Preface
Peace and harmony are the most important goals for humanity today to give meaning to life on the planet earth. Notwithstanding all achievements made by humanity in the areas of literature, science and technology over the long periods of civilizational progress, peace and harmony are for most people an illusion. People in large numbers continue to starve for lack of food; die due to diseases; live under open sky for want of shelter; and perish in natural calamities. There is a long litany of sufferings caused by political strife, economic displacements and social inequalities. The situation is exacerbated by arms race, wrongful perceptions and absence of empathy.
The United Nations, as part of its significant policy initiatives, aims to achieve a raft of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030. The Goal 16 provides for peace, justice and strong institutions. The question is whether by 2030 world will be more peaceful, just and harmonious! If the goal is not achieved, the world will face an existential crisis having geographical, social, economic, political, psychological and cultural dimensions. All these challenges are quite formidable, each demanding a special attention.
The universities of the world have, by and large failed to address the issues causing human sufferings, especially in the area of health. Skill development only helps people earn a living but it does not solve the other problems of human beings. If the Vision 2030 of the United Nations is not achieved, it will again be another unsuccessful story of a missed opportunity of a globally peaceful environment.
Religion is one of the basic institutions of human society. This helps attain peace by preventing many evils that are often the root causes of failure of policies. It enables people to realise the facts of life, and common destiny of birth and death. It is supposed to eliminate discrimination through an understanding of all human beings who owe their existence to the same Creator.
The spirit of religion teaches us the value of harmony and understanding in the society. One can safely say that the noble ideas and teachings of religion are often misused by vested interests, defeating the purpose for which religion as an institution exists! Nevertheless, it remains the only beacon of hope for peaceful coexistence.
The need, however, is to understand the essence of the religions and importance of peace and harmony. That can be possible through mutual understanding and the process of dialogue and engagement. Now we are at a stage when peace and human dignity as recognised by many religious texts and international human rights laws must be protected. As the Qur'an teaches, we can earn the blessings of Allah only by being kind to humanity, and working to ameliorate its sufferings. "Allah has blessed the human being with honour" is the basic norm. None has a right to consider the other human being lower in esteem and honour as many dominant groups around the world do to violate peace and human dignity.
This book is an exposition of various issues and related thoughts and ideas to promote a congenial atmosphere for mutual understanding and dialogue between peoples and groups with a view to show a harmonious path for the whole humanity.
The world today needs a significant reduction in all forms of violence, especially leading to death; prevention of abuse, exploitation, human trafficking, and atrocities against children. Besides, the rule of law must be strengthened both at the national and international levels to ensure equal access to justice for all; eliminate flow of illicit arms and money; to recover and return stolen assets to rightful owners. Strong measures are also needed to combat all forms of organised crimes and terrorism; to put an end to prevailing culture of corruption and bribery.
By putting in place effective, accountable and transparent institutions, it will be possible to have responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making process. It will also be imperative to create space for the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance. Legal identity should be provided to all via birth registration. Nor people should be denied access to information. Fundamental rights in accordance with national legislation and international agreements should be held. Equally important is the need to strengthen relevant national institutions for enforcing non-discriminatory laws and policies conducive to social peace.
Therefore, it's in the fitness of things that the book covers a raft of issues that require urgent attention. The themes covered in this book are the Pathway to Peace and Harmony: A Buddhist Perspective; Revisiting the literature of Varkari Saints for Interfaith Dialogue for Promoting Peace and Harmony; Role of the Soul in Promoting Wellness; Concept of Peace in Islam; Prophetic Model of Maintaining Peace and Harmony; Quranic Paradigm of Religious Harmony; The Tales of Jatakas. An Inspiration for Harmonious Living; Ideas of Dissemination of Peace and Harmony by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, Vivekananda and Abul Kalam Azad, the Message of Peace and Communal harmony in the Teaching of Sufis; Need for Peace, Youth and Interfaith Leadership for Peace-building by Advancing Religious Peace Ideals; Sufism and Peaceful Dialogue; Ahimsa and Jibad-Al-Manawi, Trialogue among Abrahamic Religions; Coalition-building for Peaceful Coexistence in Multicultural Environments; and Peace as basis of Prosperity with Special Reference to the Sirah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
It is expected that the book would create a positive milieu peace and dialogue which is greatly needed by the humanity as a whole.
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