Brotherhood is not just a word. It is the practice of promoting peace, harmony and intercultural dialogue in the world. To solidify this bond and to promote Muslim- Christian cooperation, The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 4 February as the ‘International Day for Human Fraternity’. This day will be observed each year starting from 2021.
This initiative by the UN gained momentum after Pope Francis and the grand imam of Al Azhar signed the “Document on Human Fraternity” in 2019, in the name of fraternity and social friendship. Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF), affirmed that the adoption of the UN resolution proclaiming 4 February as International Day of Human Fraternity is a testament to HCHF’s achievements.
The resolution supports intercultural and interreligious dialogue between the member nations who are invited by the UN to observe the day. The resolution was introduced by the representatives of the United Arab Emirates against the growing religious hatred during the time of the pandemic.
“In recent years, the world has been witnessing a dramatic increase in violence, hate speech, xenophobia, religious bigotry, and other forms of discrimination. In the face of such transnational threats, we need to support initiatives that encourage solidarity and unity among people in the spirit of “human fraternity”. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt aspire, through this initiative, to celebrate together our shared values of acceptance, openness, empathy, and love towards other human beings,” said H.E. Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN.
Live Stream of Interfaith Dialogue to celebrate the occasion.
On the occasion, an inter-faith dialogue hosted by CA Valerian Dalmaida,?Mentor, Spearhead Media Group and co-hosted by Rajesh Siqueira was live-streamed from ?Dubai, UAE on the official YouTube channel and Facebook page of NewsKarnataka.com on February 4 at 6:30 pm ?IST
The Guests were an eclectic mix apt for the occasion – Brahma Vihari Swamiji, head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi, Sri Panditaradhya Shivacharya Swamiji, Taralbalu Jagadguru Brihanmath Peetadhipathi of the Sanehallli and Abdul Salam Puttige, Editor in chief of Vartha Bharathi, while the Bishop of Mangalore, Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha participated via a recorded video.
Here is what they had to say on the programme:
Brahma Vihari Swamiji, “We are not celebrating just a day or year or decade, we are celebrating the history of Humanity. We are nursed and nurtured by the idea of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam – the whole world is one family. He recalled the words of Yogiji Maharaj “never think mine is always best, but always think whatever is best should become mine”.
Shivacharya Swamiji, “With the advances in Science and Technology, the world has shrunk even as human relations are drifting away from the minds of people. The day should not remain only as an announcement, it should remain in the hearts of people”.
Abdul Salam Puttige, “Human Fraternity is not a new value. Unfortunately, due to our identification with religion, we have forgotten the fundamentals. Negative elements are making use of advanced technology for dividing people, whereas people who believe in brotherhood and peace are silent and inactive”.
Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha, “Human fraternity embraces faith in one God who is the creator and the bedrock of the human fraternity. The God of our worship is the God of our neighbour too. We should appreciate the truth and holiness in every religion. The religious experience acquired over the centuries must be received with great respect. We must study the holy books of other religions and open ourselves to other religious experiences”.
The UN resolution
The UN passed the resolution with consensus, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about different cultures and religions or beliefs. This includes education in the promotion of tolerance, which involves the acceptance and respect for religious and cultural diversity and expression. It brings out the importance of educating the masses on the need for building unity, solidarity and multilateral cooperation. The resolution will become a symbol that recognizes all the contributions made by the many religious sectors in the world and will help to create a space for new dialogues on better awareness and understanding of humankind.
“We thank the United Arab Emirates, who through the UAE Mission to the United Nations, made this new achievement in the service of humanity,” said Abdel Salam.
The resolution was co-sponsored by 34 UN Member States.
Watch the full video here;
