SEVILLE: While world media continued to report on conflict ranging from the Middle East to Chechnya, more than 40 religious leaders from around the globe met quietly in the southern Spanish city of Seville in an attempt to resolve the religious dimension of violence on Monday.
Leaders representing Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism launched a new collaborative board, and discussed hostility and hospitality between the different faiths.
While the media highlight religious conflict, “many important initiatives” are also being taken to promote understanding, said Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, director of the Jerusalem-headquartered Elijah Interfaith Academy.
The conference established a board of directors for the Elijah Interfaith Academy, which will be advised by representatives of the five religions, Goshen-Gottstein said.
Founded in 1996, the UNESCO-sponsored academy stages academic programmes and other events to promote interfaith exchanges.
“Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism find it easier to recognize the legitimacy of other religions,” Goshen-Gottstein explained. Tolerance “is built into their fabric. But is harder” for Christians, Muslims and Jews.
Yet the monotheistic religions born in the Middle East also have “theological resources which can help them make space for other religions”, according to Goshen-Gottstein.
“Islam, for instance, has the concept of the People of the Book,” a category embracing Christians and Jews as well as Muslims.
“Christians have the concept of the seeds of truth,” the idea that other religions also contain elements of truth, Goshen-Gottstein explained.
The region of Andalusia and the city of Seville hosted the meeting in the capital of Andalusia, where Christians, Muslims and Jews lived in a relative harmony until Spain expelled people professing faiths other than Christianity five centuries ago.
Participants included Sheikh Mohammed Hisham Kabbani representing Islam, from the Islamic Supreme Council of America, representative for Hinduism Sri Ravi Shankar, US presiding Episcopal bishop Frank Griswold and representatives of the Dalai Lama.—dpa