HOLY LAND RELIGIOUS LEADERS WORK FOR PEACE: WCRP A PARTNER IN COLLABORATION

An important step has been taken towards assisting the religious leaders in the Middle East in their efforts to collaborate for peace. The Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace George Carey, a WCRP co-president, convened a representative group of Palestinian Muslims, Christian leaders and Israeli rabbis. This group was hosted in Alexandria, Egypt by H.E. Sheikh Tantawi of Al-Azhar University on 20-21 January. Among other key participants were WCRP co-president Rabbi David Rosen.

This historic gathering produced an important statement of commitment.  The attendees also agreed to establish a permanent committee of leaders from the three traditions that will engage with politicians in efforts to settle the questions of independence for Palestine and the status of Jerusalem. WCRP was asked to serve as co-facilitator of the follow up work for the group.

A follow up meeting was held last week in Jerusalem. The Archbishop of Canterbury once again offered his excellent good offices in helping the group take another step. While in the Holy Land, members of the group, including His Grace and Dr. William Vendley, met with Chairman Arafat who offered his strong support. Similar expressions of support have also been offered by his Israeli counterparts. Additional meetings both in the regions and abroad are in the planning stages. While in Jerusalem Dr. Vendley worked with Rabbi Rosen, Rabbi Ron Kronish and Mr. Robin Twite of our Israeli chapter to help build a follow up staff.

WCRP welcomes comments and content suggestions for the Secretary General’s Updates. Members are encouraged to submit information of a publishable quality to:
Director of Communications, World Conference on Religion and Peace
777 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
E-mail: info@wcrp.org
Tel: (212) 687-2163 Ext. 23; Fax: (212) 983-0566.

THE FIRST ALEXANDRIA DECLARATION OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE HOLY LAND

January 21, 2002

In the Name of God who is Almighty, Merciful and Compassionate, we, who have gathered as religious leaders from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, pray for true peace in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and declare our commitment to ending the violence and bloodshed that denies the right to life and dignity.

According to our faith traditions, killing innocents in the name of God is a desecration of his Holy Name, and defames religion in the world. The violence in the Holy Land is an evil which must be opposed by all people of good faith. We seek to live together as neighbours, respecting the integrity of each other’s historical and religious inheritance. We call upon all to oppose incitement, hatred and the misrepresentation of the other.

1. The Holy Land is Holy to all three of our faiths. Therefore, followers of the divine religions must respect its sanctity, and bloodshed must not be allowed to pollute it. The sanctity and integrity of the Holy Places must be preserved, and freedom of religious worship must be ensured for all.

2. Palestinians and Israelis must respect the divinely ordained purposes of the Creator by whose grace they live in the same land that is called Holy.

3. We call on the political leaders of both parties to work for a just, secure and durable solution in the spirit of the words of the Almighty and the Prophets.

4. As a first step now, we call for a religiously sanctioned cease-fire, respected and observed on all sides, and for the implementation of the Mitchell and Tenet recommendations, including the lifting of restrictions and a return to negotiations.

5. We seek to help create an atmosphere where present and future generations will co-exist with mutual respect and trust in the other. We call on all to refrain from incitement and demonization, and to educate our future generations accordingly.

6. As religious leaders, we pledge ourselves to continue a joint quest for a just peace that leads to reconciliation in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, for the common good of all our peoples.

7. We announce the establishment of a permanent joint committee to carry out the recommendations of this declaration, and to engage with our respective political leadership accordingly.

PEACE FOR ISRAEL & PALESTINE WCRP INTERNATIONAL HOSTS MULTI-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

A political settlement to end the current conflict between Israel and Palestine can only succeed if it is accompanied by efforts to increase respect and understanding among Jews, Muslims and Christians in the region, three leaders of multi-religious dialogue in Israel said during a symposium hosted by the World Conference on Religion and Peace in New York on 1 February.

"Politicians may someday be able to end this conflict by signing a piece of paper," said the Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, the Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem, "but peace will only come when Jews, Muslims and Christians learn to tolerate each other’s presence in the land we share and recognize the good that lies within us all. It is through education that we will build a future that is different from the past."

Added Dr. Muhammed Hourani, a Muslim who is Coordinator of the Center for Peace and Reconciliation at the Shalom Hartman Institute, "If we hope to build peace among all the groups who are competing for power and dominance in our land, we must first learn to approach each other as equals. We must end the cycle of fear and hatred that leads people of our different traditions to stereotype one another and lay the blame for our troubles at another’s feet."

Like his fellow panelists, Dr. Ron Kronish, Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, hailed as a major step forward a meeting held January 20-21 in Alexandria, Egypt, that brought together key representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths from the Holy Land and resulted in a declaration of their mutual commitment to a just and lasting peace. >Attendees agreed to establish a permanent committee of leaders from the three traditions that will engage with politicians in efforts to settle the questions of independence for Palestine and the status of Jerusalem.

"Based on what we witnessed in Alexandria, I think there’s no question that religious leaders can make a huge difference in reviving the peace talks and helping them toward a successful conclusion," Kronish said. "What religions can do is bring people together, to help them recognize that Judaism, Islam and Christianity share an enormous capacity for understanding and reconciliation.

"Our religions, our traditions are not the problem," he added. "It’s religious people who are the problem, when they act in misguided ways or misread their sacred texts in ways that allow them to claim to be acting in the name of their faith. But let us be clear: There is no justification in any of our traditions for this violence."

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