 |
|
February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
July 8, 2004
/ 19 Tamuz, 5764
Can a parliament of leaders from traditional religions and those with a more New Age flavor save the world from itself?
By
Geneive Abdo
A dispatch from the religious globalization spiritual summit. Yes, that's a mouthful!
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
(KRT) BARCELONA, Spain — Learned Muslim clerics, Buddhist monks and Roman Catholic cardinals rarely find themselves in the same place at the same time with gurus, cult followers and mystics. But the Parliament of World's Religions, now convening a weeklong conference here, is out to change all that.
Call it religious globalization or spiritual summitry. The Chicago-based organization expects to draw about 6,500 religious leaders, activists and followers of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam to the assembly. Billed as part of a "cultural Olympics," the conference is being held on the grounds of the 100-acre site of the "Universal Forum of Cultures," a more secular, 5-month-long humanities festival that began in May along Barcelona's sea front.
The world's great faiths have certainly interacted in the past. But in gathering traditional religions with those of a more New Age flavor, the parliament is seeking written commitments from the faithful to help tackle four worldwide problems: refugees, water shortages, religious violence and increasing debt.
"The hallmark of the conference is to help put a human face on these four issues," said the Rev. Dirk Ficca, executive director of the parliament. "I will tell you candidly there are these big gatherings all over the world where people tend to go and talk. But we hope for a litany of commitments. A church or synagogue, for example, can go home and host a refugee family."
At the opening assembly Wednesday evening, thousands gathered to listen to chanting Buddhist monks, dressed in orange and red tunics. Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer and human-rights activist who won this year's Nobel Peace prize, gave the keynote address.
"Human rights can be achieved only through democracy," said Ebadi, a longstanding critic of the authoritarian rule of Iran's hard-line clerics. "But democracy also requires a framework. A majority has no right to govern as they please."
Skeptics have criticized previous parliaments for engaging in too much talk and ritual, producing few remedies for the world's problems. But the parliament leaders note that the organization has no legislative authority; the group has sought instead to set a worldwide moral and religious agenda.
The first parliament session was held in Chicago in 1893, thought to be the first time Jews, Catholics, Bahais and Hindus engaged in official dialogue. A century later, the second parliament was held, again in Chicago, and a third in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1999.
At a time of rising Islamic extremism around the world and the war in Iraq, the parliament's organizers are under more pressure to produce action. Discussions will include seminars on Islam's relationship with the West and how a Muslim can practice the faith while living in a Western country. Renowned speakers, including best-selling author Karen Armstrong and Islamic intellectual Tareq Ramadan, who will begin a tenured post at the University of Notre Dame this fall, will lead these seminars.
"As we know, Islam is the target of criticism, and Muslims should explain what they stand for and reach out to the average people. This is my aim," said Ramadan, a Muslim cleric who is the grandson of Hasan al-Banna, the Egyptian thinker who founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928.
[Today the Muslim Brotherhood is regarded by many as terrorist friendly]
Spain was chosen in 2002 as the venue for the parliament, long before the March 11 attacks in Madrid, when Islamic terrorists blew up four packed commuter trains, killing 190 people. The explosions, the worst in Europe in 15 years, make Barcelona an appropriate place for discussing Islam and violence in religion, said parliament organizers, though some would-be participants canceled plans to attend out of fear of further attacks.
"It is interesting how Spain has reacted differently than the United States did to September 11," said Ficca. "I find great sophistication here, even among people on the street, about the difference between Muslims and terrorists. There is greater recognition that there are complex reasons driving terrorism that cannot be solved by waging war."
Leaders of the parliament were asked at a news conference Wednesday how their interfaith dialogue in Barcelona could promote world peace.
"The parliament will not dictate to the world what to do," said Lally Lucretia Warren, a parliament leader from Botswana. "But religion is the chief instrument through which order is established in the world."
Despite an emphasis on working to promote peace, much of Wednesday was devoted to symbolism. Activists lit the World Peace Flame, created in 1999 when seven peacemakers on five continents lit seven peace flames that were flown across the world and later united into one.
They also planted a peace tree on the grounds of the Forum.
Some activists wondered whether the pomp and symbolism would turn to substance over the coming week. The week's schedule is packed with sessions on everything from the value of meditation to Sufi psychology. The seminars include titles such as, "Transforming Inter-Faith Dialogue: A Pathway to Peace," and "The way of the Saints: The Path of Personal Transformation through Meditation."
David Johnston, a Chicago native who now lives in Colorado, helped run the last parliament in South Africa. He said he thinks previous gatherings were dedicated to taking practical action to solve the problems facing the world, rather than engaging in interfaith dialogue.
"Preaching to the choir and chanting in a circle won't change the planet," he said, pointing to the hill in the distance, where about 400 people gathered to plant the peace tree.
"Only when religious groups involve governments and business can they hope to take practical steps to change things," he said.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington
and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Geneive Abdo is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. To comment, please click here.
© 2004, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services
|
