THE WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK OBSERVANCE AT THE UNITED NATIONS ON FEBRUARY 7, 2014 3 PM-5:30 PM The United African Congress and Give Them a Hand Foundation observed the interfaith harmony week for the third year in a row by organizing an interfaith forum at the UN. They were joined by new collaborating partners this year; the Nusantara Foundation, the Buddha s Light International Association and the Diaspora Touch. The Ethiopian and Indonesian Missions to the United Nations once again cosponsored the event. Brief background of our participation Before an assessment of this year s proceedings can be made, it might be helpful to look back at the genesis of our participation in this program. On October 20, 2010 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (A65/5) declaring the first week of February each year as World Interfaith Harmony Week. In a world beset by internecine wars, religion often invoked as a reason, the call could not have been timelier. The leaders of the United African Congress and Give Them a Hand Foundation discussing the GA Resolution were struck at the time by the observation of harmonious coexistence in NY City of otherwise warring groups in their home countries: Muslims and Hindus, Bosnians and Serbs, Irish Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Palestinians to cite a few examples. It is then that it occurred to us that the Diaspora experience has a role to play in promoting interfaith and interethnic harmony and peace. Our proposal to participate in the observance of World Interfaith Harmony Week with the theme: the Diaspora, a Force for Positive Change was accepted and we held our first Interfaith Harmony Forum at the United Nations on Feb 6, 2012. The Ethiopian Mission to the United Nations graciously accepted our invitation to sponsor the event. This was well attended and generated intense interest among the participants and the audience who urged us to continue this effort. In late 2013 Hurricane Sandy left in its wake untold devastation and misery with hundreds of homes, businesses and infrastructure destroyed in NYC metropolitan area. Our two organizations reached out to the various immigrant and faith communities as well as UN staff and mobilized over 300 volunteers; Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jews working side by side in an interfaith collaborative effort to help victims of Sandy. Imam Shamsi Ali and Venerable Chueh Chuen in particular should be commended for taking a leading role in mobilizing and leading a large contingent of volunteers from their communities 1
and also joined our two organizations in raising $7000.00 in voluntary contributions which was officially delivered to the Mayor s Hurricane Relief Fund at City Hall. It was this experience that provided the theme for our 2013 Forum- Cooperation between Peoples of Different Faiths, Beliefs and Cultures for the Greater Good of the Community. We were delighted to have the Indonesian Mission to the UN join the Ethiopian Mission as cosponsor. The participation of a traditional African faith leader who flew in from Guinea in our view provided an added value of inclusiveness to the deliberations and attracted more than 400 attendees. He was well received. We intend to include faith traditions and values of indigenous peoples in our future forums. 2014 World Interfaith Harmony Week Observance The outpouring of grief throughout the world that followed the death of Nelson Mandela was for the most part in recognition of his strong belief that forgiveness and reconciliation be the path to South Africa s freedom and its democratic future in which all South Africans regardless of color would enjoy the same rights. His nonviolent struggle against Apartheid, was eventually crowned with victory and in the process was even able to liberate some of his oppressors from their depraved ideology and helped them negotiate the peaceful dismantling of the system. The widely held fear of a racial bloodbath was avoided and a democratic multiracial society of South Africa under the careful tutelage of Nelson Mandela emerged instead. It was therefore in recognition of Mandela s legacy that we made this year s theme: Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Tolerance. This year, as in the past two years, we had leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist faiths. Invitation was extended to a Sikh faith community leader to participate as a panelist but unfortunately the UN security requirements could not be met in a timely and mutually acceptable fashion. Hopefully a resolution may be found so as to enable their participation in future years. We had also hoped a Native American spiritual leader to participate but time got in the way of finalizing the arrangement. This year s forum followed the format of previous two proceedings. Participants at this year s forum were: HE Ambassador Tekeda Alemu, Permanent Representative of the Ethiopian Mission to the UN HE Ambassador Desra Percaya, Permanent Representative of the Indonesian Mission to the UN Imam Shamsi Ali, Chairman of the Al-Hikmah Mosque, Imam and Director of the Jamaica Muslim Center Venerable Chueh Chuan Shui, Abbess of the International Buddhist Progress Society Reverend Patricia Tai, Pastor at the Calvary Apostolic Church and CEO of Soaring Eagles Team, Brooklyn Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President of the Hindu Temple of New York Imam Hussein Amadu Ibrahim, Imam at the West Bronx Jame Masjid & Islamic Center of America Dr. Rosemarie Pace, Director of Pax Christi of Metro New York 2
