Faith, Reason, Gender
October 2001
Banner photo: ©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO
Peace Forums
The peace forum in the Philippines
The 50th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai young women's division was celebrated by the young women of SGI-Philippines with the first Young Women's Peace Forum held on July 22. The forum was based on SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's 2001 peace proposal, "Creating and Sustaining a Century of Life: Challenges for the New Era." Its objective was to foster awareness of the importance of peace in young people and to inspire them to work toward the realization of a peaceful and harmonious society.
The forum consisted of a series of guest speakers voicing their reactions to the peace proposal, a summary of which was read out loud, and it also featured a choral recitation of Daisaku Ikeda's poem "Awit ng Kabataan" (Song of Youth). Supreme Commander Rogelio Quiambao of the Order of the Knights of Rizal delivered an inspirational message to the audience of nearly 1,000.
The guest speakers included a congressman and a congresswoman who suggested that the main challenges posed in the peace proposal--promoting peace, eradicating poverty and protecting the environment--should be included in the Philippine legislative agenda. They called on forum participants to take action to build peace in their local communities and with the environment, and concurred with Mr. Ikeda's assertion that women have a crucial role to play in promoting peace.
The Indian symposium
The anniversary of the young women's division was also celebrated in India, where the young women of Bharat Soka Gakkai held a symposium titled "Building a Century of Peace: The Role of Young Women." Prominent women in Indian society were speakers, including the headmistress of Delhi's most famous school and India's highest-ranking female police officer, who praised the SGI's peace activities, especially the prominence given to the contributions of women, and called on the 300 members and guests to involve themselves as much as possible in activities promoting peace.
