vice Chancellor of University of Dhaka said that, the main reason for the establishing the CIID is not only to provide academic study of all the religions for promoting peaceful co-existence and interreligious understanding but also to prepare the youth to engage in social justice, peace and harmony through interfaith dialogue. If the believers make an effort to learn about one’s own faith and that of others, they will make better citizens and believers. He also added that the importance, value and impact of such Interreligions and Intercultural Dialogue conference is an urgency at this critical moment of global history. The world today is turmoiled with enormous problems. But there is a deep down unique cry that need to be heard to redeem the suffering humanity from terrorism, injustice, discrimination and fanaticism. In the course of our history the religion has been used, misused and abused for personal or communal gain. To overcome enmity and bring long expected peace and harmony, the effective way is to work together and to remain constantly engaged in dialogue around the world.
Academic Sessions:
The three-day Conference was divided into four academic sessions, wherein thirty (30) presentations were made. Prof. Desmand Cahill, RMIT University, Australia, Prof. Syed Anwar Hossain, Professor of History , University of Dhaka and Editor, The Daily Sun, Prof. Anwarul Islam, Vice Chancellor, Darul Ihsan University, Dhaka and Dr. Peter Schier, Director, Global Ethics Foundation, Germany presented keynote papers. Dr. Abbas Sadri, Director, ISESCO, Regional Office in Tehran, Prof. Leonard Swidler, President, Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Temple University, USA, Prof. Karunamaya Goshwami, Principal, Cambrian College, Dhaka and Prof. Somani Mangal Prajna, Vice-Chancellor, Jain Viswabharati University, India presided over sessions.
Those who presented papers are Dr. Maosen Zhong, Pure Land Learning College, Australia; Prof. Dilip Kumar Mohanta, Kolkata University, India; Dr. Gaznafar Rustamnejad, Al Mustafa International University, Iran; Ms. Farha Iman, Jamia Milia Islamia University, India; Dr. Diana Coleman, Arizona State University, USA; Prof. Nikhil Bhattacarya, Retired Principal,
Bangladesh; Dr. Francisco Rapacioli, Catholic Missionary, Italy; Prof. Jodh Singh, Patiala University, India; Dr. Christiana Lee, Director, Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, Italy; Dr. Meherban Firouz Gary, Zoroastrian Scholar, Iran; Rev. Larry Fisher, Mennonite Community Washington, USA; Mr. Nityananda Chakravarty, Retired Joint Secretary, Bangladesh; Rev. Chan Tran, Cao Dai Overseas Mission, Vietnam; Dr. Paul Lamarie, Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, Italy; Rev. Tetsuiya Amano, Universal Peace Federation, Japan; Mrs. Indiara Manandhar, President, Asian Conference on Religions for Peace, Nepal; Dr. Mohammad Oraei Karimi, Director , Iran Cultural Centre, Dhaka; Mrs. Shantisree McGrath, Shree Chinmoy Centre, London, UK; Dr. Sukamal Barua, Prof. of Buddhism, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; Prof. Sanghamitra Das Gupta, Derozio Memorial College, India; Dr. Abraham Karikachan, Executive Secretary, United Religious Initiatives Asia; Dr, Shah Kawther Mustafa, Prof. of Muslim Philosophy, University of Dhaka; Dr. S. Nanak Singh Nister, Director, Sikh-Muslim Friendship Academy, Hydrabad, India; Dr. Jitendra Lal Sarker, Prof. of Indian Philosophy , University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh; Dr. Mustafa Fazaili, Prof. of Law, University of Qom, Iran; Dr. Hanif Abdur Razzaque, Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, Indonesia ; Brother Erik, Christian Missionary, Sweden, Mrs. Eva Sadia Saad and Mr. Jahangir Alam , Department of World Religions and Culture, University of Dhaka; Prof. Hiren Biswas, President, Bangladesh Hindu Reformation Society, Dr. Fr. Tapan Rozario, Prof. of World Religions and Culture, University of Dhaka.
