Constructive Responses to September 11
January 2002
Banner photo: ©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO
Interfaith Symposiums
The dialogue at the SGI-USA East Los Angeles Community Center
A "Dialogue Among Four Great Religions" took place in Vienna, Austria, on September 15, bringing together over 20 religious scholars representing Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism.
In his opening remarks, Felix Unger, president of the symposium's sponsor, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA), spoke of the acts of terrorism in the U.S. that had claimed thousands of innocent lives just days before the meeting. The attacks, he said, have resulted in specialists in Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism around the world being called upon to discover the universal values that are shared by all faiths.
Speaking as a Buddhist, Yoichi Kawada, director of the SGI-affiliated Institute of Oriental Philosophy, emphasized the need for compassionate actions for peace that sever the chains of violence. George Baudler, an expert on Islam at the University of Aachen, explained that all major religions share the view that violent retaliation only proliferates reprisal and must be avoided at all costs. He recapitulated the group's consensus that promoting dialogue is the only recourse to preventing and diffusing armed conflicts.
The symposium in Vienna, Austria
Meanwhile, in Caracas, Venezuela, on October 11, representatives of five of the world's major religions--Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Baha'i and Buddhism--gathered in an interfaith conference organized by University of Simon Bolívar. Ramon Regalado, general director of SGI-Venezuela, speaking as a representative of Buddhism, said there is a direct correlation between the magnitude of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. and the impoverishment of human spirituality worldwide.
On November 4, "A Dialogue on Peace--An Islamic and Buddhist Perspective," sponsored by SGI-USA, was held at the SGI-USA East Los Angeles Community Center and attended by 150 people. Many Muslim residents in the area participated in the discussion that focused on the Islamic and Buddhist principles of peace. Participants expressed their satisfaction at being able to deepen their understanding of each other's religion through a question-and-answer session. Howayda Aly of the Muslim Public Affairs Council explained Islam's teachings of religious tolerance, and Waheda Syed of Masjid Gibrael addressed questions of gender equality in Islam, saying that Islamic teachings give women full spiritual and intellectual freedom.
On November 11, SGI-USA sponsored a panel discussion promoting interfaith dialogue at the SGI-USA New York Culture Center. The forum commemorated the United Nations' "International Year of Dialogue among Civilizations." Representatives of Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism participated in a discussion on "Creating the Ethical Foundations for a Culture of Peace."
