wfn.org | LWI 2009-039 LWF General Secretary Challenges Faith Communities to Reject Islamophobia

["LWFNews" <LWFNews@lutheranworld.org>]

>LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION  
>LWI News online:
>http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html 

LWF General Secretary Challenges Faith Communities to Reject
Islamophobia 

World Religious Leaders Meet at Kazakhstan Summit

ASTANA, Kazakhstan/GENEVA, 10 July 2009 (LWI) – Rev. Dr
Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF), has urged the world's religious communities to reject
Islamophobia.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Third Congress of
Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held 1-2 July in
Astana, Kazakhstan, Noko acknowledged that "unhealed memories
caused by ignorance, prejudice, injustice, domination and
oppression continue to trouble relations between even some of us
in this room."

He noted, however, that each gathering of the Congress brought
the religious leaders deeper into relationship with one another
and sent a message to the world of the potential of
interreligious dialogue and cooperation for peace.

United States President Barack Obama's outreach to the Muslim
world, moving away from the language of the "war against terror,"
was "a hopeful sign towards the healing of memories," Noko said.
"I hope that it will be met with openness and affirmation by
political and religious leaders of Muslim communities." 

But Obama's overture "also challenges other religious
communities to reject Islamophobia," he emphasized. "We need to
move from speeches to action."

Over 400 people in 77 delegations from 35 countries representing
all the world’s main religions attended the Congress. Special
guests and representatives from international organizations such
as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization also participated. During
Noko's weeklong stay in Kazakhstan, he held talks with Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbayev. 

Opening the summit, Nazarbayev said interfaith dialogue is an
important instrument to counter religiously inspired violence,
and urged participants to unite to create a non-nuclear world.

The Congress addressed the question of moral and spiritual
values, world ethics, dialogue and cooperation, and solidarity in
times of crisis.

"In today's world, [humankind] is left with no other option but
to engage in dialogue and interaction," said Dr Mahdi Mostafavi,
leader of the Iranian delegation and chair of the Centre for
Interreligious Dialogue in Teheran. "The role of religious
leaders in facilitating and expediting such interactions and
dialogues is of great significance." 

The tri-annual Congress is held in the Pyramid of Peace and
Accord, designed by British architect Norman Foster in the form
of an Egyptian pyramid. 

Noko told Lutheran World Information (LWI) that the next
Congress would be crucial. 

"Some degree of dialogue and exchange has started, but it is not
enough," he said. "We need next time to have some kind of
guidelines on how we talk to each other. Remember these are
religious people, with very strong personalities."

He believes the Congress must address the question, "What does
dialogue mean if the goal is peace?" (456 words)

A contribution by LWI correspondent Anli Serfontein, who
attended the Congress in Astana as a member of the LWF
delegation.

>*        *          *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of 68.5 million. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information
service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not
represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various
units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.] 

>LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
>P. O. Box 2100 CH-1211 
>Geneva 2 Switzerland

>Tel.: +41/22-791 63 69 
>Fax: +41/22-791 66 30