Mr. Will Eastman, Executive Director of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU). Special Guest-Honorable Leticia James, Public Advocate of the City of New York Moderator/MC Gordon Tapper, Chairman Give Them a Hand Foundation Moderator, Cheryl Wills, NY 1 Anchor and author of the bestselling book Die Free The program was called to order at 3:15 PM by Dr. Mohammed Nurhussein, Chairman of the United African Congress and made brief opening remarks before passing the microphone to Mr. Gordon Tapper, Chairman of the Give Them a Hand Foundation who served as MC/Moderator for the first segment of the program. He introduced HE Ambassador Tekeda Alemu and HE Ambassador Desra Percaya, the cosponsors of the interfaith forum. In his Welcoming remarks, Ambassador Tekeda Alemu referred to the two earlier forums, expressed his continued support for such an interfaith dialogue and touched on the history of Ethiopia as a multicultural society with many ethnic and religious backgrounds living in harmony. He called on participants not to allow the voices of extremist radical elements in each religion to drown out the voices of the majority who want to live in peace and harmony with each other. Ambassador Desra Percaya started his remarks by expressing his pleasure to be a cosponsor and voiced a strong support for the interfaith dialogue. He touched on Indonesia s multicultural experience with hundreds of languages and traditions living side by side in peace. He reiterated that Indonesia was proud of its ethnic and religious diversity and that unity in diversity is enshrined in its national motto. He encouraged the organizers and forum participants to pursue this worthwhile effort. The MC then called on the faith leaders to lead us in prayer of no more than a minute for each religion. Rev Tai (Christian), Imam Hussein (Muslim), Dr. Mysorekar (Hindu), Venerable Chueh Chuan (Buddhist) and Mr. Will Eastman (Jewish) each prayed for the success of the interfaith dialogue citing appropriate references in their respective scriptures. This was followed by statements, (3-4min.) what each religion says about interfaith harmony with special references to tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation. Speaking were Imam Shamsi Ali (Muslim), Dr. Rosemarie Pace (Catholic/Pax Christi), Venerable Chueh Chuan (Buddhist), Will Eastman (Jewish) and Dr. Mysorekar (Hindu). It is remarkable how the teachings of all participating religions were similar each emphasizing love of God, love of Neighbor and shared human values. The second Segment was moderated by Cheryl Wills, TV Anchor NY 1. Before inviting audience participation, the Moderator (Cheryl Wills) asked of the panelists what each would do to promote tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation as a practical everyday experience among the diverse communities of New York City and beyond. 3
Imam Shamsi Ali responded that he has been, with his Jewish friend, promoting Muslim-Jewish understanding in the City and throughout the world organizing joint programs. Dr. Pace drew on her experience at Pax Christi in New York and around the world as well as her involvement in interfaith activities in Queens with her Hindu Colleague Dr. Mysorekar. The moderator also asked Public Advocate Leticia James if she would publicly pledge support for a huge Interfaith Family Day gathering in Central Park as one of several concrete plans the organizers have proposed and was earlier alluded to by Mr. Gordon Tapper in the first segment of the program. The Public Advocate assured all present that she would do everything in her power as a City s Public Advocate to cut through bureaucratic red tape to make it happen. She also added her vision for New York City and voiced her commitment to working with the diversified immigrant communities in the City. Dr. Nurhussein introduced Mambo Dowoti Desir, a highly regarded voodoo priestess and former professor of Africana Studies at Brooklyn College who was in the audience and was asked to take a minute or two to educate the participants about the Afro Atlantic faith traditions among which is Voodoo which often is misunderstood in the West. She described the West African origin of faith practices such as Voodoo and Santeria and is based primarily on calling on the spirits of the ancestors for guidance. She bemoaned the marginalization of traditional beliefs and practices of indigenous peoples. She felt that she should have been invited to sit in the panel as a full participant. Then followed speakers from the Zulu Nation and members of Ras Tafari movement echoing Dowoti Desir s statements. They also felt their voices need to be heard and should be invited to the next forum as full participants if it is to be truly interfaith and inclusive. Another voice that was heard loud and clear was that of the youth, one of whom spoke about the lack of youth engagement in these proceedings and made an impassioned plea to reach out to the youth. Mr. Tapper who was moderating at this time suggested in his response that perhaps the format may have to be expanded to accommodate as many participants as possible; a 1-2 day conference may be an option and will be looked into. Hon Sidique Wai, President and Chief Spokesperson of the United African Congress, during his intervention from the floor reminded participants that HE Ambassador Tekeda Alemu and HE Ambassador Desra Percaya should be commended and recognized for their leadership in providing a respectable forum and platform at the UN for Civil Society to speak truth to power. He then spoke of the concrete activities that organizers and participants can engage in, such as holding interfaith sports and cultural activities in the communities throughout the year in addition to the proposed Interfaith Family Day in Central Park in the summer. In their closing remarks both Ambassador Alemu and Ambassador Percaya thanked the organizers and the faith leaders for their dedication and commitment to promoting interfaith harmony and exhorted the participants and the general audience to remain committed and be the agents of tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation to promote peace and understanding among the various faiths and cultures around the world. 4
Dorothy Davis, Chairperson of Diaspora Touch, one of the partnering NGOs organizing the forum thanked the two distinguished diplomats from Ethiopia and Indonesia who sat throughout the proceedings with intense interest, intervening from time to time with their incisive comments and wise counsel, the participants in the interfaith dialogue for their invaluable contributions and the audience for the lively and at times animated discussions their questions and comments engendered. The 2014 Interfaith Harmony Program came to close at 6 PM. Mohammed A. Nurhussein, M.D., Chairman United African Congress Gordon Tapper, President Give Them a Hand Foundation Sidique A. Wai Sidique A. Wai President and National Spokesperson for the United African Congress 5