Non-observance of UN Interfaith Harmony Week in India!

एम

The United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week, observed every year across the world from February 1 to 7, has ended without observation in India this year 2023. The Interfaith Harmony Week has not been observed since 2014. People are not aware of it generally. This is largely because of communal, discriminatory, divisive and religious polarizing majoritarian Hindutva politics of the RSS Pariwar union government and its ruled state governments. This year’s theme was uniting for peace and the positive role that religious communities can play to save our planet. In this age of interdependence and interconnectedness at every level of human existence followers of religions or dharma have to accept that no spiritual system and cultural milieu can thrive in isolation/compartments. Believers or non-believers must transcend petty differences and conflicting doctrines to create a people’s movement of interfaith harmony. This is, indeed, important goal of all interfaith conferences and seminars. There was no buzz about interfaith harmony in the government, civil society, NGOs and institutions. 

The legacy of interfaith movement is traced to 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. Leaders of religions and laity have shown that harmonious relationships can be forged to live peacefully for tackling other major crises like poverty alleviation, gender imbalances, climate emergencies, conflicts and wars by building capacity through educational institutions and self services for the welfare of all. UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution in 2010 pointing out that mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of the culture of peace and established World Interfaith Harmony Week as a way to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith. Recognising the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people, the UNGA encourages all States to spread the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship during that week, on a voluntary basis and according to their own religious traditions or convictions. It calls on governments, institutions and civil society to observe it with various programmes and initiatives that would promote the World Interfaith Harmony Week objectives.

So far various platforms under the aegis of the United Nations have discussed, passed resolutions, charted action plan and taken pledges for implementation of interfaith harmony. All topics considered and decided included Building Bridges Across Boundaries, Interfaith, Prayer, Healing, and Community Services in the Cause of Peace, Tolerance, Reconciliation and Forgiveness, the Daspora- a Force for Positive Change, Common World Progress through Diversity, Interfaith Cooperation for Peace and Harmony, Promoting Dialogue  and Mutual Understanding among Religions and Civilisations, Building Interfaith Harmony within the International Community, Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilisations, Declaration and Programme of Action on Culture of Peace, Dialogue among Civilisations, Declaration for Principles on Tolerance, Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic , Religious and Linguistic Minorities, Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.

Besides, UN has been observing International Day of Human Fraternity, International Day for Tolerance, World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, International Day to Combat Islam phobia, International Day of Peace, International Day of Living Together in Peace, International Day of Non Violence, International Solidarity Day and so. Despite all such laudable efforts by the UN and nations throughout the world to to bring about a non-violent, peaceful and progressive milieu among the peoples,there is a great deal of lawlessness, rampant corruption and widespread unbelief that together are eating away the vitals of present society. It is necessary to assert and ensure that all of humanity is responsible for reversing these negative trends. In addition, in the emerging knowledge society triggered , people have made it possible to read any scriptures in one’s own tongue. Study of all holy books of different religions  cane help one to dispel blind faith to help each other build bridges of understanding among people, regardless of their spiritual background.

A dispassionate study of all religions strengthens the belief in the common set of core values in the teachings of every religion. These form the basis of a global ethic , the Golden Rule, a powerful guidelins for human behavior that istils courage to reject prejudices of every kind. The rising fires of religious prejudices calls for decicive action against fanaticism and intolerance. The crisis demands of religious leaderships for a break with the past as decicive as that which opened the way for society to address equally corrosive prejudices of caste, race, gender and nation. Ruling elites, be they religious or religion neutral, must make no more serious errors than to imagine that the power they have manged to arrogate to themselves provides an enduring bulwark against relentless tides of historical change. May the World Interfaith Harmony  Week become a turning point in the history of civilisations  and unite the world as also the fractious  people of India for peace and progress!

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