All the sessions began with a keynote speech followed by presentations from the panelists. Each session had six to seven distinguished panel speakers. Almost all the presentations made by the speakers were photocopied and distributed at the time of the presentation and the delegates had an opportunity to ask questions to the speakers at the end of each paper. The Chairperson of each session moderated the questions from the floor and presented his final address after the papers had been discussed by the delegates.
Although the speakers representing different faith communities shared the Holy texts, religious practices and the teachings and philosophies of Baha’ism, Buddhism, Caodaism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism, Sree Chinmoy Foundation, Taoism and the Universal Peace Federation, this summary of the conference does not mention any particular religion and culture. Rather it presents a brief report of the important topics discussed during the sessions of the conference because of the commonalities shared by all the belief systems.
Summary of Session One: Afternoon of Saturday, 27th of November, 2010.
Chair: Dr Abbas Sadri, Dir. ISESCO, Regional office in Teheran
Keynote Speaker: Prof. Desmond Cahill, Dir. Centre for Intercultural Studies & Prof RMIT University, Australia
Speakers: Dr Maosen Zhong, Pure Land Learning College, Australia;Prof. Dilip Kumar Mohanta, Kolkata University, India; Ms: Fraha Iman, Jamia Milia Islamic University, India; Prof. Ghaznafar, Islamic Scholar, Iran; Dr. Diana Korleman, Arizona State University, USA; Prof. Nikhil Bhattacarji, Retired Principal, Sreemangal College;
Sylhet.
In the past it was possible to live in isolation but now we are forced to live in One World as increasingly we are living in a Global village. Whereas for the optimists, globalization implies release from the shackles of traditionalism, colonialism and communism, and the emergence of national self-determination and international cooperation, pessimists such as Samuel Huntingdon with his theory on the Clash of Civilizations see a world in conflict. In the aftermath of 9/11, religious extremism has come under the spotlight at a time when we have entered a religiously more competitive world. The best way lies in supporting religious pluralism and religious moderation instead of getting into an aggressive secularism. The role of religious leaders has come under greater scrutiny and accountability as they need to act as catalysts and enablers to encourage and facilitate collaboration and cooperation across faith communities. There is resurgence and revitalization of religion as a part of cultural globalization, Also, there is an emergence of the Interfaith movement and rise of multifaith networks both at the local and global level. Intercultural and interreligious dialogue and interaction has become critical to the future of the world for mutual understanding in a situation where it has become more difficult to love our neighbour. Commitment to reconciliation is the need of the hour. Instead of proclaiming one’s own religion to be the ‘true’ religion and that of the others ‘false’, the task of the religious leaders and their communities is to work with other faith communities for preventing and resolving conflict and promoting harmony and peace. As peace cannot prevail without justice, one of the main aims of religion is to uphold justice at all levels. In order to overcome the tension and conflict prevailing in the world, there is a need to look into the commonalities of all faith traditions for multi-faith understanding, mutual respect and cooperation.
Religious education should serve as the foundation of religious cooperation and solidarity for a harmonious and peaceful world. The content of all religions include the teachings of ethics, morality, causality, philosophy and science. All religions advocate self-restraint, responsibilities, obligations, solidarity, tolerance and truthfulness. These virtues should be inculcated in life. Recognition of difference among religions is a precondition for harmony of religions. An atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance of ‘other’ should be the common platform for any kind of interreligious dialogue. It is important for each believer to learn one’s own sacred texts in depth and if possible, that of other believers. There is a need to learn from one another, respect the differences and seek common ground for a lasting and vibrant interreligious cooperation. True spirituality unites people out of love and brother-hood. It extends 1st person consciousness to others and reconciles conflicting views. This understanding rejects one-dimensional identity and welcomes pluralism as opposed to one dimensional identity that invites oppression, corruption, injustice and tyranny. Therefore, there is a need to reject violence and work for justice and peace.
