PANEL: the POWER of BELIEF Margaritis Schinas , Vice President, European Commission Archbishop Nikitas, Greek Orthodox Archbisho
PANEL: THE POWER OF BELIEF Margaritis Schinas, Vice President, European Commission Archbishop Nikitas, Greek Orthodox Archbishop, Great Britain Fatima Zaman, Advocate, Kofi Annan Foundation Moderated by Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times Each of the distinguished panelists brought with them a unique perspective based on their lived experiences of religious belief, political affiliation and identity within their respective communities. Each of them came with their own way of evaluating and combating intolerance based on belief. Archbishop Nikitas emphasized the importance of religious leaders and their role; removing their personal desires when deciphering divine messages and posited that religious leaders who succeed in this practice are able to manage religious disagreements or conflicts more peacefully and harmoniously than political leaders. According to Archbishop Nikitas, it is the obligation of religious leaders to guide others in “laying down their weapons” and “building bridges in place of walls.” Margaritis Schinas, a Vice President of the European Commission, spoke of the EU’s efforts to oppose acts of hatred and xenophobia through constitutional arrangements and community laws, saying that the antidote to the phenomena of anti-Semitism and xenophobia is “good policies,” which the EU is working on enthusiastically. Schinas regarded the EU as the “epicenter” and world champion of fundamental human rights fighting religious and minority intolerance, and described Europe not as a “bulldozer that imposes its own beliefs on others, but rather as a unique mirror that reflects our diversity, lifestyle, arts, religions, culture, language and history.” Fatima Zaman of the Kofi Annan Foundation described herself as a “hybrid” of multiple identities; a South Asian, a Briton, and a modern Muslim, each of which she says have been at odds with one another at some point in her life.
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