Christians and Muslims join leaders from other major religions in the Global Interfaith Dialogue to be held on Friday, Jan. 27, by the Centrist Democrat International (CDI). CDI Asia-Pacific, the region’s first political organization, will also be launched on the same day.
Speaker Jose de Venecia, president of the host Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), said the dialogue is aimed at fostering multi-cultural and multi-religious understanding and tolerance that could help avert politico-religious tensions in the world’s trouble spots.
The chairman of the organizing committee, Francis Manglapus, said among those converging in Manila include the former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid; Libya’s Dr. Mohamed Sherif, secretary general of the World Islamic Call Society; Saudi Arabia’s Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsin AlTurki, secretary general of the World Muslim League; and Sen. Mushahid Hussai Seyed, secretary general of the Pakistani Muslim League.
They will be joined by eminent religious personalities such as Dr. Tong Chan Wah (Taoist); An-Wu Lin (Confucianist); Dr. Hamdi Mohammad Murad Murad, Islamic researcher and scholar; Chief Imam Cheilkh Assane Cisse (Sufi), president of the African-American Islamic Institute; Taj Hamad (Sufi), secretary general of the World Association of Non-Government Organizations; Dr. Namdra Jain; Dr. Mohinder Singh (Sikh), director of Bhai Vir Singh Sahitva Sadan; Phra Dhamakosacarva (Buddhist); Yogiratna Ranjeet (Hindu), and Rabbi Itzhak Bar-Dea of Israel.
The Universal Peace Federation is sending a delegation composed of Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak, chairman; Dr. Thomas Walsh, secretary-general; and Dr. Christopher Kim and Julia Kim of UPF Asia.
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