URI Southeast-Asia Pacific engages the Moral Imagination in Peace and Solidarity with Victims of Armed Conflict and Warby Marites Guingona Africa
May 3, 3009
The birth of an idea arising from a need
In April 2009 United Religions Initiative (URI) in Southeast Asia-Pacific (SEAPac) took its first steps towards actively engaging in the endeavor of realizing its vision of peace, justice and healing in the region and began to help build bridges of friendship and solidarity with a group of grassroots Muslim, Christian and indigenous leaders of conflict-affected communities in Lanao del Norte in Mindanao, the southern region of the Philippines.
This unprecedented regional initiative by URI was made possible through the help of Mohammad Musa Sanguila, one of the distinguished members of the Board of Trustees of Pakigdait who is also currently chairperson of the URI SEAPac Regional Council and member of the URI Global Council. In a meeting in Manila of URI SEAPac trustees last October 2008—which was attended by former regional chairpersons Dr. Amir Farid Isahak (Malaysia) and myself (Marites Guingona Africa, Philippines), and Shakuntala Vaswani (URI SEAPac Regional Coordinator), Jessiee Kaur Singh (Commons CC, Australia), and Orlan de Guzman (URI Regional Information and Communications Officer)--the idea was brought forth by Musa. It surfaced during the deliberations on how to put to good use the remaining regional funds of 2008. The trustees warmed up to the idea of using the funds in aid of the victims of the conflict and war in Mindanao.
The idea was supported by Cooperation Circles in the region and a project proposal was submitted to the URI hub in San Francisco, U.S.A. by the Iligan-based PAKIGDAIT, a local interfaith NGO headed by Musa Sanguila, Fr. Reggie Quijano and other distinguished leaders of the local interfaith community in Iligan. Pakigdait is an active Cooperation Circle (CC) of URI in Mindanao and it has been serving the cause of peace, justice and the wellbeing of the people of Lanao del Norte for over a decade.
The project proposal was approved by the global URI hub after the Global Assembly in Mayapur, India last December. It was finally launched in Tubod, Lanao del Norte during the celebration of the Lanao Month of Peace last March before the presence of Governor Khalid Dimaporo. Rev. Charles P. Gibbs, Executive Director of URI, awarded the symbolic check to Pakigdait. He was there to participate in the URI SEAPac Regional Assembly in Tubod from March 15-20, 2009.
Reaching out and touching base with the people in pain
A month later, in April, the gracious and able leaders and members of the PAKIGDAIT CC opened its doors to assist URI in conducting the first of two introduction workshop-seminars on “ENGAGING THE MORAL IMAGINATION IN GRASSROOTS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND COMMUNITY-BUILDING” Having attended the two-year action-reflection pilot peacebuilding workshop that was conducted by Dr. John Paul Lederach (a renowned Mennonite trainer and lecturer on peacebuilding and conflict-transformation) and Dr. Herm Weaver for URI (from 2006-08), I volunteered to design and conduct the workshop with the help of Sarah Queblatin, URI Regional Projects Coordinator.Sarah and I left Manila for Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao a day earlier (April 20, Monday) hoping that we would have the chance to meet with the Pakigdait team prior to the workshop. It was a 45-minute flight from Manila to Cagayan de Oro and we were met by amiable driver Lito who took us from the airport straight to the Midway Beach Resort in Initao, Misamis Oriental (halfway between Cagayan de Oro and lligan City).
On our way to Initao, I received a call from Abel Moya, the Projects Director of Pakigdait, informing me that a bomb exploded the Agus Bridge near the Maria Christina Falls in Iligan early that morning and that, although the workshop would push through as scheduled, the number of participants would probably be reduced! The Agus Bridge was a main thoroughfare that allowed commuters travelling along the coast of northern Mindanao to pass through.
Sarah and I spent the day alone in Midway beach, waiting for word from Abel and the Pakigdait team and hoping for the best. The beach always had a seductive effect on me, but that time the concerns of work made me oblivious to its lure. We simply sat under a nipa hut and passed the time discussing the workshop and sharing with each other our personal spiritual journey and our aspirations for peace.
The Pakigdait team and their participants arrived late morning the next day (April 21, Tuesday). There were around twenty-four Muslim, Christian, and indigenous grassroots leaders from the four conflict-affected communities of Linamon, Kauswagan, Kolambugan and the City of Iligan in Lanao del Norte that arrived for the workshop. We began the workshop after lunch with interfaith prayers and introductions from Musa Sanguila, and an opening exercise led by Xarifa Sanguila, Musa’s lovely wife (who is also a member of Pakigdait).
After the opening exercises and the expectation check, the first module was Visions of Peace Among Religions (VPAR). A slideshow of images of violence and war were presented onscreen. Then the participants were divided into small groups of five and were encouraged to share with one another personal experiences of violence in their lives. The exercise gave some of the traumatized victims, like Rosie Sobrado, a fifty-year old Catholic church worker from the little town of Inudaran in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte, the chance to share the horrors that her family experienced when their home was attacked and members of her family shot at and killed by around 50 rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last August. She spoke of her husband being hit, and of her one-year old grandchild’s belly being slashed open. Her pain was palpable but her courage was awe-inspiring. She held her tears at bay as she told her story before the group that was composed also of Muslims. She said that not all Muslims were bad and that she was willing to work with them to help their community find peace. The Muslim leaders nodded their head in silent agreement.
The exercise of recalling their experiences was painful and difficult, but it was followed by a visioning exercise that helped them momentarily find a way out of their pain. Participants were invited to work together as a group and draw a picture of the community that they wished to see in five years’ time. John Paul Lederach’s Moral Imagination was introduced in helping to make them aware that they were capable of imagining something different, of creating something new and desirable even while they were rooted in the painful realities of their present lives.
The workshop moved on to the module on Conflict Transformation to help them build capacities for realizing their vision of a peaceful community. The participants were asked whether conflict was good or bad. Many said it was bad, but there were a few who acknowledged that it was neither good nor bad; that it was a turning point in their relationships that can be used to strengthen and deepen those relationships. They went on to understand conflict in terms of differences in position, interest, value and need. The first day ended at around six in the evening with sharing of reflections on a personal experience that they had with someone whom they had been in conflict with, and what they imagined the interest, value, and needs of that person might be. This was capped with a slideshow presentation on the studies done by Dr. Masaru Emoto on the effect of thought forms on water crystals. It seemed to be a powerful reminder that the human body (and the planet Earth!), being composed of 70 percent water, is vulnerable to our thought forms and is affected by them in a significant way.
Walking together in oneness along the labyrinth of life
The second day (April 22, Wednesday) began with an interfaith prayer on the beach and a walk in the labyrinth that Sarah drew on the sand. The participants were asked to bring an object that symbolized their “being” as they followed the labyrinth’s path while imagining their life’s journey. They were asked to remember their life’s turning points along the way and how they grew in awareness of the workings of God/Allah. As they reached the center of the labyrinth, they each took a few moments of silence to honor God/Allah in their lives. Ustadz Jawad, a Muslim leader, cried out the shahada, so moved was he by the experience!
The afternoon was spent learning how to see and appreciate differences in people’s position and disposition, and how to deal with them in ways that promoted mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. The meaning of true dialogue in the context of faith was defined, and later a personal exercise in “humanizing the enemy” and engaging heart listening in imagining the “enemy’s” needs and fears gave the dialogue exercise a practical application. The participants shared their experiences on this with the members of their small group, and then they were asked to choose a story that they wished to role play. It was a fun activity that brought laughter to the circle and engaged the participants holistically in the learning experience. At the end of the day, they returned to the labyrinth bearing their commitment to peace and their symbols of themselves which they solemnly offered at the labyrinth’s center.
Although that part of the journey ended, the sense of being in the midst of a new beginning lingered in me. This was the first time in over thirty years that I have returned to my southern homeland—Mindanao--and touched based with the pain of its people! I have been away too long and this labyrinth of peace is leading me back to its heart center! I resonated with Light-- the name an eloquent Higa-onon (an indigenous tribe in Mindanao) wanted to call himself--when he expressed his wish that the workshop could be extended to one more day. One more day of peace is an oasis in the desert of fear and uncertainty that this group of courageous people are experiencing in their daily lives. Hoping for one more day is a heartwarming sign of hope alive, and I was glad that I could still speak the language well enough to understand them and be part of their journey!Heart listening, hope mongering, and hankering to carry on for peace. Our colleagues at Pakigdait advised us to end the workshop by 3:30 in the afternoon so that it would still be light when the participants travelled back home to their communities. This was for safety, they said. Sarah and I rode with Musa and Abel to Iligan after the workshop ended that afternoon (April 22, Wednesday). We were brought to Charebel Suites where we were told that many visiting guests from different NGOs and international aid organizations often stayed. It was safe there, we were told.
The next day (April 23, Thursday), we had the privilege of attending and assisting Tina Lomoljo, Executive Director of BirthDev, and her amazing team of young facilitators and volunteers in the Emotional Recovery workshop for the victims of war in Lanao del Norte. This was another component of the URI program under the care of Pakigdait. Sarah and I decided to stay and participate in the experience.
There were two sessions that day. The morning session was held in Barangay Upper Hinaplanon in the municipality of Cabaro, and the afternoon session was in Barangay Tomas Cabili in Ceanuri, Iligan City. These were communities where Muslims, Christians and indigenous people from conflict areas have fled and lived with families and friends.
There were two groups of children (5-8 years old, and 9-12 years old), and a group of around fifteen adults that attended the morning session. I sat with the 9-12 year old group of children; there were about 15 of them, all Muslims. After the introductions and explanation on what emotional recovery meant, they were asked to draw a picture of the recent attack on their home community in order to release or express their emotions. I was deeply moved to see that many of the drawings showed guns firing and killing people, and airplanes dropping bombs or firing at homes and fleeing people. They spoke about the experience shyly and haltingly in a way that almost belied the horrors that they went through. It was heartrending to listen and not be able to do anything much to heal the psychic wounds inflicted on innocent children!
