Mumbai; Thursday, July 16, 2015!

WE, the representatives of various faith communities in Mumbai, joyously participated in the Inter-Faith IFTAR: Prayer for Peace and Harmony today. In the holy month of Ramzaan, and with Eid-ul-Fitr approaching, non-Muslim participants in this prayer meet send their greetings of solidarity to their Muslim brethren in Mumbai, India and worldwide. On their part, Muslim participants thank their non-Muslim brethren and reciprocate the sentiments of unity and fellowship. Religion means a system of rules of virtuous conduct promulgated by God, our common Creator, which people are called upon to follow at free will. All religions preach the fundamental ethical values of service to our fellow humans -- indeed service to all Gods creatures, respect for the environment, inner and outer cleanliness, truthfulness, etc. Different religious beliefs, customs and spiritual traditions, have always cohabited the world, our common home, and will continue to do so. Unity in Diversity and Diversity in Unity has been Gods own architectural principle manifest in all His creation. The obligation not to violate this divine principle casts an obligation upon all faith communities, and also others who believe in humanism, to accept the pluralism of beliefs and ideas, learn from one another, live in peace and harmony, and work cooperatively for the common good of all. This necessitates cultivation of the spirit of Respect for the Sacred not only in ones own tradition, but also in others. The imperative of mutual tolerance, understanding and cooperation has become all the more pressing in our increasingly inter-connected and inter-dependent world which has shrunk to a Global Village. The alternative is hatred, bigotry, coercion, strife and bloodshed, leading to a widening circle of destruction and suffering. Mindful of the duty imposed on us by our respective religions, and also by humanitys common heritage of cultures and civilisations, we declare:

1) WE are proud of the fact that India has been a multi-faith society since the dawn of human civilisation. Few countries in the world have such a rich and diverse religious-cultural-spiritual heritage, and such a long tradition of mutual tolerance, respect and non-discriminatory co-existence, which in modern times has been guaranteed by our Constitution and our democratic framework. We pledge to strengthen peace and communal harmony in India. This will boost Indias moral appeal to the international community.

2) WE unreservedly condemn terrorism and communal violence in all forms. No religion preaches war, violence and killing of innocent people. Hence perpetrators of war and violence in the name of religion must be regarded as enemies of religion and humanity.

3) WE are opposed to misuse of religion through its politicisation for sectarian

ends.

4) WE pledge to combat all those divisive forces that spread stereotypes and prejudicial thinking about people of other faiths.

5) WE strongly support normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan. The continued Indo-Pak tension and hostility is not only hurting the progress our two countries, but also undermining the noble goal of SAARC to make South Asia which is home to the largest human population sharing a common civilisational heritage a region of peace and progress.

6) WE demand that religious minorities all over the world, and especially in all South Asian countries, enjoy inviolable freedom of religion, also equal and inviolable rights of security and development without any discrimination.

7) WE believe that governments (at the local, provincial, national and international levels), multilateral agencies, businesses, civil societies and faith-inspired organisations should work together to eliminate injustice of all kinds, since there cannot be peace without justice. They should also work together for a common actionable agenda to eliminate poverty and deprivation; promote better health, education, livelihoods, gender justice and womens empowerment, family welfare, and care for those among us who are vulnerable and oppressed; protect the environment; and safeguard and further enrich mankinds previous cultural-artistic patrimonies.

8) WE urge that religious leaders who are widely respected for their sustained efforts to promote inter-faith understanding, peace and harmony should be suitably empowered at all levels, so that their efforts become effective on a larger scale, which is the need of the hour.

Towards these ends,

WE shall redouble our peace-promoting efforts in Mumbai through joint programmes, projects and partnerships by involving, especially, youth, children and the mass media.

The Inter-faith IFTAR: Prayer for Peace, Harmony and Solidarity is

a joint initiative of

Suat Canan Regional Director

Indialogue Foundation

Sudheendra Kulkarni Chairman

Observer Research Foundation Mumbai

Rafeeq Ahmed Khan President

Minhaj-ul-Quran International India

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