Skip to content | Change text size
 

Tolerance and world peace explored at Monash

30 August 2006

The Bangladeshi State Minister for Religion, the Honourable Mr Mosharef Hossain Shahjahan, was one of two keynote speakers at an interfaith roundtable discussion held at Monash last week.

Representatives from a range of faiths met at Monash last week to discuss world peace and tolerance at an interfaith roundtable.

The Bangladeshi State Minister for Religion, the Honourable Mr Mosharef Hossain Shahjahan, and Rabbi David Rosen were keynote speakers. They discussed the role of faith, the church, the state, education and other institutions.

Mr Mosharef, who is also President of the Bangladesh chapter of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace, said that although no religion taught violence or encouraged hatred towards others, it was difficult to think of any kind of crime that had not been committed in the name of religion.

"The bombs, rockets and bullets used by conflicting forces have no religious identity yet destroy all faiths," he said. "In this predicament, a lasting and peaceful society is impossible unless the clashing faiths are reconciled.

"This could be, and should be, done through knowledge, dialogue and demonstration of the fact that love, compassion and selflessness and the inner force of truthfulness ultimately have greater power than hatred, enmity and self-interest."

Rabbi David Rosen, President of the International Jewish Committee, was a keynote speaker at the interfaith roundtable discussion on world peace and tolerance.

Rabbi Rosen, who is President of the International Jewish Committee that represents world Jewry in its relations with other religions and a papal Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great, said it was crucially important to engineer respect between various religions and faiths.

"I think politicians are starting to realise that you have to take religion seriously," he said. "If you don't want religion to be part of the problem, it has to be part of the solution -- you can't ignore religion and hope that it will go away."

Other speakers from Buddhist, Hindu, Anglican, Catholic, Muslim and Jewish faiths also participated in the roundtable discussion, which was attended by a diverse and interested audience.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Larkins presented the opening address, and Head of the School of Social and Political Inquiry Professor Gary Bouma chaired the second session.