The adults were more articulate in expressing their suffering and fears. They said they could not return to their communities because they feared that fighting would break out again. They expressed hope that both the military and the rebels would settle their differences so that peace could be restored and they could return home at last.In Ceanuri, during the afternoon session, there were more groups of children; this time there was an older age group of 13-17 years of age. Sarah sat with them while I remained with the adults to listen to more stories of their plight.
The stories I heard stayed with me a long time. There was a young Muslim mother carrying an adorable five-month old baby. I was told that she was born at the height of the evacuation. Her husband used to farm in the fields but now, he said, he is forced to live a life of dependency in the city because he could neither read nor write.An elderly Maranao Muslim woman spoke of how she wanted to take off her malong (wrap-around skirt) so that she could run away fast from the military soldiers who were in hot pursuit of the rebels. She said that the embarrassment of running naked was overcome by her fear for her life.
A dignified Sultan spoke painfully of how they could not even bury their dead; they had to leave her body untouched because the military demanded inspection of the body for wounds that would indicate the presence of the enemy.
Before we left the community at the end of the day, we heard the elders ask: “Unsa man ang inyong matabang sa amo?” What can you do to help us? It was a painful question that I struggled to respond to. All I could promise was that URI would continue to be one with them in their journey and will share their stories with people who cared around the world. They heaved a sigh, and I wanted to say more but could not.
At the end of the day, Sarah and I returned to the Pakigdait office with Tina and the amazing group of young facilitators and volunteers of BirthDev to share our experiences of the day. I was deeply moved to hear that despite the tiredness of body, the passion, dedication and commitment to carry on for peace, justice and healing remained strong among them. It was a humbling experience for one who has been away from this southern homeland for over three decades; I must return and continue to speak anew the language that I thought I had left by the wayside and forgotten.
Highlights of the 5th URI SEAPac Regional Assembly
March 16-21, 2009/ Lanao del Norte, Philippines
Day 0: First Gathering
On Sunday March 15, the SEAPac Regional staff and CC representatives arrived in Tubod, Lanao del Norte in Mindanao Philippines for the longest regional assembly and meeting so far. Combined with the Bowes Awarded 2-Day Leadership Training Program and the Moral Imagination Workshop and Forum, the 5th Regional Assembly was set to be a dynamic and fulfilling activity for everyone.
The delegates were put up at the beautiful Mindanao Civic Center Hotel Musa Sanguila and the Pakigdait CC hosted the regional assembly and set out some activities that involved meeting the local government personalities and civil society members. The Regional Assembly was in partnership with the local government of Lanao del Norte which ensured the safety of the delegates during the visit.
In the afternoon the group was welcomed by the Lanao del Norte Governor's Mother, Imelda Dimaporo, who was also the former Governor of the Province, and treated to a sumptuous afternoon snacks.After the visit, a Sacred Opening was conducted where in Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh prayers were offered. Symbolic of each one's contribution and commitment to URI's vision and mission, Charles Gibbs (Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative), Marites Guingona –Africa (Global Council Trustee and outgoing Chairperson of the Regional Council), and Musa Sanguila (Regional Trustee and host of the assembly) lighted three candles while those present were requested to pour water into one bowl. Each CC representative placed a rose on the water declaring their support for URI declaring: -+15th-19th+046.jpg)
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On behalf of all the members of (CC NAME), I offer this flower as a symbol of our spiritual bond with the URI Family."
Afterwards, an orientation on the Regional Assembly was given by Shakun Vaswani, Regional Coordinator. Pakigdait CC as host gave an overview about Lanao del Norte and Mindanao
Day 1: Team Building and Company with Governor
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The day started with a courtesy call on Governor Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo, the youngest governor in the country. At 28 years old, the Governor is immersed in political and governance work with impressive work on developing peace building initiatives in his province.
The Governor's staff gave each delegate a Tubao (hand/necker chief with Maranao weave) as a necklace with the provincial seal and the symbolic Sarimanok, a legendary Maranao bird usually depicted in Islamic mythology.
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After the visit, Pakigdait CC through Abel Moya, its Programs Director, conducted Team Building activities. Grouped into three, the delegates had to prove their team building and leadership skills as they make the tallest pasta noodle and marshmallow tower. An outdoor activity capped the workshop wherein they played ball to work further on teamwork.In the evening, the Governor hosted a dinner for the delegates by the hotel pool side. Members of the civil society groups were present and they interacted with CC representatives present exchanging ideas and stories.
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During the formalities of the evening, Charles Gibbs (Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative publicly recognized the URI funded URISEAPac project "Building Interfaith Cooperation Towards Peace and Development in Lanao del Norte." The project is in partnership with Pakigdait CC and Peacemakers Circle CC with a total funding of $10,633 from the remaining funds of the region in 2008.
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During the formalities of the evening, Charles Gibbs (Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative publicly recognized the URI funded URISEAPac project "Building Interfaith Cooperation Towards Peace and Development in Lanao del Norte." The project is in partnership with Pakigdait CC and Peacemakers Circle CC with a total funding of $10,633 from the remaining funds of the region in 2008.Day 2: Bowes Award Leadership Training
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The Peacemakers Circle CC was given the Bowes Award to conduct a leadership training to the URI SEAPac Region representatives with the intention of firming up leadership skills among the CC leaders and members. The workshop was facilitated by Marites Guingona-Africa, the Executive Director of the Peacemaker s Circle Foundation. First the participants created a collective drawing of their understanding and their dream after seeing the Visions of Peace Among Religions which is a presentation on religiously motivated violence around the world throughout history.-+15th-19th+209.jpg)
A review of the PPP also took place wherein participants were asked to answer the following:
- What struck you most about the URI PPP? What attracted you to the URI the most?
- How is the URI living up to your vision of peace among religions? Or how is it not?
- What capacities and resources do you wish to see the URI develop in itself and bring to the fore as an agent of change?
- How do you think you can contribute to this process?
Day 1 aimed at gathering collective insights and visions on URI's organizational structure as a living entity and CC representatives had to find their role as CC leaders within it. Creative juices flowed as groups came up with their own perception on URI's structure as an organism. One group had an image of unique galaxies, spirals, and concentric circles all connected to one main galaxy spiral. Another group had a giant heart as the center with heart expressions emanating out of it. The last group had an octopus with the octopus head as the central force that guides the tentacled members and sub groups.
Day 3: Review of Regional Council By - Laws
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On the third day, the dialogue circle assessed the need to review the Regional Council By-Laws. The day was dedicated to reviewing the By-Laws draft prepared by Boni Quirog of Bohol Goodwill Volunteers CC.The review of By-Laws was facilitated by Dr. Amir Farid Isahak of InSaF CC.
At the end of the day, the Youth CC representatives gathered to meet about upcoming plans that included possible election of representatives per country and a possible youth assembly in Cebu within the year.Film showings of documentary features, audio visual presentations of United Religions Initiative, Gandhi Puri Ashram CC, COMMON CC, and Pakigdait CC were ongoing from Tuesday to Thursday.
Day 4: Strategic Planning
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On the fourth day of the regional assembly, the whole day was given to strategic planning. The assembly reviewed financial reports, programs, and projects for 2008 and for 2009. The Regional Coordinator's Report was conducted by Shakun Vaswani.It started with the review of the minutes of previous meetings held in Cebu (Regional Assembly 2008), Manila (Trustees Meeting), and Mayapur (Global Assembly 2008). Business arising from the minutes were discussed.
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It was recalled that the remaining funds from 2008 will be used for the Mindanao Peace building project c/o Pakigdait CC and Peacemakers Circle CC entitled "Building Interfaith Cooperation Towards Peace and Development in Lanao del Norte" which engages the Moral Imagination Program, Visions of Peace Among Religions, and Psycho-Emotional Healing.A review of the 2009 Budget of took place afterwards. The budget for 2009 was allocated for the following:
1. Building & Strengthening Regional Coordinating Office
a) Hire a Regional Programs Coordinator.
b) Register the URI SEAP Office as a legal nonprofit organization
c) To improve capacity for regional communication and information dissemination
2. Building Regional Teamwork and Strengthening Leaderships
a) The Regional Assembly 2009 to combine the Bowes Award Leadership Training, the Regional Meeting, and a public workshop forum on Moral Imagination
3. Supporting Local CC Projects and Regional Peace Building
a) IDP Campaign
b) Moral Imagination and VPAR Programs to be conducted in the three zones of the Region. Zone 1 – Vietnam or Cambodia, Zone 2 – Philippines, Zone 3 – Australia
c) Seed Grant Funding for CCs
The Youth CCs had a chance to be highlighted as Sharon Vaswani, Regional Youth Coordinator presented the activities conducted by the youth and the latest news from the Global Youth Council and from the Young Leaders Program participants in Mayapur last year. It was decided that each country will vote for a country representative to report to the Youth Coordinator who will then report to the Regional Trustees.
A special Resource Mobilization Guide presentation was give by Ted Juanite, the Resource Mobilization Officer of Pakigdait wherein tips and information about the fundraising world were shared.
Towards the end of the day, a planning session for the year took place among the following committees:
1. Executive Board - Headed by Chairperson Musa Sanguila
2. Growth and Expansion – Headed by Dr. Amir Isahak
3. Peace and Relationship Building - Headed by Marites Africa
4) Resource Mobilization – Headed by Musa Sanguila
Day 5: Lanao Month of Peace Celebration
The Lanao del Norte Government celebrates the Lanao Month of Peace
during March. The Pakigdait CC has played a key role in its declaration and celebration.
The URI SEAP delegates joined the "Panagtagbo" ("Meeting"), an opening activity wherein the Civil Society, Government, and Military start from di
fferent origins and meet in the middle signifying the unity of such sectors in promoting peace in Mindanao.
Some delegates were invited to host the interfaith prayers to open the ceremonies. Charles Gibbs, URI Executive Director spoke in behalf of URI's presence in Mindanao.
The closing ceremonies included the release of doves and the planting of the Peace Pole donated by the URI through Mario Toots Fungo (a URI affiliate) of the World Peace Prayer Society.
