'Let's work for community cohesion'

It is believed that the existing policies of the EU and its various organisations are not adequate enough to bring a perfect harmony and unification among various communities of Europe

CJ: Correspondent

Thu, May 21, 2009 16:34:41 IST

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Religion And Culture :

HINDUS HAVE urged the European Union (EU) to come up with some solid and effective plans to fully integrate its religiously, racially and culturally diverse communities.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), said that since diversity is there to stay in Europe, ‘‘let us work on community cohesion, coexistence and mutual trust.’’

A recent Gallup study of interfaith relations known as “The Gallup Coexist Index 2009” pointed out “…35 per cent of Britons and 38 per cent of Germans are classified as isolated…,” which means, “they tend to believe in the truth of their perspective above all others. They do not want to know about other religions. They also neither respect nor feel respected by those of other faiths.”

This study also finds that “37 per cent of the French and 31 per cent of the German public think that accepting public comments that minorities perceive as offensive about their faith or ethnicity is necessary for integration. This attitude is even more prevalent in the United Kingdom….”

Dalia Mogahed, Senior Gallup Analyst, argues in the “foreword,” “Political conflicts that divide different faith groups can grow into religious conflicts, while religious differences in one community can run into political conflicts.”

This Gallup Study suggests, “In Europe, there is already much common ground on which to base serious conversations about the integration of ethnic and religious minorities…integration debate has to widen its frame, moving beyond the confines of security and religion and focus more on the socio-economic struggles of citizens of all faiths and no faith.”

Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that existing policies/plans of the EU and its various organisations/bodies did not seem to be adequate enough to bring a perfect harmony and unification among various communities of Europe. “Re-evaluate all such programmes and make integration results visible on the streets of Europe and not just in the confines of files and databases of EU and its offshootsm,” Zed says.

The Hindu leader further points out that religion is the most powerful, complex and far-reaching force in our society, so we must take it seriously. Honest and serious interfaith dialogue is the need of the hour. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc, passed on to us from previous generations.

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