Young Voices
An Interfaith Open Letter
to the Leaders of the World
Young Leaders Team
Issue 21, Spring/Summer 2009
Dear Leader
We write to you as the changing face of this World. In total we are over 100 young leaders from 35 countries. We are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Jains, Buddhists, Baha’is, Zoroastrians and representatives of spiritual traditions of indigenous peoples from the Americas, Asia and Africa.
We have gathered for a week to experience and become a new reality. We join together in a spirit of peace and to dedicate our lives to the creation of a world that honors individuals and their different faiths. This letter represents our collective voice.
Never before has the relationship between religions been of such pressing importance for the future of our world. The global community has become intimately connected in a variety of ways. And as these connections grow in number and depth, interfaith living will become an essential precursor to a unified global community.
Interfaith is not going to play a smaller role in the world; it will play a much larger role.
Our meeting in Mayapur, India serves as an exceptional model for interfaith collaboration. In contrast and in India at the same time, a senseless act of violence in Mumbai proves a bitter reminder of the continuing threat posed to all people by the specter of religious intolerance. These acts contradict the universal, human values taught by all sincere spiritual paths, chief amongst them being peace, compassion and truth.
In an era where common challenges will affect every nation, we have consciously rejected the notion that religious intolerance and violence is a given way of life. This meeting is proof of the possibility of peaceful coexistence. We want it and know that we can create it.
This can be seen today in interfaith conflict resolution efforts, in interfaith ecological projects, in interfaith housing builds, in the interfaith encounters that happen in our communities, businesses, and schools across the world.
The 21st Century presents us with the historic opportunity to ensure that the future of relations between faiths is characterized by respect, cooperation and concern for the common good of all peoples.
In this way, the power that religions have to harness and inspire the creativity and energy of their adherents can be used to achieve a shared solution to the many and profound problems we as a global community now face.
Our request
As a leader you have the ability to inspire a new era of religious tolerance. We ask that you actively engage in the development of interfaith cooperation and understanding. Leaders and countries around the world are recognizing the security implications of good interfaith cooperative efforts. Your role is not to lead one religion to victory, but to assist all the people of all the faiths to live in a more hospitable world.
We emphasize the role of individuals in this process. Peaceful individuals create peaceful families. Peaceful families create peaceful communities. Peaceful communities create peaceful nations. And peaceful nations create a peaceful world. You are in the unique position to spread this message far and wide.
Please visit www.uri.org for more information.
Thank you for your support and we look forward to your encouraging response.
In respect and peace,