On the side, the URI SEAP youth delegates worked together with the Interfaith Youth Council of Pakigdait CC in creating a nature mandala out of found leaves and stones around the peace pole. Meditation and interfaith prayers generated a peaceful energy for the creative activity. This was also an activity in solidarity with the Mindanao Peace Power Day celebrated on March 18 with the Sowing Peace Network.The URI SEAP delegates were graced with the presence of James Lees of the Politic al Affairs Department of the Australian Embassy during the celebration. Mr. Lees was present to meet civil society and grassroots organizations working in partnership with the local government in bringing about peace and development in Mindanao. He stayed with the group until the end of the Regional Assembly.
Field Trip
After a hectic but fulfilling week, the delegates were given an afternoon to 
rest and explore the beauty of a retreat center called Dapit Alim. One had to climb more than two hundred steps to reach the top. On the top, everyone was treated to large outdoor sculptures which one can interact with – a giant sculpture of the young Jesus, a labyrinth, and an octopus sculpture among others. Animals were free roaming engaging everyone to interact with them. The center is run by a priest and can house several retreat goers.
The delegates were able to relax and breathe fresh air and share powerful energies from the retreat center.
Closing Ceremonies
At the end of the day, the URI SEAPac delegates formally closed the Regional Assembly with a 
sacred closing ceremony of interfaith prayers and singing. All the efforts and the gift of time by everyone that contributed to the success of the regional assembly were acknowledged that night. Charles Gibbs' inspiring presence was highly appreciated.Marites Guingona –Africa was honoured as the outgoing Regional Council Chairperson whereas Musa Sanguila was officially recognized as the new chairperson.
Day 6: Moral Imagination Workshop Forum
The final leg of the Regional Assembly was a public workshop – forum on John Paul Lederach's Moral Imagination which URI has embraced as part of its peace building programs. The workshop was facilitated by Marites – Guingona Africa, Regional Trustee and Executive Director of the Peacemakers Circle CC.
The workshop had 50 participants from various sectors : Religious, Civil Society, Government, Military, and Media. The goal was to learn how to use moral imagination as a method in
transcending violence and conflict.After relaying three stories from John Paul Lederach, Marites Africa encouraged the participants to exchange their stories of moral imagination, of creative ways of transcending conflict. Some of the stories worth noting were shared by the Governor who was born from Muslim and Christian Peace activist political rivals; a woman Pastor who worked with Muslims and braved the threats of the military; a young political intern who gave light to a controversial issue by reminding political leaders of their religious values; a civil society leader who convinces the President to invest on a national sports event in his location in order to ensure the protection of his people; and a story of a young man taking care of his sick grandmother in the midst of the MILF attack of their town.
The workshop ended with meaning to those present as they look forward to a more intensive moral imagination engagement from the URI within the next few months.
Farewell Dinner
Pakigdait CC hosted a special dinner al fresco under the stars with special Maranao dishes to the delight of everyone. An added attraction was a videoke activity that kept everyone entertained with the chance to show off their singing talents. Thank you Pakigdait CC for your beautiful presence and warm hospitality!
Vol.III, No. 2 (Jul-Dec 2008)
Contents:
PILGRIMS OF PEACE gathered for the URI GLOBAL ASSEMBLY in MAYAPUR, INDIA
Editorial: SOWING PEACE
by Marites Guingona-Africa , URI Global Trustee & URI-SEAP Regional Council Chairperson Last September, in the Southeast Asia Pacific region, the desire for lasting peace in the conflict-prone Mindanao region of the Philippines motivated the Peacemakers’ Circle to take the lead in bringing together peace advocates in Manila in support of those adversely affected by the conflict that had flared up in the wake of the aborted signing of the of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP)... read more
LOVE IN LUJIANG: Finding the meaning of true love and healing through filial piety
My second trip to China this year was again at the invitation of the Most Venerable Master Chin Kung, founder and spiritual sifu of the worldwide Buddhist Amitabha society. In May, I went with him, his disciples and Malaysian religious leaders on an educational tour of
This time we went to Tangchi, a small rural agricultural town with about 50,000 residents. It is located in Lujiang county,
Updates from Manila: PEACE DAY 2008
FAITHS IN HARMONY SOWING PEACE THROUGH PRAYERS, LIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Just before sunset a motley crowd of more than a hundred people lined the sidewalk along Katipunan Avenue-- in front of Miriam College-- to make a stand for peace and call for the cessation of violence in Mindanao. They were students, teachers, artists, lay and religious, members of the interfaith community, NGOs, and employees who took time from their busy schedule to gather together in order to make their voices heard. In solidarity, they wore white, and brought flowers, musical instruments and food to share... read more
Updates from Manila: SOWING PEACE CARAVAN & INTERFAITH EIDL FITR CELEBRATION
MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- An historic event took place in Metro Manila on Thursday October 2, 2008. About 30 motorcyclists and 12 vehicles carrying colored flaglets and banners of the Sowing Peace for Mindanao network drove through the streets in a Peace Caravan that called for a more intensified campaign for awareness and solidarity for the growing number of people affected by the conflict in Mindanao. Escorted by MMDA mobile traffic enforcers and several media crew, the convoy—composed of members representing the different peace organizations, religious communities and interfaith groups had earlier assembled at the Miriam College parking lot in Quezon City, and traveled all the way to Maharlika Village in Taguig City... read moreUpdates from Manila: GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING WORKSHOP ON MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE
MANILA, PHILIPPINES— The Peacemakers' Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI) CC, with the support of the Australian Embassy's Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding (SGIDU) Program, has been conducting a GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING WORKSHOP ON MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE in four communities in Metro Manila since June 2008. The participating communities are: Maharlika Village in Taguig City, Salam Compound in Culiat, Quezon City, Quiapo in Manila, and Tala in Caloocan City... read moreUpdate from Manila: ENGAGING THE MORAL IMAGINATION IN THE SEARCH FOR PEACE IN MINDANAO
MANILA, PHILIPPINES-- The Peacemakers' Circle CC, with the help of its network of partners in SOWING PEACE FOR MINDANAO (SPM), the U.S. Embassy in Manila, and the Mindanao Peoples' Caucus, successfully followed up the series of projects and activities they conducted (from August to October) with a dialogue workshop-forum last October 23, 2008. This was entitled: IN SEARCH FOR PEACE IN MINDANAO: Engaging the Moral Imagination in Community Dialogue and Relationship- Building (a leaders' dialogue workshop-forum). The October 23 workshop-forum was held at the Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City and was hosted by Jasmin N. Galace of the Center for Peace Education of Miriam College. Over one hundred representatives of organizations from various sectors of society--government, media, civil society, academe, religious and interfaith institutions, and the diplomatic community-- attended... read more
Updates from Kalinaw CC - Cebu
Cebu holds big International Day of Peace 2008 celebration
CEBU, PHILIPPINES— On September 19, 2008 (Friday), Kalinaw (“peace”) CC collaborated with the University of Cebu’s Civic Welfare Training Service - National Service Training Program (CWTS-NSTP) and the Advocates of Living Values Education (ALIVE) in organizing one of the biggest UN International Day of Peace celebration in the SEAP region. With over 5,500 people gathered at the newly constructed Cebu Coliseum, the grand event saw the city’s largest participation and widest collaboration so far of multisectoral, multifaith and multicultural celebration of the UN IDP in one venue.Around 3,000 NSTP-CWTS students from the University of Cebu (UC) were joined by 2,000 from ten other schools and colleges, plus about 500 participants from local government units, civil society groups and non-government organizations... read more
Updates from Cebu Youth CCs
CEBU YOUTH CCs ENGAGE IN PRAYERS FOR MINDANAO ON PEACE DAYReported by Jaimini dasi Araneta
CEBU, PHILIPPINES-- Youth for Peace (Prayers for Mindanao) was a very successful and very heartwarming event for all the participating youths. Giving, Respect, Opportunity, Wisdom, Transcendence & Harmony (GROWTH) CC, in cooperation with Mugna Kabataan (“youth…create!”) CC and supported by the Kalinaw CC, gathered together at the Multipurpose hall around 30-40 youths from the National Service Training Program (NSTP) of the Lyceum of Cebu (LC)... read more Updates from Pakigdait CC- Mindanao
Pakigdait CC Leads the 27th International Day of Peace
LANAO DEL NORTE, Mindanao -- The civil society organisations of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte gave recognition to a member of the peace panel, Prof. Rudy Rodil, at the celebration of the International Day of Peace (IDP). The network of civil society organisations of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte, through the initiative of Pakigdait, Inc. CC-- in partnership with the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD-UK)-- commemorated the Peace Day on September 21, 2008 at the Balay Mindanaw Peace Centre in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City... read moreWe Continue Interfaith & Cultural Solidarity Amid Armed Conflict in Lanao
KOLAMBUGAN, LANAO DEL NORTE, MINDANAO-- It was a moving moment. Christian leaders waited outside the town’s main Mosque in celebration of solidarity with Muslims on the last day of Ramadhan. Muslims were greeted outside the Mosque after they completed their worship (Sambayang) by the Christian leaders with offering of warm embrace, flowers, garlands, and fruits. It highlighted the celebration of the Eid’l Fit’r, the feast signifying the end of the month-long fasting... read moreUpdates from MALAYSIA CCs
Updates from COMMON CC - Australia
Sharing our Space: Multi-faith Healing Conference held by COMMON CCVICTORIA, AUSTRALIA-- In celebration of the UN International Day of Peace 2008 Center for Melbourne Multifaith and Others Network (COMMON) CC successfully organized the annual MULTI-FAITH WEEK that kicked off with a Multi-faith Healing Conference entitled: SHARING OUR SPACE—held on its first day on September 21, 2008... read more
URI BOWES AWARD 2008 in SEAP
The Bowes Awards were established by the URI to recognize and catalyze innovation and cooperation among Cooperation Circles and the individuals and organizations in their communities. CCs are doing amazing interfaith work throughout the URI community, and the Bowes Awards is to lift up model action projects in each of the eight regions, all which embody the Preamble, Purpose and Principles of URI.