Summary of Session Two, Morning of Sunday, 28th November, 2010
Chair: Prof Leonard Swidler, President, Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Temple University, USA
Keynote Speaker: Prof Syed Anwar Hosain, Prof of History, Dhaka University & Editor, The Daily Sun
Speakers: Dr. Dr. Francisco Kapaciohi, Missionary, Italy; Prof. Jodh Singh, Patiala University, India; Ms. Christiana Lee, Director, Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, Italy; Mr. Meherban Firouz Gary, Zoroastrian Scholar, Iran; Rev Larry Fisher, Member, Mennonite Committee, Washington; Mr. Nityananda Chakravarty, Former Joint Chief of Planning, BWDS, Rev. Chan Tran, Cao Dai Overseas Missionary, Vietnam
The historic land of Bengal has not witnessed the birth of any religion on its soil. The religions followed and practiced by its people are of exogenous origin. But Bengal has, through ages, demonstrated a remarkable interfaith harmony and despite plurality of religions, this land has been spared of any religious conflicts. Despite the politicization of religion by the politicians, the civil society and the common people at the grassroots have ever remained religiously tolerant and inclusive. Thus Bangladesh is a land of interfaith and intercultural harmony.
In today’s world, scenes of injustice and violence give the impression that not only cultural diversity but also religious differences are causes of instability to the prospect of peace. But there are numerous initiatives of people and institutions aiming at building common foundations for harmonious co-existence. As violence only leads to renewed violence, what is needed to nourish peace is the conversion of the heart. And to meet this fundamental challenge, the role of religion is crucial. Inter-religious dialogue and cooperation are emerging as important means for this end.
There are different forms of inter-religious dialogue: dialogue of life, dialogue of action, dialogue of theological exchange and dialogue of religious experience. All these forms of dialogue become fruitful and express all their value when they are sustained by a living spirituality. While maintaining our own religious identity, this spiritual path allows us to meet and understand other great religious traditions of humanity. The key of this dialogue can be traced in our spirituality which has love at its core. This kind of spiritual love finds a spontaneous and immediate echo in other religions and cultures.
A fruitful intercultural dialogue is based on some evident and simple truths such as : we all change i.e. not only cultures but also religions evolve and change; Dialogue is an exchange between people of different cultures and faiths and not just a comparison of different beliefs and opinions; and Dialogue makes people involved better persons and the world we live in a better world. All religions call on all human beings to love one another, and to come together because they all come from One Supreme Being who is known by different names.
Summary of Session Three Afternoon of Sunday, 28th November, 2010
Chair: Prof Karunamaya Goshwami, Principal, Cambrian College
Keynote Speaker: Prof. Anwar Islam, Vice Chancellor, Darul Ihsan University, Dhaka
Speakers: Dr. Paul Lamarie, Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, Italy; Rev. Tetsuiya Amano, Universal Peace Federation, Japan;Mrs. Indira Manandhar, President, Asian Conference on Religions for Peace, Nepal; Dr. Md. Oraei Karimi, Director, Inran Cultural Centre, Dhaka; Ms. Shanti Mcgrath, Shree Chinmoy Centre, New York, Usa; Prof: Sukamal Barua, University Dhaka.
