Time is now to appeal to the world for peace, spiritual leaders urged
ASTANA (Kazakhstan): harmony and tolerance.
These words echoed through the halls of the Palace of Independence at the 6th Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions at the capital city of Kazakhstan yesterday.
Eighty-two delegations from 46 countries representing the world’s religions gathered for the two-day event, which carried the theme “Religious Leaders for a Secure World”.
Its objectives are to seek universal guidelines among world and traditional religions, and to be a platform for international interfaith dialogue.
In his keynote address, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said the congress was an important platform in the wake of growing turbulence in the world, sparked by distrust, hostility and conflict.
He said a safe world could not be achieved solely by the efforts of the United Nations Security Council.
“Today, all of us, including religious and public figures, as well as politicians, must do our bit to overcome the global crisis of confidence.”
He said Kazakhstan presented a good model for different cultures, religions and societies to live in peace and harmony, through mutual respect as well as constructive cooperation of political and religious leaders.
“More than 3,500 religious places of worship of 18 different faiths are registered in Kazakhstan. With such diversity, we are able to find a balance between ensuring national security and protecting religious freedom.”
He said the time was now for using the potential of spiritual leaders and religious organisations to establish a constructive dialogue between conflicting parties.
“I suggest to all spiritual leaders to appeal to the world community for peace and security.”
The congress, which takes place every three years since 2003, has engaged prominent religious leaders and politicians from different countries around most pressing issues. By 2015, the number of delegations attending had increased from 23 to 80.
High-profile attendees included then UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon, King Abdullah of Jordan and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed.
Discussions centred on the role of religion in promoting development and measures to reduce appeal of violent extremism among young people.