HONORING MOVERS in the Southeast Asia & the Pacific
by Marites Africa & Shakun Vaswani
As we take the next steps forward in our journey towards building and strengthening URI in our region, some of us who have journeyed the longest--and have seen how URI in our region has grown through the years-wish to express our gratitude to all the wonderful people in the region who have helped give birth to URI in our part of the world.In the spirit of gratitude, joy, and love, we have humbly attempted to recognize and honor them--the MOVERS of URI in Southeast Asia-Pacific--by presenting each one of them to the URI global list serve (one person a week in the past few months) with a brief write-up on their invaluable contributions to the URI in our region. We hope you will be inspired, as we have been, by the beautiful and colorful tapestry of diversity and uniqueness that is being created by the efforts and contributions of each precious MOVER in our part of the world. We give you a glimpse of a few of these MOVERS here—the past and present Global Trustees of SEAP…read more
Reflections/Quotes on Mayapur GA08 from SEAP delegates
Padmini Solomon (Nur Damai CC - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
In a world where there is much religious exclusivity and negative religious fundamentalism, the fact that ISKCON opened its doors to the URI GA is amazing and impressive. It shows what friendships across religious barriers can achieve as well as how the “moral imagination” of URI’s global and regional leadership enables diversity to thrive and be honoured and celebrated...
... read more quotes
CATHARSIS OF THE SOUL: A Young Leader's Experience in Mayapur
YLP delegates sharing on the role of the youth in global interfaith action
By Sharon Danisha M. Vaswani*
Who would have thought that a short stay in a little rural town with a population of just over 9,000 in West Bengal, India would have such a profound effect on me?
Not that long ago, my world was amazingly cosmopolitan in comparison to the outlying villages around Mayapur but, I must admit that when I first arrived in Sri Mayapur Dham last November 24, I was surprised at the big complex of the Temple and buildings, all painted pink & white in a garden setting and at the bare foot ISKCON pilgrims walking across the campus silently chanting the Hare Krishna mantra with their prayer beads. Mayapur Dham, 130km north of Calcutta across the Ganges River, is the Spiritual Capital of ISKCON. Considered as one of the most holy and peaceful places in all of India, it amazingly houses over one million pilgrims each year.
Mayapur Dham was also the venue for the Young Leaders Program and the 2nd Global Assembly of the United Regions Initiative held from November 24 to December 6, 2008 where I was privileged to be part of the delegation from the Philippines and experience beautiful and enriching moments... read more
A message from the URI hub: Mayapur GA08 Reflections
a letter from URI Executive Director, 
REV. CANON CHARLES P. GIBBS
The Global Assembly that once unimaginably far off is over. The seeds planted here in these two weeks will grow and bear fruit for decades to come. None of the pilgrims who were privileged to pass this time in Mayapur will ever be the same. And neither will URI. We will be challenged, grow and flourish in ways we can't begin to predict because of all the connections that have been made here by URI's pilgrims of peace from many paths with one purpose.
At one point in our closing ceremony, I found myself in a large circle 300+ people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions, and indigenous traditions from throughout the world as we honored the pilgrims from each region by calling them into the center of the circle, where they were graced by a special song sung by a fellow pilgrim from a different region... read more
Prayer Song for Peace
This is the third prayer from the eight prayers of Lord Chaitanya sung by devotees. See Lyrics
Editorial: SOWING PEACE
Last September, in the Southeast Asia Pacific region, the desire for lasting peace in the conflict-prone Mindanao region of the Philippines motivated the Peacemakers’ Circle to take the lead in bringing together peace advocates in Manila in support of those adversely affected by the conflict that had flared up in the wake of the aborted signing of the of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). The long years of building relationships between the grass roots Muslim, Christians and Lumads communities came to nothing and once again attitudes of mistrust and fear were awakened and began to create divisions among peace loving people in the different communities.
We laud the Peacemakers’ Circle CC for taking the timely lead to bring together peace advocates to join forces to sow seeds of peace for Mindanao through prayers, press conferences, meetings and various peace building activities. Likewise, we commend the work of URI Cooperation Circles all over the country and around the region that celebrated the UN International Day of Peace 2008 in September, and including in the heart of their interfaith prayers the peace in Mindanao and the whole of Southeast Asia-Pacific.
Under the prevailing situations of violence, strife and injustice in many countries of the world—like the bombing in Mumbai and the uprising in Bangkok-- it was also an opportune time that in November, over 300 youth and adults from over 40 countries journeyed to India as “Pilgrims of peace” to participate in the 2nd URI Global Assembly in the Mayapur. This was a time to celebrate our diversity, deepen our community and to engage in mutual learnings, trainings and make action plans for the next three years.
During the assembly it was heart warming to see youths and adults from different faiths engage in conversations in friendship and respect and enjoying the experience of being together and inspiring each other with their stories.
These are challenging times and as people of faith let us continue to engage in interfaith dialogue and plant seeds of hope for peaceful and harmonious societies in our countries.
Yes, let us all unite in the URI global family in the spirit of kinship and love to sow seeds of peace, justice and healing in our region and indeed the whole world!
May 2009 turn out to be a more Peaceful and Productive Year for All!
Love,
Marites Guingona-Africa
Chairperson, URI-SEAP Regional Council
Vice-Chairperson, URI Global Council
LOVE IN LUJIANG: Finding the meaning of true love and healing through filial piety
My second trip to
This time we went to Tangchi, a small rural agricultural town with about 50,000 residents. It is located in Lujiang county,
We were there to observe for ourselves how the teaching of traditional Chinese morals, values and ethics transformed the townsfolk, with the hope that we can emulate their methods and transform our own society too. We were also to give input from our own cultural, religious and spiritual perspectives and offer comments and suggestions to improve the effectiveness of the programs, and on how to apply them to our own communities.
Master Chin Kung has given talks on peace, loving kindness and harmonious living on numerous occasions to audiences throughout the world. He has shared his wisdom with laymen, academicians, bureaucrats and world leaders. Often he is asked whether it is at all possible to change people from being quarrelsome and crime-prone to kind, respectful and peace-loving citizens. If that is possible, then we will see happier families, and harmonious communities. There will also be less crime, less conflicts, and less wars.
Master Chin Kung believes that the nature of mankind is kindness. It is improper and incorrect upbringing and education that make us otherwise. He decided to prove beyond words that this is true, and that it is possible to change families and communities to become good. The ultimate aim is to achieve world peace through moral and ethics education. This must start with the children, but their parents and elders must also be involved so that the children will not be confused by the conflicting morals and behaviours of the adults.
So with the support of kind donors, he built the Lujiang Chinese Culture Education Centre ( CCEC ) to revive the good traditional teachings to children, adults and parents in the belief that the families and communities that live by these teachings will become peaceful, successful, and prosperous. Tangchi was chosen as the venue as it was his birthplace, and this was one way of honouring it.
Lessons from the Sage
The syllabus is based on the teachings of the great sage Confucius (Kung Fu Tzu, 551-479 BCE), as simplified in the Di Zi Gui booklet, which teaches the “Standards of Being a Good Student and Child”, and other books of morals, good conduct and character.
The project started in 2005. The first task was getting teachers who believe in the same dream and aspirations, and were willing to become models to the students and the community. Fortunately, there were enough committed people who were willing to be trained, led by Teacher Cai and Teacher Chou, who all along believed in the teaching of the traditional values as a means of transforming the world for the better, and were willing to dedicate their lives to this noble cause.
It is under their leadership, with the guidance and wisdom of Master Chin Kung, that the first batch of teachers was intensively trained for 2 months until they became models of good values, virtues and character. By 2006, CCEC was ready to spread its teachings. Only then did the centre invite children, parents and everyone from the town to become students, free of charge, courtesy of generous donors.
The teachers also went out to the community, giving lessons in the homes, village halls and courtyards, and schools. There is a permanent open-air classroom (which also doubles as a theatre) on the park by the riverside right in town, to make it convenient for the people to attend classes.
The lessons are always enjoyable and practical. Starting from teaching children to love, respect and honour their parents and elders (which the latter should reciprocate with love and care), the lessons for adults include values, virtues and morals regarding relationships between husbands and wives, within the family, among friends, in the neighbourhood, community, workplace and in dealing with the authorities, among others. Lessons also include singing, acting, arts and craft, and other activities that can instill good values, encourage usable and valuable skills, and uplift their earning potential at the same time.
Much emphasis is placed on filial piety, something that is established in all Eastern cultures, but is being gradually eroded as the younger generation gets influenced by the western norms that come through the media and TV, and their parents are too busy chasing money and worldly comforts.
Children are taught to bow to their elders, and on certain occasions, to wash their parents’ feet as a mark of love and respect. Everyone is taught to greet others with kind words, a smile, and a bow. So it was a delightful experience as we happily greeted, smiled and bowed to all the people we met, and received their greetings, smiles and respectful bows in return. How wonderful and harmonious the world can be if we all love and respect one another like this!
Values and virtues like love, forgiveness, kindness, trust, justice, integrity, shamefulness and others are painstakingly explained through examples and actual stories of people who have found imbibing these principles into their lives beneficial and life-changing. There are many such examples, of saved marriages, reconciliations, and even reformation of convicts, through the practice of these teachings. On several occasions my eyes were teary listening to these heartwarming lessons.
Amazingly, within only 3 months of the teachers reaching out to the community, there was noticeable change. People became more honest, courteous, and kind. Less rubbish was being thrown around, and people actually started to help clean up should they stumble upon such rubbish. After one year, the authorities reported that the divorce rate was reduced by 48% and the crime rate was down by 47%! As the whole town continues to transform as more and more people learn and practice the good traditional teachings, Tangchi town will indeed become a “Model Township of Harmonius Society”. It is Master Chin Kung’s dream to see the success of Tangchi being replicated in other places, including in
A Harmonious World Begins With Me
This method works because the emphasis is first in transforming the teachers themselves. So it is appropriate that the theme of this study tour was “A Harmonious World Begins With Me”. As Mahatma Ghandi said, we must be the change we want to see. So if you want to see a harmonious world, you must first have a harmonious personality and live a harmonious life. Then the family, community and world around you will benefit and improve a certain degree because of you.
At one interfaith meeting recently, I was asked by a non-Muslim why the Malay/Muslim community here is burdened by many social problems like truancy, poor academic performance, drug addiction, high divorce rates, etc. even though all the children go thorough religious lessons (which also teach similar good values and ethics) throughout their formative primary school years, since it is part of the school curriculum for Muslims ?
