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| Sunday, 1 June 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Building communal harmony Prof. C. G. Weeramantry on achieving communal unity Interviewed by ASIFF HUSSEIN Q: As one who has had much experience in peace activism and conflict resolution, what do you think is the biggest obstacle to the pursuit of peace today? A: It has always been my belief that most of the problems in the world today are due to the lack of understanding by one group of the culture and traditions of the other. I feel that there should be a greater understanding between human communities and that this should begin from school level upwards. Thus far, education has tended to be largely mono-cultural and a concerted effort is necessary to impart to youth a broader education which should make them realise that they are not only citizens of their own country, but also of the larger world. This is probably the first generation in history that has grown up against a background of world citizenship and it is our duty to prepare them for that role, for unless we do so the future will be very bleak. Such education should cut across the whole spectrum of community life, whether in education centres, religious gatherings and even town halls. There has got to be an input of this kind of information in all such institutions and this should begin right now. When you look at people in the USA, Europe and other countries, you will find that they know less and less about the cultures of other peoples and this is paradoxical in an age when the diffusion of knowledge has been easier than ever before. Q: How do you propose to promote inter-cultural understanding, especially among youth ? A: It is central to my thesis that there exists a certain common trend in all the great traditions of the world and that if you analyse them deeply you will find that they all agree with regard to certain fundamentals. For instance, the unity of the human family, the equality of all human beings, the infinite value of human life, the principle of tolerance and non-aggression, the concept of justice as integral to peace and the peaceful resolution of disputes. For example, you will find that all great religions of the world speak of the unity of the human race. Buddhism was one of the earliest religions to teach the oneness of humanity and sought to explain in detail that all differences such as physical appearances and other attributes were quite inconsequential. The Buddha rejected the social hierarchy of the caste system and expressly stated that birth did not confer any superiority such as is reflected in his famous saying "It is not by birth that one becomes a Brahmin, but by deeds". Likewise in Islam, the believers are taught to look upon others as constituting the community of mankind. The Farewell Sermon of the Prophet, one of the greatest human rights documents of all time, spoke of this oneness of humanity in ringing terms "The aristocracy of yore is trampled under my feet. The Arab has no superiority over the non-Arab and the non-Arab has no superiority over the Arab. All are children of Adam and Adam was made from earth". Likewise Christianity teaches that all are children of one God and that all are cast in his image. Hinduism teaches that every human being is a spark of the divine and emanates from a central source to which they will eventually return. For instance, the Bhagavad Gita says that God makes his dwelling in the hearts of all humans. As for tolerance, you will find that all great traditions are agreed on this. Buddhism places much emphasis on tolerance and you will find that in the Mahasilava Jataka the King should not use force even in the face of aggression, but should convince the enemy by his behaviour. Similarly, the edicts of Asoka have it that one must not disparage the sect of another since the beliefs of others also deserve reverence. In the Bhagavad Gita we read "Like the bee gathering honey from different flowers, the wise man accepts the essence of different scriptures". As for Christianity, it is said in the Lord's Prayer "Forgive us our trespassers" where you ask God to forgive you "as we forgive them who trespass against us" and that is the only standard of forgiveness that you can ask God to extend to you. Likewise Jesus implored his followers to "turn the other cheek" and cried out on the cross "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do". Islam likewise teaches forgiveness in the face of provocation. For instance, the Quran declares "Those who master their anger and forgive others, God loves the doers of good". There is also the concept of justice as the basis of peace agreed to by all great traditions. All are agreed that peace does not merely mean the absence of war, but also the prevalence of justice. Buddhism places much emphasis on this idea and one can gather from the edicts of Asoka that he sought to establish a kingdom of peace based upon the principle of justice for every citizen. He even went to the extent of appointing censors of piety whose duty it was to travel the length and breadth of the Kingdom and see that justice was dispensed. Likewise Hinduism speaks of the importance of justice and righteousness and you will find that Hindu law is replete with the notion of Dharma or that which is just. Similarly, Islam places much emphasis on justice and we find in the Quran passages such as "Verily God enjoineth justice and the doing of good and the forbidding of wickedness and oppression". The duty of justice is placed very heavily on rulers and the underlying thinking here is that there cannot be peace without justice. In Christianity, Isaiah speaks of the Prince of Peace and a Kingdom that will be established with justice henceforth forever and Christian tradition is replete with references to Jesus as the Prince of Peace. I am certain that by stressing on these common strands of agreement between the various traditions, we could educate the youth on the need for peace and communal harmony. Q: What are the steps one could take to promote peace and mutual understanding, especially among children? A: This could be done in many ways. For instance, school children could be given peace-related exercises such as being asked to analyse the root causes of poverty, conflict and violence. The causes of war could likewise be considered in all their aspects, racial, cultural, religious, economic and territorial and students told to examine how they could have been avoided. Debates could also be held where the various protagonists argue the issue, thus exposing the weaknesses of the pro-war lobby and helping participants realise the futility of war. Children should also be provided the opportunity to spend time in the homes of host families of other communities for a week or two so that they could get to know the culture and lifestyle of the other and make friends from these communities. At the academic level, undergrads could be required to study the great peace movements and the history of the peace congresses, particularly the 1899 Congress which first examined possibilities for future world organisation and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Q: Besides tolerance and mutual understanding between various groups, are there any other points of agreement between the great traditions that could help resolve the many problems the world is faced with today? A: Yes. There is one very important factor which is of much relevance to the world today and that is 'Assistance to those in distress' a principle advocated by all the great traditions of the world, albeit often overridden by the mercantalist ethic which sees profit to oneself as the main driving force. In tracing the history of the International Court of Justice, we come across a rare individual who did much to drive home this point and that was Andrew Carnegie, the American millionaire who donated the Peace Palace in the Hague which today serves as the centre of the ICJ. Carnegie was the richest man in the US by the turn of the last century, having made his money on steel and railways. He was driven by the urge to make money on the one hand and the urge to do good on the other, but found that these two urges were competing one against the other. Having travelled all over the world and even visiting Sri Lanka where he met with members of the Buddhist clergy, he eventually formed the view that it was wicked to have too much wealth. He often said that it was a disgrace to die rich, and what he meant by this was that having money while on one's deathbed meant that one had not spent in on a worthy cause. He eventually gave his money away in the cause of peace and education which was the origin of the Carnegie Trust. All this becomes particularly relevant in today's context, in view of the growing cleavage between the rich world and poor world which is a fertile source of the conflicts and wars of tomorrow unless we give it our serious attention now. |
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