The collapse of the Soviet Union had raised the hopes of a peaceful, progressive and open world wherein individual freedom, human rights and democracy would prevail. However, instead of experiencing an “end of history”(Fukuyama), we are faced with a “clash of civilaztions”(Huntington). A hegemonic superpower and unbridled globalization have transformed the world since the end of the Soviet Union. We have witnessed unparalleled wealth creation, on the one hand, and on the other, worsening poverty, deprivation and inequality across the world. Moreover, we also witness continuing and deepening injustice. Inequity and injustice breed radicalism and often violent opposition to oppression. It is naïve to think that such radicalism that is based on hatred can be defeated squarely by military means. Because however distorted an ideology may be, no ideology can be rooted out by military means. Rather, military interventions kill more and more civilians and generate greater resentment and breed greater radicalism and hatred. It would be more meaningful to divert the military fund towards development. It has also been observed that religions have been allowed to be hijacked and distorted by a miniscule minority. Hence, it is time for true religionists to reclaim religion and transform the politicized religion into a tool of reasoned dialogue for a change that underscores the symbiotic relationship between justice and peace. It is important to understand the underlying sociological, political and economic reasons and causes of discontent that continue to promote hatred and violence and address these. It has to be recognized that Pluralism is here to stay and our challenge is to face it and learn to co-exist in harmony.
There cannot be long term Peace without Justice. But Justice must be completed by forgiveness. Religious leaders must teach ways for reconciliation through forgiveness – by seeking and giving forgiveness. Forgiveness should not be taken as a sign of weakness because it is only the strong that have the blessing of forgiveness. The act of forgiveness gives both the groups to start a relationship all over again. All religions teach tolerance, peace and mercy for all humankind and respect for the sacredness of life. The training for unconditional love, peace and harmony should start at the level of the family.
Happy families wherein all the members are tied together through true love and with responsibility towards each other can promote peace in the society. The word ‘Peace’ is a common greeting in all religions. God showers all His blessings on such a person who is in peace not only with oneself but with others.
Summary of Session Four, Morning of Monday, 29th November, 2010
Chair: Prof. Somani Mangal Prajna, Jain Viswabharati University India
Keynote Speaker: Dr Peter Schier Dir. Global Ethics Foundation, Germany
Speakers: Prof. Sanghmitra Das Gupta, Derozio Memorial College, Kolkata, India; Dr. Abraham Karikachan, Executive Secretary, United Religious Initiatives,Asia; Prof. Shah K. Mustafa, Dhaka University; Dr. S. Nanak Singh Nister, Director, Sikh- Muslim Friendship Academy, Hyderabad, India; Prof. Jitendra Lal Sarker, University of Rajshahi; Prof. Mostafa Fajaili, Islamic Scholar, Iran.
Peace, or non-violence, is one of the key values and fundamental ethical norms shared by the different faiths on Earth. Yet, through human history, more wars have been waged in the name of religion than in the name of any other cause. Self-proclaimed religious leaders have spoken in favour of the use of violence and killings in order to ‘defend’ their religion and to fight peoples of other faiths. ‘Absence of war’ cannot be defined as Peace because Peace cannot be established without the respect for human dignity and human rights, without freedom of belief and freedom of political and religious diversity and pluralism. There can be no justice and reconciliation without forgiveness. Thus, peace, freedom, justice, reconciliation and forgiveness are inseparably interconnected. In order to inculcate a culture of peace, all religious leaders have to take a principled stand to teach their followers to respect all forms of life.
It has been observed that people of all religions know far too little about one another and because of this vast ignorance, a lot of prejudice and hatred has built up against one another. We need to be aware of those few who spread lies about other religious communities and should make efforts to discourage this through inter-religious dialogue. But there is not enough will among religious leaders and groups to dialogue with the leaders and followers of other religious beliefs. Inter-religious dialogue is not enough – in order to achieve concrete positive results, practical common actions also need to be undertaken. Religious leaders and followers should try to build a common united front of all religions when it comes to defend life and to prevent war. When people of different religions unite and take peaceful action they can shake the bastions of power of irresponsible religious and political leaders on all sides.
Exclusivist behaviour and aggressive proselytization has always been sources of conflict and violence. Many a time holy books have been misused by religious and political leaders to instigate disharmony, division and violent conflict. There is an urgent need to concentrate on the fundamental values and the basic norms of the religious texts and to understand the essence of the religious teachings. Instead of according greater importance to the outwardly rituals and formalities, there is a need to concentrate on the core principles and ethical values. Religious leaders and teachers must have the courage, the freedom and capacity to analyse the Holy books in the contexts of time, place and culture. Moreover, they should be able to recognize, refute and prevent misinterpretations and abuses of the Holy texts. It is important to educate the children on the moral and ethical standards which are shared by all religions. This “Shared Wisdom” should become a key subject in religious teaching in all denominations.
