July-September 2012 Allow us to share news about Religions for Peace and its religious leaders as they continue to provide leadership related to our mission in their own communities. The content and opinions expressed in IN THE NEWS section do not necessarily reflect the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Religions for Peace. These stories appear as printed in their original independent sources. In Our Network Religions for Peace (RfP) Myanmar Launched to Advance Inter-Communal Harmony and Peace Yangon, Myanmar; 13 September Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities in Myanmar together launched RfP Myanmar as the country’s first full-fledged representative and action-oriented interreligious body for reconciliation, peace and development. Approximately 100 religious, diplomatic, political and civil society leaders in Myanmar and RfP international leaders joined in the inauguration. H.E. Thura U Myint Maung, Minister of Religious Affairs of Myanmar, in his opening remarks affirmed the vital role of multi-religious cooperation in advancing communal harmony and peace. H.E. Ufuk Gokcen, Ambassador of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the United Nations, who was on a mission to Rakhine state, stated: “No organization is better equipped than RfP Myanmar to advance inter-communal reconciliation. Partnerships between all other actors and the religious leaders are urgently needed.” RfP Myanmar consists of Myanmar’s major religious organizations, including the Buddhist Sitagu Sayadaw community; the Ratana Metta Buddhist Organization; the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC); the Catholic Church; the Hindu Community in Myanmar and the Islamic Center of Myanmar. Celebrating this important occasion and expressing their global multi-religious solidarity, Myanmar religious leaders were supported by the RfP International delegation, consisting of Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalaratana Anunayaka Thero, President of the Sri Lanka Council of RfP (Theravada Buddhist); Bishop Gunnar Stålsett, [an Honorary President of RfP], Bishop Emeritus of Oslo; Member, Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Co-founder of the European Council of Religious Leaders- RfP, Norway (Christian); Prof. Dr. Din Syamsuddin [a Co President of RfP], President of Muhammadiyah and Moderator, Asian Conference of RfP, Indonesia (Muslim); Honorable Ela Gandhi, [an Honorary President of RfP], Founder of the Gandhi Development Trust and granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi; South Africa (Hindu); Rev. Norio Sakai [an International Trustee of RfP], Chairman Emeritus of Rissho Kosei-kai, Japan (Mahayana Buddhist); Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General of RfP International and Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Deputy Secretary General RfP International. Read more>> Syrian Religious Leaders Convene to Address Escalating Civil War Cairo, Egypt; 28-29 August Syrian religious leaders, as members of the RfP Syria Working Group, met in Cairo on 28-29 August 2012 to address the escalating civil war in Syria and the role of religious collaboration in ending the conflict and building peace. Under the sponsorship of the RfP Middle East and North Africa (RfP-MENA) Council, the RfP Syria Working Group has been building a Syria-wide, representative and action-oriented interreligious council to mobilize the peacemaking roles of the Syrian religious communities during the various stages of the conflict. The Working Group previously met in Marrakesh, Morocco (November 2011) and Larnaca, Cyprus (February 2012). Religious leaders reiterated their people’s demands for freedom, democracy, justice and equality. They committed themselves to further strengthening the emerging interreligious mechanism in Syria to resist escalating sectarian tensions and to spread a message of peace for national reconciliation. Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General of RfP International, and the Interim Secretary General of the RfP-MENA, praised the shared courage of the religious leaders, and stated: “cooperation among the religious groups in Syria is an irreplaceable key to a just peace for all Syrians.” Read more>> RfP’s Secretary General Issues Statement on Combating Religious Extremism New York, New York, USA; 21 September “With regard to the current events related to the offensive slandering of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed in the media, members of Religions for Peace around the world are united in the conviction that no one should dishonor or bring disrespect upon the sincere religious beliefs of the other. We deplore the egregious acts intended to defame what the entire Islamic community holds to be unspeakably dear. We are united in our sympathy for fellow Islamic religious believers who have felt so deeply offended. While acknowledging the deep hurt felt by Muslims around the world—we are united in rejecting the killing of persons and the destruction of property as a reaction to these offensive acts. We are thankful for the many Islamic leaders around the world who have strongly counseled against violent reactions, while at the same time exercising their due rights to call attention to and firmly reject the repugnant defaming of Islam. We all know that extremism of one kind “feeds” upon extremism of another kind. In today’s world, we recognize that there are people who are trying to drive a wedge between diverse religious communities. We cannot allow ourselves to be polarized by acts intended to offend, sow distrust and fuel animosity among believers of different faiths. Rather, we must re-double our commitments to multi- religious dialogue and cooperation. Read more>> Co-Partners Advance Track 1.5 Diplomacy for Peace and Prosperity New York, New York, USA; 28 September The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the United States government, the Institute for Global Engagement and RfP International co-convened 150 senior governmental representatives, religious and other civil society leaders at a high-level side event during the United Nations General Assembly. The event focused on advancing strategic partnerships between governments and faith- based civil society organizations for peace and prosperity. By consensus, the group expressed its desire to collaborate in building a working platform to facilitate cooperation among states, intergovernmental bodies and faith-based civil society organizations for peace. H.E. Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, stated: “Last year, Secretary Clinton launched the Religions and Foreign Policy Working Group as part of her Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society.” “The Working Group marks the first time that the U.S. Department of State has purposefully sought to institutionalize its engagement with religious actors to advance our shared foreign policy goals.” Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General H.E. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu also reaffirmed the OIC’s commitment to Resolution 16/18 and emphasized that implementation “has become more important than ever.” He stressed that “governments and faith-based civil society organizations should strengthen their collaboration to overcome ignorance, radicalism and the misuse of religion.” He added that he was “concerned with and condemned Islamophobia, but at the same time, on every occasion I have realized my concern and condemnation of acts of Christianophobia and Anti-Semitism.” Ambassador Josephine Ojiambo, the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN for Kenya, sketched a path forward, noting how important religion is in local life, how it shapes values and how it can be mobilized for the common good as a “force for progress.” She highlighted the positive roles of faith-based civil society initiatives in addressing post-election violence in Kenya, and stated: “Governments need to develop strategies for strengthening partnerships with faith-based civil society actors.” Dr. Aref Ali Nayed, Libyan Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and a prominent Islamic scholar, reflected on religious values essential to peace. “Religions understand existence as a ‘gift,’ and encourage a high regard for the Transcendent, shared service, patient persistence and an acute appreciation for the value of diversity. These, in turn, can help support and buttress collaboration for democracy. He also eulogized his friend, Ambassador Chris Stevens, whose life was recently taken in Libya. He warned of forces misusing the name of religion that are attempting to “steal the peoples’ revolution in Libya.” Ambassador Ilari Rantakari of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland affirmed the importance of track 1.5 partnerships, stating that his government has found civil society partnerships to be essential. He noted the work of the recent Helsinki Process that is founded on a commitment to multi-stakeholder partnerships. He also shared that the Finnish government had been supporting Religions for Peace projects going back to the time of the war in Bosnia on to its more recent efforts to establish a Religions for Peace Middle East/North Africa Regional Council. H.E. Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) and former President of Portugal, welcomed the event stating that “the AoC strongly supports enhanced partnership between the governments and faith-based civil society organizations.” He welcomed partnerships—formal and informal—with the AoC and stated: “All sectors, including governments and religious communities, should combine forces to develop a more inclusive and tolerant society.” The event concluded with a unanimous affirmation of the desire to continue to build a platform