My answer was - it is not enough that the content of the lessons are good; the teachers, parents and adults around the children must themselves be living examples of what is being taught so that the children fully understand the goodness, and know how to put the teachings into practice by observing the teachers and elders. That is, the teaching method must be theory combined with living example.
Updates from Manila: PEACE DAY 2008
FAITHS IN HARMONY SOWING PEACE THROUGH PRAYERS, LIGHTS AND SOUNDS
The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI) and the United Religions Initiative Southeast Asia & the Pacific (URI-SEAP) Regional Office joined forces with the Sowing Peace for Mindanao network* in organizing a back-to-back peace event in Quezon City, Metro Manila on Saturday September 20, 2008, eve of the UN International Day of Peace.
Just before sunset a motley crowd of more than a hundred people lined the sidewalk along Katipunan Avenue-- in front of Miriam College-- to make a stand for peace and call for the cessation of violence in Mindanao. They were students, teachers, artists, lay and religious, members of the interfaith community, NGOs, and employees who took time from their busy schedule to gather together in order to make their voices heard. In solidarity, they wore white, and brought flowers, musical instruments and food to share.
Interfaith prayers were said amid the din of the careening traffic. But the energy around the circle was high. A fellowship Iftar (breaking of the fast) was offered in solidarity with the Muslims with everyone sharing the potluck food.
Torches were lit for the peace walk that followed with all marching to the beat of the drums, ringing of chimes and gongs and voices raised in a chorus of chanting - “Stop the war in Mindanao! Give peace a chance!” The traffic on the street kept going but it was heartwarming that many cars stopped and blew their horns in support.
Around 7:00 o’clock in the evening the crowd proceeded to the Environmental Studies Institute inside the Miriam College campus for the FAITHS IN HARMONY, SYMPHONIES OF PEACE, an interfaith concert. Hosted by Ms. Marites Africa of PCFI, the musical celebration offered an array of creative peace presentations – meditation, chanting, songs, dances and prayers-- from the various spiritual groups and partner organizations.
An inspirational peace song was rendered by Ms. Mirma Tica of Pax Christi – Miriam College, while chanting and peace prayers were heard from Mrs. Tomomi Shima and members of Shinji Shumei Kai (Japanese spiritual organization) ; Babaji Surinder Singh Ragi of Guru Nanak Mission (Sikh); and Mahraj Prem Shanker Pandey of the Hindu Temple-Manila.
The Self-Realization Fellowship (Paramahansa Yogananda-founded group) presented a song and engaged everyone in a healing action prayer.
A loose-group of interfaith performers called Higher Chakra, led by Ramesh Balgos, offered a musical poetry reading number.
But definitely the crowd’s favorite was the most joyful and entertaining presentation from the cute and adorable pre-school pupils of the Creative Space Center for Integrative Learning for Children who performed a song and dance number entitled: “Mapayapang Mundo” (peaceful world).
Mr. Mario “Toots” Fungo of the World Peace Prayer Society-Phils. read the United Nations’ official message for IDP ’08 and led the peace prayer for each country by distributing flag-cards of the different nations.
See more photos here
*The Sowing Peace for Mindanao network
The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI) and the United Religions Initiative Southeast Asia & the Pacific (URI-SEAP) Regional Office joined forces with the Sowing Peace for Mindanao network* in organizing a back-to-back peace event in Quezon City, Metro Manila on Saturday September 20, 2008, eve of the UN International Day of Peace.
Just before sunset a motley crowd of more than a hundred people lined the sidewalk along Katipunan Avenue-- in front of Miriam College-- to make a stand for peace and call for the cessation of violence in Mindanao. They were students, teachers, artists, lay and religious, members of the interfaith community, NGOs, and employees who took time from their busy schedule to gather together in order to make their voices heard. In solidarity, they wore white, and brought flowers, musical instruments and food to share.
Interfaith prayers were said amid the din of the careening traffic. But the energy around the circle was high. A fellowship Iftar (breaking of the fast) was offered in solidarity with the Muslims with everyone sharing the potluck food.Torches were lit for the peace walk that followed with all marching to the beat of the drums, ringing of chimes and gongs and voices raised in a chorus of chanting - “Stop the war in Mindanao! Give peace a chance!” The traffic on the street kept going but it was heartwarming that many cars stopped and blew their horns in support.
Around 7:00 o’clock in the evening the crowd proceeded to the Environmental Studies Institute inside the Miriam College campus for the FAITHS IN HARMONY, SYMPHONIES OF PEACE, an interfaith concert. Hosted by Ms. Marites Africa of PCFI, the musical celebration offered an array of creative peace presentations – meditation, chanting, songs, dances and prayers-- from the various spiritual groups and partner organizations.The program was opened by Dr. Shakun Vaswani (URI SEAP regional coordinator) who welcomed everyone to the familiar hall that gets to be annually decorated with the colors of diversity through the flags of various faith symbols and the UN flags of the different countries in the world. Meditation & silencing was led by Mr. John Dowling of Brahma Kumaris. This was followed by an opening dance of peace & blessing offered by the KaliPiMu Innerdance group with musical accompaniment provided by SangHabi, Inc. 
An inspirational peace song was rendered by Ms. Mirma Tica of Pax Christi – Miriam College, while chanting and peace prayers were heard from Mrs. Tomomi Shima and members of Shinji Shumei Kai (Japanese spiritual organization) ; Babaji Surinder Singh Ragi of Guru Nanak Mission (Sikh); and Mahraj Prem Shanker Pandey of the Hindu Temple-Manila.
The Self-Realization Fellowship (Paramahansa Yogananda-founded group) presented a song and engaged everyone in a healing action prayer.Other body movement arts were demonstrated by Step Universe – International (Indonesian energy exercise); the Byakko Shinko Kai –Phils. (with their Divinity-In body prayer); and T’ai Chi master Mr. Ed Sevilla.
Some of the more modern numbers include a Samba dance from PCFI’s Ms. Judy Banu and partner; and peace songs from an all-female rock group, Velvet band —led by Ms. Tet Gallardo, who represented the Unitarian Universalist Community – Manila.
But definitely the crowd’s favorite was the most joyful and entertaining presentation from the cute and adorable pre-school pupils of the Creative Space Center for Integrative Learning for Children who performed a song and dance number entitled: “Mapayapang Mundo” (peaceful world). 
Mr. Mario “Toots” Fungo of the World Peace Prayer Society-Phils. read the United Nations’ official message for IDP ’08 and led the peace prayer for each country by distributing flag-cards of the different nations.During the program, an intensified campaign for A Million Signatures for Yes! We Unite in Sowing Peace for Mindanao was launched.
The evening was capped off with the ever-lively music and chanting by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON/Hare Krishna) that led to community jamming as everyone pushed their seats to the side and, hand-in-hand, formed a big dance circle across the hall.
It was a wonderful sight to behold as people from different faiths and cultures sang, chanted and danced together in joyful harmony and celebration as we continue to demonstrate solidarity in sowing peace in the country and the whole world!
The evening was capped off with the ever-lively music and chanting by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON/Hare Krishna) that led to community jamming as everyone pushed their seats to the side and, hand-in-hand, formed a big dance circle across the hall.It was a wonderful sight to behold as people from different faiths and cultures sang, chanted and danced together in joyful harmony and celebration as we continue to demonstrate solidarity in sowing peace in the country and the whole world!
See more photos here
*The Sowing Peace for Mindanao networkSince the first outbreak of violence that followed the aborted signing (last August 5, 2008) of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), over 500,000 innocent civilians, mostly women and children, in over 66 municipalities in 11 provinces across Central Mindanao continue to suffer displacement from their homes and are living in difficult conditions in evacuation centers or makeshift evacuation sites in their areas. Homes, schools, mosques and chapels in those areas have been burned during the fighting between the renegade factions of the MILF and the government troops.
Concerned peace advocates in the country called for the cessation of violence and the resumption of the peace talks, but their calls largely remained unheeded. In Metro Manila, those of us who have been engaged in peacebuilding work realized that we needed to join forces if we were to hope for some gains in our efforts. In this spirit, we--representatives of various NGOs--got together and called our collective endeavors SOWING PEACE FOR MINDANAO (SPM).
Among the organizations represented in SPM were: The Peacemakers' Circle Foundation, Inc. (URI CC), Binhi ng Kapayapaan, Inc., Center for Peace Education of Miriam College, Balay Rehabilitation Center, Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute, Anak Mindanao (AMIN), Pinay..Kilos (PINK), Moro Human Rights Center, and Interfaith Center for a Culture of Non-Violence (ICCN). Together they engaged in various forms of collaborative action in partnership with and support of the Mindanao Solidarity Network and Mindanao Peoples' Caucus (through the help of Atty. Mary Ann Arnado).
For more info, please check out: www.sowingpeace.multiply.com
Updates from Manila: SOWING PEACE CARAVAN & INTERFAITH EIDL FITR CELEBRATION
MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- An historic event took place in Metro Manila on Thursday October 2, 2008. About 30 motorcyclists and 12 vehicles carrying colored flaglets and banners of the Sowing Peace for Mindanao network drove through the streets in a Peace Caravan that called for a more intensified campaign for awareness and solidarity for the growing number of people affected by the conflict in Mindanao. Escorted by MMDA mobile traffic enforcers and several media crew, the convoy—composed of members representing the different peace organizations, religious communities and interfaith groups had earlier assembled at the Miriam College parking lot in Quezon City, and traveled all the way to Maharlika Village in Taguig City.Awaiting them at St. Joseph Catholic Church was a contingent of about three hundred parishioners from the community led by their parish priest, Fr. Victor Virtudazo. Joining together in a Peace March the two groups filled the streets to the beat of a local drum-and-lyre marching band, interspersed with drumming and harmonium music (provided by the ISKCON) while everyone chanted, “Peace in Mindanao… Now!”-- as they made their way to the Blue Mosque. Here they were welcomed by the Muslim community led by young boys and girls who received the white flowers offered to them by their Christian neighbors and the visiting interfaith community.
