The Poetic Heart: Connecting Humanity
January 2008
Banner photo: ©Natural Selection Craig Tuttle/Design Pics/Corbis
Day of Peace in Singapore
Bhangra dancers
[SSA]
On September 21, the Singapore Soka Association (SSA) cosponsored an event titled "May Peace Prevail on Earth" to commemorate the International Day of Peace, together with Mercy Relief, Jamiyah Singapore, the Young Sikh Association and the Inter-Religious Organization. The United Nations designated September 21 as the International Day of Peace in 2001, with the aim of "strengthening the ideals of peace and alleviating tensions and causes of conflicts."
Some 200 people from various religious and civic organizations gathered at the SSA Friendship Hall for an interfaith exchange. Mercy Relief Chair T. K. Udairam welcomed the participants, stating they had come together from a broad cross section of cultures, religions and ethnicities "to say in unison that we have chosen peace."
Professor Tham Seong Chee, president of the United Nations Association of Singapore, reminded the participants that "Ensuring peace and preserving it is everyone's concern."
An eight-minute video, "Peace One Day," recounted British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley's efforts to establish the International Day of Peace.
