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Collaboration is of such importance to our human survival and development that it should be a key component of our educational curricula, not only in our schools, but even more importantly within the family. The family is the true primary school, the school of love, of ethics and indeed of collaboration. Our religions are also “schools,” and within the religions, more emphasis needs to be given to the promotion of interfaith dialogue, respect and collaboration. The link between the development of collaboration skills and capacities, on the one hand, and peace and prosperity, on the other hand, should be given emphasis.
Islam is a religion that holds that peace is the summum bonum or the highest goal of man’s life and that a total surrender to the will of God is the only means of attaining that goal.
Suffering through a horrible time of internal and imported warfare, Syria was the world’s biggest problem in 2013. The awareness of the predicament came to a peak in the summer, when the global community was confronted with the country’s surging numbers of internal and external refugees.
Issue of Dialogue & Alliance interfaith journal on the theme of "The Prospects for Dialogue and Reconciliation in Syria"
In his annual address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on December 12, 2013, the Russian Federation President, Vladimir Putin, said that "the coming year of 2014 is declared in Russia the Year of Culture.
On the foundation of the Middle East Peace Initiative's first decade of effort, we want to move forward to a new stage of engagement and activism. It is my deepest hope that UPF and MEPI can make a significant contribution to bring peace to this Holy Land. I have the greatest love and respect for all my Jewish, Christian and Muslim brothers and sisters. I want to see the day when we can live together in peace, harmony and cooperation, like one family, one family under God.
Europe and Eurasia represent two enormously important civilizations that play major roles in world affairs, politically, economically, socially and culturally. UNESCO reminds us that “peace begins in the minds of men and women.” Hence, the supreme importance of education and communication. UNESCO has also lead the way in promoting the “rapprochement of cultures”, encouraging dialogue and cooperation.
The global agendas for the 21st century are marked by an enhanced focus on the human being, on the citizen and on societies in addition to the traditional addressing of issues related to governments and states. Peace is not any more the achievement of governmental armament, defended borders and related policies but, as the title of our meeting indicates, the result of value structures of societal cultures carried by the human being and by societies. This realization of the central focus and role of the citizen and society for achieving the objectives of “our common future” has been the subject of a new focus in our approaches to development and to our understanding of peace and security and of the role of the human being/citizen as actor, victim or beneficiary.
Through my work with the Family Forum and also being a partner in the Austrian Family Network, I feel that family is the key factor for human development to create a culture of peace. Having visited different countries in Europe and beyond, I learned that family is of great importance in the life of people in the East and in the West, and so, I maintain, that family is the primary vehicle of rapprochement.
There is now a range of evidence that communities with a good ‘stock’ of ‘social capital’ are more likely to benefit from lower crime figures, better health, high educational achievement, and better economic growth.
Some, in the current debate in Canada, have argued that the state should be officially atheistic and that religious groups and institutions should not benefit from tax-exempt status or have any public role. I understand a secular state (and I think this underlies at least the language of the proposed Charter of Quebec Values, if not its spirit) to be one which does not privilege or favor any particular religion or system of belief, but treats all neutrally.
We love Quebec, we are full-fledged citizens, we strive to live in a tolerant, pluralistic, all inclusive society where each and every person will be valued for their contribution. Together by joining our efforts, by opening our minds and our hearts we will become this society, Insha Allah, God willing.