Beside the mosque, everyone gathered under the sun in a circle where the interfaith manifesto for peace was read aloud and interfaith prayers for peace were offered by leaders and representatives from the Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Indigenous, Hare Krishna and Hindu faiths. Concluding the ceremony was the planting of a “Tree of Peace” at the center of the circle around which each faith representative put a peg to fence the seedling —symbolizing the concerted effort of protection and continuous nurture that peace would require from each of the stakeholders.
Right after, a celebratory cultural program was held in a tent area nearby where everyone enjoyed musical entertainment from the Muslim community and listened to the solidarity messages and Eidl Fitr greetings from the different participating groups. Also held there was a symbolic offering of food from the Christian and interfaith community which was received by the Muslims led by their respected leader, Sultan Pangandaman.
A simple but harmonious feast was shared as a general feeling of hope filled the air and the promise for peace had been planted in each one’s heart through this fresh, new kind of interfaith Eid celebration that has been started.
The event was featured in several national newspapers the following day. See more photos here
On behalf of the conveners of Sowing Peace for Mindanao network (Binhi ng Kapayapaan, Inc., GZO Peace Institute, Anak Mindanao, Moro Human Rights Center, Center for Peace Education - Miriam College, The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc., Balay Rehabilitation Center, Mindanao Solidarity Network, Interfaith Center for a Culture of Nonviolence), we heartily thank all groups and individuals who have participated and contributed to the success of the event: Aksyon para sa Kapayapaan at Katarungan (AKKAPKA), Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), Motorcyclists Assoc. of the Phils., International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), SangHabi, Inc., KaliPiMu Inner Dance group, Environmental Broadcast Circle-PeaceComm., Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women, St. Joseph Parish - Taguig.
Updates from Manila: GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING WORKSHOP ON MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE
MANILA, PHILIPPINES— The Peacemakers' Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI) CC, with the support of the Australian Embassy's Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding (SGIDU) Program, has been conducting a GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING WORKSHOP ON MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE in four communities in Metro Manila since June 2008. The participating communities are: Maharlika Village in Taguig City, Salam Compound in Culiat, Quezon City, Quiapo in Manila, and Tala in Caloocan City.
Weekly training workshops have been conducted by the PCFI facilitating team (composed of Lee Collano, Imam Kazir Bensani, and Marites Africa) with the team of community-based coordinators in the four areas. The trainings that started in June will continue for nine months and are based on a syllabus that was carefully designed and crafted by the PCFI with respected Muslim leaders (headed by Dr. Abdulhusin "Jo" Kashim, PCFI Board member and Muslim scholar responsible for providing it with Islamic grounding on peace).
Despite the difficulties of the work, the efforts are yielding heartwarming results. Muslim participants are deepening their understanding of peace in Islam through the study of the teachings in the Holy Qur'an. The moral imagination is being awakened and they are expressing the desire to respond to the challenges of their times and help bring about social change through peaceful dialogue with their Christian neighbors.
To date the training workshop is ongoing in the four areas, this time focusing on Christian grassroots leaders.
Update from Manila: ENGAGING THE MORAL IMAGINATION IN THE SEARCH FOR PEACE IN MINDANAO
MANILA, PHILIPPINES-- The Peacemakers' Circle CC, with the help of its network of partners in SOWING PEACE FOR MINDANAO (SPM), the U.S. Embassy in Manila, and the Mindanao Peoples' Caucus, successfully followed up the series of projects and activities they conducted (from August to October) with a dialogue workshop-forum last October 23, 2008. This was entitled: IN SEARCH FOR PEACE IN MINDANAO: Engaging the Moral Imagination in Community Dialogue and Relationship- Building (a leaders' dialogue workshop-forum).
The forum was inspired by the two-year training that some members of The Peacemakers' Circle underwent as representatives of the Philippine Team to the Peacebuilding Training Program of the United Religions Initiative (URI). The training was designed and conducted by Dr. John Paul Lederach and Dr. Herm Weaver. Dr. Lederach was the author of the book (entitled, "Moral Imagination: Art and Soul of Building Peace") that inspired the two-year training under him. He is one of the world's foremost experts on Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding, and he pioneered the Conflict Transformation Program of the Eastern Mennonite University.
It started with a solemn interfaith opening prayer ritual led by Orlan de Guzman, Jr (indigenous tradition), Shakuntala Vaswani (Hindu), Fr. Leonardo Mercado, SVD (Catholic Christian), Aleem Said Basher (Muslim), and visiting Australian Jessiee Kaur Singh (Sikh).
Marites Africa gave an introduction to interfaith dialogue, and guidelines to heart listening (based on the book of Kay Lindhal). This was in preparation for the Listening Circle with Atty. Mary Ann Arnado of the Mindanao Peoples' Caucus, Musa Sanguila of Pakidgait in Kauswagan (Lanao del Norte), and three evacuees--Samira Usman (Pikit), Mashod Salik (Datu Piang), and Brenda Alvarico (Midsayap)--sharing their experiences of the war in Mindanao. Angelina Herrera of the Binhi ng Kapayapaan, Inc. facilitated the circle.
The afternoon session brought groups of people sitting around the table together to share their thoughts and reflections on what struck them most from the sharings, and about ways to collectively respond to the challenges and contribute towards peace in Mindanao.
The forum was inspired by the two-year training that some members of The Peacemakers' Circle underwent as representatives of the Philippine Team to the Peacebuilding Training Program of the United Religions Initiative (URI). The training was designed and conducted by Dr. John Paul Lederach and Dr. Herm Weaver. Dr. Lederach was the author of the book (entitled, "Moral Imagination: Art and Soul of Building Peace") that inspired the two-year training under him. He is one of the world's foremost experts on Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding, and he pioneered the Conflict Transformation Program of the Eastern Mennonite University.The October 23 workshop-forum was held at the Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City and was hosted by Jasmin N. Galace of the Center for Peace Education of Miriam College. Over one hundred representatives of organizations from various sectors of society--government, media, civil society, academe, religious and interfaith institutions, and the diplomatic community-- attended.
It started with a solemn interfaith opening prayer ritual led by Orlan de Guzman, Jr (indigenous tradition), Shakuntala Vaswani (Hindu), Fr. Leonardo Mercado, SVD (Catholic Christian), Aleem Said Basher (Muslim), and visiting Australian Jessiee Kaur Singh (Sikh). Welcome remarks were given by Marites Africa, followed by an introduction to Dr. John Paul Lederach's book on the Moral Imagination by Dr. Abdulhusin "Jo" Kashim.
The workshop-forum aimed to help participants awaken to and engage the moral imagination in the endeavor of building lasting peace in Mindanao. It was emphasized that the moral imagination focuses on the centrality of relationships, and these relationships can be built through deep dialogue and heart listening.
Marites Africa gave an introduction to interfaith dialogue, and guidelines to heart listening (based on the book of Kay Lindhal). This was in preparation for the Listening Circle with Atty. Mary Ann Arnado of the Mindanao Peoples' Caucus, Musa Sanguila of Pakidgait in Kauswagan (Lanao del Norte), and three evacuees--Samira Usman (Pikit), Mashod Salik (Datu Piang), and Brenda Alvarico (Midsayap)--sharing their experiences of the war in Mindanao. Angelina Herrera of the Binhi ng Kapayapaan, Inc. facilitated the circle.The stories shared by the Mindanaoans were heart-rending and the reflections and responses that followed affirmed the difficulties of their plight, and reiterated the general concern to help address the challenges to peace in Mindanao.
The afternoon session brought groups of people sitting around the table together to share their thoughts and reflections on what struck them most from the sharings, and about ways to collectively respond to the challenges and contribute towards peace in Mindanao.After Dr. Kashim synthesized the presentations made by each group, Sr. Arnold Maria Noel of (Balay Rehabilitation Center) and Djalia Hataman (Anak Mindanao) of the Sowing Peace for Mindanao network presented to the assembly the SPM contributions to the endeavor of promoting ways forward for peace in Mindanao.
Before the afternoon ended, a brief inspirational message from Dr. John Paul Lederach himself (who flew in earlier from Nepal for a brief visit to the Philippines) energized the assembly.
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It was a moment of heartwarming synchronicity for the Peacemakers' Circle and this augured well for the training workshops on ENGAGING THE MORAL IMAGINATION IN GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY DIALOGUE AND PEACEBUILDING that the Peacemakers' Circle is hoping to conduct for various communities in Mindanao (and elsewhere in the country) in its effort to help bring forth a transformative cultural force for lasting peace in the country.
A Million Signatures for "Yes! We Unite in Sowing Peace for Mindanao"
We, people for peace of diverse cultures and beliefs from different walks of life in the Philippines, unite in the endeavor to support our brothers and sisters who are being adversely affected by the escalation of conflict in Mindanao.
We unite because we are concerned that the renewed fighting between the renegade factions of the MILF and government troops is awakening old fears and attitudes of mistrust, and fomenting division among peace-loving Muslims, Christians and Lumads in the war-torn grassroots communities in central Mindanao. This is polarizing our people and creating huge obstacles to our path to peace.
We unite in the belief that peace is possible. But peace can only come about if we look at one another anew as brothers and sisters and see the same hopes, dreams and aspirations reflected in each other's eyes; and if we begin to listen more deeply to each other and hear our pain echoed in each other's heart.
We unite in our appeal to all those who are concerned for the peace and wellbeing of our country—our leaders of government, the military and armed forces, the rebel groups, and the various sectors of our society including the media, and the religious and academic institutions—to join us in sowing peace for Mindanao.
We unite in the endeavor to sow the seeds of peace, justice, and healing for our ailing brothers and sisters in Mindanao and to tend to the wounds that are alienating us from each other in our country.
We unite with all individuals, groups and organizations in the country whose efforts for peace are in keeping with the spirit of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation…
To read full version and to support the campaign please log on to http://www.sowingpeace.multiply.com/
We, people for peace of diverse cultures and beliefs from different walks of life in the Philippines, unite in the endeavor to support our brothers and sisters who are being adversely affected by the escalation of conflict in Mindanao.
We unite because we are concerned that the renewed fighting between the renegade factions of the MILF and government troops is awakening old fears and attitudes of mistrust, and fomenting division among peace-loving Muslims, Christians and Lumads in the war-torn grassroots communities in central Mindanao. This is polarizing our people and creating huge obstacles to our path to peace.
