Respect other views
THECape Town Interfaith Initiative (CTII) believes that people who espouse different faith traditions, or no faith tradition, share a humanity that must be acknowledged and respected.
We mourn the suffering and deaths of all people in conflicts mistakenly motivated and perpetrated by religious zealots. We call on all who value their faith to grant the same right and privilege to all others.
Faith traditions should never be abused to justify or motivate inhumane behaviour. When that happens, it is a corruption of the very nature of the faith tradition.
South Africans have seen how abused belief systems can deceive generations, and lead to great misery. We have also seen how the slow upward curve of human rights eventually prevails.
In our deeply divided global family, rather than contribute to any side in these conflicts, we all have the responsibility to bring calm to these fraught situations and to maintain the centre of our various traditions in mutual respect. Our children will hold us to account if we fail.
We especially call on all supporters and participants on all sides of the present conflicts in the regions of Israel/Gaza, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia and Kenya to consider that they may be acting contrary to their religious values.
We call on supporters of and participants in these conflicts to question the motivation for their action; then, to enter into dialogue with the cocombatants, and to end the conflict so that the fundamental humanity of all people may be recognised and celebrated.
Finally, in the words of The Charter for Compassion, we call upon all men and women to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion, to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate, to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures, to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity, to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings – even those regarded as enemies. Rev Gordon Oliver Chairperson Cape Town Interfaith Initiative