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News Item: Alwi Shihab Lecture 3
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| Alwi Shihab Lecture 3 | 14 Oct 2006 |
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Common hopes shared by leaders Indonesian envoy, President Packer address BYU students during forum -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 14, 2006 By Sarah Jane Weaver Church News staff writer PROVO, Utah — It is imperative that Jews, Christians and Muslims learn how to share their common spiritual roots and their common futuristic hopes without prejudice in order to avoid discrimination and religious and racial hatred, Indonesia's Presidential Envoy to the Middle East told BYU students Oct. 10. President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve, embraces his friend, Alwi Shihab, Indonesia's Presidential Envoy to the Middle East, after introducing the leader at a BYU forum Oct. 10. Photo by Mark Philbrick/BYU "The three religions are like siblings in a healthy family; we may have great differences and competition, but in the end we must try to protect each other from danger and ill fate," said Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab. "We must try to pull together to mend the world around us in some small way." Speaking at a forum on BYU's Provo campus, Dr. Shihab, a former member of Indonesia's Parliament and former Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the world must deal with religious radicalism and intolerance not with brute force but with wisdom and the willingness to address the root cause of the problems. "We have been driven by misfortune to the need for a mission of peace through interreligious harmony," he said. "World spiritual leaders from all faiths should lead the world in this mission of respect, harmony and cooperation among all believers and all races. Only in this way can we dissolve hatred and live in peace and security. It will not happen through force alone." President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve, introduced Dr. Shihab, lauding him as "a dear friend" and "a key leader of Indonesia's emergence from dictatorship to democracy." He spoke of meeting Dr. Shihab in San Diego, Calif., where the two sat together — President Packer with his Book of Mormon, Dr. Shihab with his Quran — and compared and discussed the many things they have in common. In recent years, President Packer said the world has witnessed two major events: the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks which brought Christians and Muslims into confrontation, and the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami, which opened opportunity for Christians and Muslims to cooperate. Alwi Shihab President Packer and Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve traveled to Indonesia after the tsunami to review significant humanitarian relief from the Church to the disaster's hardest-hit areas. Church members and Muslims share similar high standards of decency, temperance and morality, he said. "It is important that we in the West understand there is a battle for the heart, soul and direction of Islam and that not all Islam espouses violent jihad as some Western media portray," President Packer said. "It is important as well that friends in the Islamic world understand there is a battle for the heart, soul and direction of the Western world and that not all the West is morally decadent, as some Islamic media portray." President Packer said he and Dr. Shihab hope to build a bridge of understanding between Muslims and Christians. During his remarks, Dr. Shihab said one cannot deny that there is tension between Westerners and Muslims. "We are all aware that the West accommodates many faiths, including Islam. It is, therefore, essential that both Muslims and Westerners realize the urgent need to overcome the history of hostility between them in order to clear up the existing prejudices against Islam. In addition, we must always bear in mind that religion is not just an abstract doctrine or simple belief. It has been and continues to be the significant factor that shapes people's identities as individual persons and as groups. It is again our duty to find the way to harness the potential of religions to motivate their adherents to strive for peace, justice and tolerance in everyday life and in all walks of life." People must strive to correct the erroneous perception that dialogue between Islam and the West is a waste of time, he said. "Islam is the very way of life that is compatible with common reason and human decency — and, thus, democratic values, freedom and human rights," he said. "In addition , the Muslim world is a great diversity of nations and cultures united by the idea of human goodwill, respect, love and justice among all nations." Thousands of students gather in the BYU Marriott Center to hear Alwi Shihab address "building bridges to harmony through understanding." Photo by Mark Philbrick/BYU Religious people should remember the major elements that Jews, Christians and Muslims share, Dr. Shihab said. "Let me suggest, dear brothers and sisters, that religious tolerance is not enough.... To tolerate something is to learn to live with it, even when you think it is wrong and downright evil. Often tolerance is a tolerance of indifference, which is at best a grudging willingness to put up with something or someone you hate and wish would go away. We must go, I believe, beyond tolerance if we are to achieve harmony in our world. We must move the adherents of different faiths from a position of strife and tension to one of harmony and understanding by promoting a multi-faith and pluralistic society. We must strive for acceptance of the other based on understanding and respect." Dr. Shihab said that nobody knows where the dialogue between the groups will lead. "Let us together try to reach out to the hearts and minds of our communities, strengthen the voice of moderation, and isolate the force of extremism and radicalism. May the fruits of this academic forum be a positive step forward on the long and difficult road to harmony among all of God's children." BYU students and faculty responded to Dr. Shihab's remarks with a standing ovation. Alwi Shihab shakes hands with his son, Samy, 11, after addressing BYU students. President Boyd K. Packer is at right; Dr. Shihab's wife, Ashraf, and Elder David A. Bednar are at left. Dr. Shihab called for peace through interreligious harmony. Photo by Mark Philbrick/BYU E-mail to: sarah@desnews.com http://www.desnews.com/cn/view/1,1721,460005929,00.html?varA=Y |
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