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UPF-Netherlands Proposes an Interreligious Center in NY
Written by Christopher Davies, UPF-Netherlands
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Amsterdam, Netherlands - On September 11, the Universal Peace Federation-Netherlands proposed that there be an interreligious centre at or as near as possible to 9/11 Ground Zero, New York. It could indeed be part of the memorial currently being created there, but while there may be many suggestions as to practicalities, the most important aspect is the eminent desirability of such a project.
A central tenet of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) is that peace and human betterment will be most effectively achieved through interreligious work. Immediately following 9/11, UPF Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon convened an interreligious conference, which was held in New York barely one month later. He then sponsored another groundbreaking conference, entitled "Islam and the Future World of Peace," for Muslim leaders in Indonesia in December 2001. A Ground Zero interreligious centre would seem to be a natural follow up.
This proposal by UPF Netherlands was first made in the wake of the uproar about a "planned mosque and Islamic center near ground zero." Ambassador for Peace Dr. Willem van Eekelen often talks about seeking a solution to a problem by looking at it from a different direction, and this proposal seems precisely that: it goes beyond the current yes or no discussion about the planned centre; and as even more recent events have shown, it is more and more vital to promote an appreciation that the similarities in the teachings of various religions are far greater than the differences.
Reporting on a recent UPF Middle East Peace Initiative program in Israel, Ambassador for Peace and Sufi Imam Hashim Jansen said the most moving experience had been an ultra Orthodox Jewish rabbi filling glasses with water at the time when Muslims should end the Ramadan fast. He expressed how he had appreciated that their schedule was arranged to respect the times when Muslims are instructed to eat during Ramadan. Another participant, Imam Abdullah Haselhoef, had said that his mother was the most loving mother in the world; and that he respected another person making a similar assertion: no one had the right to say his religion was better than that of another.
A place from which to transmit God's love to the world in order to heal all wounds
Ideally, an interreligious center near Ground Zero in New York might include an open square where people could pray or meditate about peace; the buildings around it might include a mosque, church, synagogue, Buddhist and Hindu temples; an area could be designed especially for interreligious activities and celebrations.
Warming to the theme, UPF-Netherlands Secretary General Wim Koetsier enthused that: "Instead of burning books, which has usually been done by people who later in history acquired a bad reputation, we could work together to create a big fire of the Holy Spirit to transmit God's love to the world in order to heal all wounds." The proposal has received the keen support of the chairman of UPF's Ambassadors for Peace in the Netherlands, Jhr. (Sir) Peter Beelaerts van Blokland, who when he was Minister of Housing supported a building project in Northern Ireland that helped bring together the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities.
The Netherlands long a champion of interreligious respect
There are a number of reasons why this proposal might come from The Netherlands: its very existence is based on championing interreligious respect, such “tolerance” being a central reason for the revolt against Spanish rule in the 16th century, and certainly for the commitment of William I, Prince of Orange. New York was first created by the Dutch, and known as Nieuw Amsterdam, but was then traded with the British for Suriname, where interreligious respect and harmony are the unspoken norm.
On the other hand, the anti-Muslim Dutch politician Gert Wilders is currently visiting the US and intending to speak at a public rally in New York. While he has been successful in gaining some support for his views, he does not speak for the Dutch people as a whole; and UPF-Netherlands includes Ambassadors for Peace and supporters from many faiths.
Practicalities and possible connection with UPF's proposed interreligious council at the UN
Regarding how such a center this might be organized in practice, in case there might not be available space for the proposed square, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum might include some places for prayer and reflection, ideally interreligious, alternatively various rooms, each honoring one religion. In addition to raising the museum to a new level, it would acknowledge that religion, however perverted, played a part in the attack. Or possibly the top or another floor of the new One World Trade Center / Freedom Tower might be set aside for this purpose.
UPF has long proposed that there be an interreligious council at the UN, and this project might be connected.
Commentary:
Eid ul Fithr greetings from Jakarta,
I would support the proposal of the Universal Peace Federation-Netherlands that there be an interreligious centre at or as near as possible to 9/11 Ground Zero, New York, as the central tenet of UPF is that peace and human betterment will be most effectively achieved today through interreligious work. I remember that immediately following 9/11, UPF Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon convened an interreligious conference which was held in New York barely one month later, and then sponsored another World Conference, entitled "Islam and the Future World of Peace," for Muslim leaders in Indonesia in December 2001. A Ground Zero interreligious centre would seem to be a great follow up.
Sincerely for peace,
Dr. Habib Chirzin
Ambassador for Peace, UPF
President, Islamic Forum on Peace and Human Security
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