Religions differ from each other in respect of their philosophy, rituals and mythology. Therefore, inter-religious dialogue needs some preconditions to fulfill its purpose. It fails to initiate unless it allows anyone to question and disagree with anything. This means that there is the possibility of change and growth in respect of religious tradition during the dialogue. Religions become dangerous only when they become rigid and will not move any further. The goal of religion is to attain freedom which is already implicit in a person. Such a realization transforms the individual into a person who can identify his/her consciousness with the global consciousness. In a dialogue there should be room for the possibility of change and growth. Inter-religious dialogue can be possible when we are able to change our narrow, selfish and dogmatic outlook, on the one hand, and hatred-oriented or indifferent attitude towards the others, on the other. Peace is not something that can be achieved from outside. Rather, it is reveals itself when our ego-centric individuality is uplifted into universal individuality. The true significance of religion lies in functioning as the basis of this uplift of individuality.
The true essence of religion is self-purification. A true believer should strive to transcend human limitations like greed, hatred and harmful attitudes towards others. Love is a total negation of hatred and violence. Love of God and Unconditional love towards all beings is the path to peace
Cultural Programme: Afternoon, November 29, 2010
Venue: R.C. Majumdar Arts Faculty Auditorium, University of Dhaka
The Shilpokola Academy of Bangladesh (The National Academy for Performing Arts) presented a colourful cultural programme with some extremely eminent artists of the country. This programme depicted the cultural heritage of the country .
Concluding Session: Evening, November 29, 2010
Chair: Prof. AAMS Arifen Siddque, Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka
Chief Guest: Mr. Dilip Barua, Hon’ble Minister for Industries, Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Special Guests: Prof. Harun-or-Rashid, Pro Vice Chancellor,
University of Dhaka
Prof. Sadrul Amin, Dean, Faculty of Arts,
University of Dhaka
Mr. Abdul Awal, Secretary, Ministry of Primary and
Mass Education, Govt. of the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh
In his speech the Chief Guest said the entire world is divided into two groups, namely, religious moderates and religious extremists. The religious fanatics are there in every tradition. Though they are microscopic few in number, they are united. On the other hand, the vast majority of the moderate religionists are divided. If we want to control the fanatics and terrorists the moderate religionists should be united. They should be given the knowledge of other religious traditions so that their mind and heart are broadened and the y can respect people belonging to other traditions.
In his presidential speech the Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka said that, religious leaders and teachers are playing important roles in almost all cultures nowadays. We all must make a greater effort to understand the symbiotic relationship between religion and culture, the osmotic connection between faith and tradition. This is very important in order to understand the inner dynamics of a society and intricate philosophy of a population. He further added that we must treat people of other religions and beliefs with total respect and dignity. The golden rule in this respect is that you treat other religions and culture just like you want your own religion and culture to be treated by others. We must not forget that freedom of religious rituals and cultural practices are important human rights. Religion is at the heart of any culture’s values and vice-versa.
The three day International Conference came to end with a concluding speech given by Mr. Abdul Khaleque, Secretary, Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO (BNCU), Ministry of Education, Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. In his speech he reminded all the delegates and participants that interfaith dialogue is becoming commonplace these days and many organizations are pursuing it in view of interreligious tensions in many countries of the world. Therefore we should repeat this kind of programme in future to promote harmony not only Bangladesh but also in the world as whole.
The report is being circulated by;
Prof. Kazi Nurul Islam
Director, Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (CIID) &
Professor and Chairman,
Department of World Religions and Culture
University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Email: islam.kn@gmail.com