We unite in the belief that peace is possible. But peace can only come about if we look at one another anew as brothers and sisters and see the same hopes, dreams and aspirations reflected in each other's eyes; and if we begin to listen more deeply to each other and hear our pain echoed in each other's heart.
We unite in our appeal to all those who are concerned for the peace and wellbeing of our country—our leaders of government, the military and armed forces, the rebel groups, and the various sectors of our society including the media, and the religious and academic institutions—to join us in sowing peace for Mindanao.
We unite in the endeavor to sow the seeds of peace, justice, and healing for our ailing brothers and sisters in Mindanao and to tend to the wounds that are alienating us from each other in our country.
We unite with all individuals, groups and organizations in the country whose efforts for peace are in keeping with the spirit of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation…
To read full version and to support the campaign please log on to http://www.sowingpeace.multiply.com/
Updates from Kalinaw CC - Cebu
Cebu holds big International Day of Peace 2008 celebration
CEBU, PHILIPPINES— On September 19, 2008 (Friday), Kalinaw (“peace”) CC collaborated with the University of Cebu’s Civic Welfare Training Service - National Service Training Program (CWTS-NSTP) and the Advocates of Living Values Education (ALIVE) in organizing one of the biggest UN International Day of Peace celebration in the SEAP region. With over 5,500 people gathered at the newly constructed Cebu Coliseum, the grand event saw the city’s largest participation and widest collaboration so far of multisectoral, multifaith and multicultural celebration of the UN IDP in one venue.
The event featured songs, dances and cultural performances from many different groups—students, children, choirs, bands, government officials, and even some foreign guests like the Koreans who rendered a musical number with local police officers!
One of the main highlight of the program was the prayers for peace in each country. World Peace Prayer Society Philippine representative, Mr. Mario “Toots” Fungo who led the students and the audience in performing the Divinity-In body prayer movement as the flags of each country was honored. Special prayers were offered for peace in Mindanao where currently there is unrest.
CEBU, PHILIPPINES— On September 19, 2008 (Friday), Kalinaw (“peace”) CC collaborated with the University of Cebu’s Civic Welfare Training Service - National Service Training Program (CWTS-NSTP) and the Advocates of Living Values Education (ALIVE) in organizing one of the biggest UN International Day of Peace celebration in the SEAP region. With over 5,500 people gathered at the newly constructed Cebu Coliseum, the grand event saw the city’s largest participation and widest collaboration so far of multisectoral, multifaith and multicultural celebration of the UN IDP in one venue.
Around 3,000 NSTP-CWTS students from the University of Cebu (UC) were joined by 2,000 from ten other schools and colleges, plus about 500 participants from local government units, civil society groups and non-government organizations.
The event featured songs, dances and cultural performances from many different groups—students, children, choirs, bands, government officials, and even some foreign guests like the Koreans who rendered a musical number with local police officers!
Among the special guests of honor who graced the occasion were Hon. Gwen Garcia, governor of Cebu and the President of Cebu Normal University.
One of the main highlight of the program was the prayers for peace in each country. World Peace Prayer Society Philippine representative, Mr. Mario “Toots” Fungo who led the students and the audience in performing the Divinity-In body prayer movement as the flags of each country was honored. Special prayers were offered for peace in Mindanao where currently there is unrest.The finale for the evening was the interfaith prayers and lighting of a thousand candles for peace, and lively community singing and dancing while video clips were presented and also a thousand butterflies were floated to signify the rise of hope and peace in the hearts of all.
Updates from Cebu Youth CCs
CEBU YOUTH CCs ENGAGE IN PRAYERS FOR MINDANAO ON PEACE DAY
CEBU, PHILIPPINES-- Youth for Peace (Prayers for Mindanao) was a very successful and very heartwarming event for all the participating youths. Giving, Respect, Opportunity, Wisdom, Transcendence & Harmony (GROWTH) CC, in cooperation with Mugna Kabataan (“youth…create!”) CC and supported by the Kalinaw CC, gathered together at the Multipurpose hall around 30-40 youths from the National Service Training Program (NSTP) of the Lyceum of Cebu (LC).
That 20th day of September 2008 was very memorable because we learned a lot of things. GROWTH CC members and officers presented a Yoga Dance, and some musical numbers.
Meanwhile, Akmad—a Muslim member of Mugna Kabataan CC shared about the Islamic practice of Ramadhan. He explained the basic teachings and purpose of this tradition and how it is being practiced by all Muslims everywhere in the world. It was very inspiring for everyone to hear from the Muslim community.
Mr. Rene Araneta of Kalinaw CC and adviser of GROWTH CC also gave a short message and shared on WHAT IS REAL PEACE? As a youth we were so enlightened by his words of wisdom.
As the program drew to a close the participants had a WONDERFUL and JOYFUL chanting for PEACE and singing of the Prayer Peace Song (see lyrics here).
Reported by Jaimini dasi Araneta
CEBU, PHILIPPINES-- Youth for Peace (Prayers for Mindanao) was a very successful and very heartwarming event for all the participating youths. Giving, Respect, Opportunity, Wisdom, Transcendence & Harmony (GROWTH) CC, in cooperation with Mugna Kabataan (“youth…create!”) CC and supported by the Kalinaw CC, gathered together at the Multipurpose hall around 30-40 youths from the National Service Training Program (NSTP) of the Lyceum of Cebu (LC). The event started with an inspiring invocation from Ms. Evelyn, one of the students from LC, and followed by a Welcome address from their campus Guidance Counselor, Mr. PJ Calliao.
That 20th day of September 2008 was very memorable because we learned a lot of things. GROWTH CC members and officers presented a Yoga Dance, and some musical numbers.Meanwhile, Akmad—a Muslim member of Mugna Kabataan CC shared about the Islamic practice of Ramadhan. He explained the basic teachings and purpose of this tradition and how it is being practiced by all Muslims everywhere in the world. It was very inspiring for everyone to hear from the Muslim community.
Mr. Rene Araneta of Kalinaw CC and adviser of GROWTH CC also gave a short message and shared on WHAT IS REAL PEACE? As a youth we were so enlightened by his words of wisdom.The youths then gathered together and each lighted their candles to silently pray for Mindanao. Youth representatives from different religions and faiths, namely: Catholic, Born again Christian, Muslim, Chaitanya Mission—each shared their own prayers for peace.
As the program drew to a close the participants had a WONDERFUL and JOYFUL chanting for PEACE and singing of the Prayer Peace Song (see lyrics here).With this great experience we learned that we—even as youths-- can make this world a better place and that PEACE is POSSIBLE.
view more photos here
view more photos here
Updates from Pakigdait CC- Mindanao
Pakigdait CC Leads the 27th International Day of Peace
LANAO DEL NORTE, Mindanao -- The civil society organisations of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte gave recognition to a member of the peace panel, Prof. Rudy Rodil, at the celebration of the International Day of Peace (IDP). The network of civil society organisations of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte, through the initiative of Pakigdait, Inc. CC-- in partnership with the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD-UK)-- commemorated the Peace Day on September 21, 2008 at the Balay Mindanaw Peace Centre in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City.
According to Mr. Musa Sanguila, Pakigdait CC leader and Chairperson for the Civil Society Organisations of Lanao del Norte Partnership for Peace and Development (CSOLNPPD), the major challenge encountered in planning the celebration was the safety and security of Prof. Rudy Rodil whom the civil society awarded with a special tribute during the celebration for his dedication and contribution to peace in Mindanao.
Among other guests present in the celebration and awarding were: Ms. Jo Andot – Programme Manager for the ACT for Peace Programme, Mr. Carino V. Antequisa – Country Accompanier for CAFOD-UK, Ms. Jane Bernardo – the Chairperson for the Civil Society Organisations Forum for Peace, Ms. Regina Salvador-Antequisa – the Secretary-General for the CSOLNPPD, members of the civil organizations in Iligan and Lanao del Norte, and Cagayan de Oro media members.
We Continue Interfaith & Cultural Solidarity Amid Armed Conflict in Lanao
KOLAMBUGAN, LANAO DEL NORTE, MINDANAO-- It was a moving moment. Christian leaders waited outside the town’s main Mosque in celebration of solidarity with Muslims on the last day of Ramadhan. Muslims were greeted outside the Mosque after they completed their worship (Sambayang) by the Christian leaders with offering of warm embrace, flowers, garlands, and fruits. It highlighted the celebration of the Eid’l Fit’r, the feast signifying the end of the month-long fasting.
The Christian community led by Rev. Fr. Reggie R. Quijano (Parish Priest of Kolambugan and Chairman of the Board of Pakigdait, Incorporated), Sr. Jen-Jen Aligdo, RSM, Hon. Lorenzo V. Manigos (Vice-Mayor of Kolambugan), Sr. Helen Liboon (Directress for the Holy Cross High School), Ms. Jovy Abesola (Principal of the Holy Cross High School), and teachers joined our Muslim brothers and sisters in this special occasion.
The Muslim community led by Datu Tannie Marambon warmly received the Christian community in a spirit of understanding and unity and celebrated the most special day in the life of Muslims in a feast where Maranao food and delicacies were shared by the Muslims and the Christians. The celebration affirmed that the destruction brought about by the August 18 MILF attack to the municipality has not conquered the peace between Muslims and Christians. Peace ultimately reigns among the people of Kolambugan.
Since 2001, Pakigdait CC has been conducting interfaith dialogues and multi-cultural activies. The “Panagtagbo sa Panaghiusa ug Kalinaw” (Coming to Meet for Unity and Peace) – the annual theme of the Ramadhan greetings was initiated by Pakigdait. It has grown to be the venue to foster unity, reconciliation and conflict resolution in the war-ravaged and conflict-ridden towns of Kolambugan and Kauswagan.
