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World Interfaith Harmony Week Observed in Moscow, Russia
Written by Dmitry Samko, secretary general, UPF-Moscow
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Moscow, Russia—Ambassadors for Peace, representatives of traditional religions, and leaders of public and charitable organizations were the speakers at a World Interfaith Harmony Week event.
UPF-Russia hosted a conference related to the United Nations observance on February 11, 2017, at the Moscow Peace Embassy.
UPF-Moscow Secretary General Dmitry Samko, acting as the master of ceremonies, spoke about the history of World Interfaith Harmony Week, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 2010. He also spoke about the peacebuilding activities of UPF and its founder, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon.
Sergey V. Dvorianov, the president of the "Amicability" international diplomatic club, spoke about his recent trip to Seoul to attend the Fourth UPF World Summit from February 1 to 5. During the World Summit, the delegates discussed issues of interparliamentary cooperation for peace and sustainable development.
Oleg O. Moiseyev, a psychologist and teacher and a representative of the “Common Cause" organization, showed a small fragment of the documentary film Lost Virtue, which highlights the view of the Orthodox Church on the acute social problem of alcoholism in our society.
Marat Z. Khayretdinov, the head of the Department of Science under the Spiritual Directorate of the National Organization of Russian Muslims, stressed the importance of purifying Islam of radicalism and terrorist trends. Mr. Khayretdinov, who also teaches at the Moscow Islamic Institute, emphasized the need for more cautious coverage of this topic in the media, as he said that the true Islam is a peace-loving religion.
Elizaveta Shcherbakova presented her vision of the role of modern youth in promoting peacemaking. During the conference, she was awarded a Youth Ambassador for Peace certificate.
Marat Arshabayev, the imam of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, stated: "Freedom of religion, dialogue, and tolerance are the bases of faith. To live in peace and harmony with all peoples and nations is the covenant of all religions, which will have to conscientiously seek ways to solve the complex problems of the 21st century." He invited the participants of the conference and international delegates of the Universal Peace Federation to visit the Moscow Cathedral Mosque.
At the end of the conference, Konstantin Krylov, the UPF regional secretary general for Eurasia, spoke about the federation's many projects in various regions of the world and about the international Sunhak Peace Prize. He also spoke about UPF plans for the near future.
The culmination of the meeting was awarding of Ambassador for Peace certificates to Marat Arshabayev, Olga Lehmann-Balashova, Sharma Rakesh Kumar, and Ruslan S. Khautiyev.
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