COEXIST
Mary Aktay, Communications Dir. Xaverian Missionaries
With the atrocities in Toulouse, France and Kandahar, Afghanistan still gaping wounds, it is good to know there are many, many devout people of all faiths dedicated to bringing about a better world, individually and collectively. The UK based COEXIST Foundation is a case in point. Committed to promoting “understanding of Jews, Christians and Muslims through education, dialogue and research,” COEXIST actively seeks to “bring into the spotlight” outstanding people of faith who, drawing on the wisdom of their own religious tradition “break new ground” in interfaith cooperation for “a pluralistic and sustainable society.” The culmination of this effort was in the COEXIST PEACE prizes awarded on March 20 in a ceremony at New York University in NYC.
Two prizes of $10,000 each were awarded to Dishani Jayalweera of Sri Lanka, founder of the Center for Peace-building and Reconciliation (CPBR), and Mustafa Ali, of Kenya, Secretary General of the African Council of Religious Leaders. The grand prize of $100,000 was awarded to Lian Gogali , a peace activist who founded the Indonesian Institute for Women. She will use the funding to establish an Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice. Ms. Gogali stated: “Jesus came to teach us about peace and justice where religious background does not matter. It’s not enough to talk about peace. [We] have to work for it.”
The basic principle of the foundation can be summed up by the words of Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations: “God has given us many faiths, but only one world in which to co-exist.” Dr. Ali Gomaa, Chief Mufti of Egypt, one of the esteemed judges for the event, added: “The more we know one another and understand one another, the more we can work together for world peace.” Perhaps then tragedies like those in Toulouse and Kandahar will never occur again. MORE>>>