LANAO DEL NORTE, Mindanao -- The civil society organisations of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte gave recognition to a member of the peace panel, Prof. Rudy Rodil, at the celebration of the International Day of Peace (IDP). The network of civil society organisations of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte, through the initiative of Pakigdait, Inc. CC-- in partnership with the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD-UK)-- commemorated the Peace Day on September 21, 2008 at the Balay Mindanaw Peace Centre in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City.According to Mr. Musa Sanguila, Pakigdait CC leader and Chairperson for the Civil Society Organisations of Lanao del Norte Partnership for Peace and Development (CSOLNPPD), the major challenge encountered in planning the celebration was the safety and security of Prof. Rudy Rodil whom the civil society awarded with a special tribute during the celebration for his dedication and contribution to peace in Mindanao.
Among other guests present in the celebration and awarding were: Ms. Jo Andot – Programme Manager for the ACT for Peace Programme, Mr. Carino V. Antequisa – Country Accompanier for CAFOD-UK, Ms. Jane Bernardo – the Chairperson for the Civil Society Organisations Forum for Peace, Ms. Regina Salvador-Antequisa – the Secretary-General for the CSOLNPPD, members of the civil organizations in Iligan and Lanao del Norte, and Cagayan de Oro media members.
We Continue Interfaith & Cultural Solidarity Amid Armed Conflict in Lanao
KOLAMBUGAN, LANAO DEL NORTE, MINDANAO-- It was a moving moment. Christian leaders waited outside the town’s main Mosque in celebration of solidarity with Muslims on the last day of Ramadhan. Muslims were greeted outside the Mosque after they completed their worship (Sambayang) by the Christian leaders with offering of warm embrace, flowers, garlands, and fruits. It highlighted the celebration of the Eid’l Fit’r, the feast signifying the end of the month-long fasting.The Christian community led by Rev. Fr. Reggie R. Quijano (Parish Priest of Kolambugan and Chairman of the Board of Pakigdait, Incorporated), Sr. Jen-Jen Aligdo, RSM, Hon. Lorenzo V. Manigos (Vice-Mayor of Kolambugan), Sr. Helen Liboon (Directress for the Holy Cross High School), Ms. Jovy Abesola (Principal of the Holy Cross High School), and teachers joined our Muslim brothers and sisters in this special occasion.
The Muslim community led by Datu Tannie Marambon warmly received the Christian community in a spirit of understanding and unity and celebrated the most special day in the life of Muslims in a feast where Maranao food and delicacies were shared by the Muslims and the Christians. The celebration affirmed that the destruction brought about by the August 18 MILF attack to the municipality has not conquered the peace between Muslims and Christians. Peace ultimately reigns among the people of Kolambugan.
Since 2001, Pakigdait CC has been conducting interfaith dialogues and multi-cultural activies. The “Panagtagbo sa Panaghiusa ug Kalinaw” (Coming to Meet for Unity and Peace) – the annual theme of the Ramadhan greetings was initiated by Pakigdait. It has grown to be the venue to foster unity, reconciliation and conflict resolution in the war-ravaged and conflict-ridden towns of Kolambugan and Kauswagan.
Updates from MALAYSIA CCs
PETALING JAYA & TAIPING, MALAYSIA--The 2008 International Day of Peace is commemorated in Malaysia in many fronts. In one of these celebrations the
They also conducted a visit to two famous of places of worship, launched the Peace One day campaign, viewed Special Olympic's film, and conducted a Signing of the Peace Declaration. The finale activity which concluded the event was the Lighting of Candles for Peace.
Updates from COMMON CC - Australia
Sharing our Space: Multi-faith Healing Conference held by COMMON CC
Held: 21st September 2008: 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Venue: Aboriginal Advancement League, 2 Watt Street, Thornbury, Victoria
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA-- In celebration of the UN International Day of Peace 2008 Center for Melbourne Multifaith and Others Network (COMMON) CC successfully organized the annual MULTI-FAITH WEEK that kicked off with a Multi-faith Healing Conference entitled: SHARING OUR SPACE—held on its first day on September 21, 2008.
Sharing Our Space was a free event held at the Aboriginal Advancement League in Thornbury, Victoria. It aimed to demonstrate the support of the interfaith community for the Commonwealth Government’s apology to the members of the Stolen Generation and to build on the foundation laid down by Australian Prime Minister Hon. Kevin Rudd.
Organized in cooperation with the Victorian Multicultural Commission and AALI, the multi-faith healing conference was a process of recognition, reconciliation and learning between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The conference featured interfaith prayers and solidarity messages from leaders and representatives from different religions and spiritual traditions (Aboriginal, Native American, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Sikh, Hindu, Baha’i, and Buddhist). Together the community recognized what they all have in common and shared the sacred space with each other.
The Multi-faith Week 2008, which ran from the 21st to the 27 of September, featured open house invitations to a particular place of worship of a different faith for each day of the week. Among the activities and faith communities that opened their doors to the public were: Langar (communal kitchen) and congregation at the Sikh Gurudwara Sahib in Blackburn; Buddhist meditation at the Fo Guang Art Gallery in Melbourne; Catholic mass and prayer service at the St. Francis Church in Melbourne; Soul-food meditation and devotional gathering at a Baha’I house in Hawthorn; Islamic weekly prayer at the City Mosque in West Melbourne; Hindu Pooja at the Murugan Temple in North Sunshine; Jewish Shabbat at the Temple Beth Israel in Melbourne; and an Aboriginal culture, spirituality and art tour at the Koori Heritage Trust Cultural Center in Melbourne.
Held: 21st September 2008: 1:30 pm – 4:30 pmVenue: Aboriginal Advancement League, 2 Watt Street, Thornbury, Victoria
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA-- In celebration of the UN International Day of Peace 2008 Center for Melbourne Multifaith and Others Network (COMMON) CC successfully organized the annual MULTI-FAITH WEEK that kicked off with a Multi-faith Healing Conference entitled: SHARING OUR SPACE—held on its first day on September 21, 2008.
Sharing Our Space was a free event held at the Aboriginal Advancement League in Thornbury, Victoria. It aimed to demonstrate the support of the interfaith community for the Commonwealth Government’s apology to the members of the Stolen Generation and to build on the foundation laid down by Australian Prime Minister Hon. Kevin Rudd.
Organized in cooperation with the Victorian Multicultural Commission and AALI, the multi-faith healing conference was a process of recognition, reconciliation and learning between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The conference featured interfaith prayers and solidarity messages from leaders and representatives from different religions and spiritual traditions (Aboriginal, Native American, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Sikh, Hindu, Baha’i, and Buddhist). Together the community recognized what they all have in common and shared the sacred space with each other.
The Multi-faith Week 2008, which ran from the 21st to the 27 of September, featured open house invitations to a particular place of worship of a different faith for each day of the week. Among the activities and faith communities that opened their doors to the public were: Langar (communal kitchen) and congregation at the Sikh Gurudwara Sahib in Blackburn; Buddhist meditation at the Fo Guang Art Gallery in Melbourne; Catholic mass and prayer service at the St. Francis Church in Melbourne; Soul-food meditation and devotional gathering at a Baha’I house in Hawthorn; Islamic weekly prayer at the City Mosque in West Melbourne; Hindu Pooja at the Murugan Temple in North Sunshine; Jewish Shabbat at the Temple Beth Israel in Melbourne; and an Aboriginal culture, spirituality and art tour at the Koori Heritage Trust Cultural Center in Melbourne.
URI BOWES AWARD 2008 in SEAP
The Bowes Awards were established by the URI to recognize and catalyze innovation and cooperation among Cooperation Circles and the individuals and organizations in their communities. CCs are doing amazing interfaith work throughout the URI community, and the Bowes Awards is to lift up model action projects in each of the eight regions, all which embody the Preamble, Purpose and Principles of URI.
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The Awards are made possible by a generous financial gift from John and Frances Bowes, in honor of William K. Bowes, brother of John and noted venture capitalist, philanthropist and major supporter of URI.
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Beginning in 2008 in Mayapur, India, the Bowes Awards will be given at URI’s Global Assembly. The award is a financial gift to support the project and provide scholarships to attend the URI Global Assembly and will be presented to the 8 applicants (one from each region) whose proposals stand out and can be a model of interfaith cooperation for others to replicate.
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The 2008 Bowes Award for the Southeast Asia & the Pacific region was awarded to the Peacemakers’ Circle for its project on leadership training in the region. Ours is a region with clusters of island-countries separated not only by bodies of water, but by diverse cultures and beliefs of their people. Although there are numerous interfaith activities and initiatives already going on in various parts of this region, there is a need to build bridges that would connect people and help them to be agents of change. The Peacemaker’s Circle CC project would fulfill this need by providing a URI leadership training program that would create a core team of leaders who would help deepen and strengthen the sense of being URI among CC members, uniting all parts of the region to realize its vision to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings in this part of the world.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE URI-SEAP BOWES AWARD WINNER—THE PEACEMAKERS’ CIRCLE CC and the SEAP region!
HONORING MOVERS in the Southeast Asia & the Pacific
by Marites Africa & Shakun Vaswani
As we take the next steps forward in our journey towards building and strengthening URI in our region, some of us who have journeyed the longest--and have seen how URI in our region has grown through the years-wish to express our gratitude to all the wonderful people in the region who have helped give birth to URI in our part of the world.
We recognize MARIO "TOOTS" FUNGO (of World Peace Prayer Society- Phils. and Byakko Shinko Kai) and SR. LILIAN CURAMING,FMM (Franciscan Missionaries of Mary) who first brought the seed of URI to the Philippines. Toots Fungo had attended the Global Summit at Stanford University in 1997, and Sr. Lilian in 1998. They shared the good news about an upcoming new kind of interfaith organization with friends in Metro Manila.
MARITES GUINGONA-AFRICA was so inspired by the URI vision that she volunteered to bring together an interfaith group and spearheaded the "72 Hours Project," an unprecedented interfaith peace gathering in Metro Manila at the turn of the millennium. They were joined in this endeavor by a fellow visionary 
BRO. ELI ANDRADE and a quiet and passionate Hindu peace builder SHAKUNTALA VASWANI. This eventually led to the formation of the Peacemakers' Circle CC in Manila and the rest, as they say, is history. 
Here we also recognize the serene yet cohesive energy of ORLAN DE GUZMAN, JR., our Regional Information and Communications officer who served as the "center of gravity" of all activties of the region in the last three years.
As we take the next steps forward in our journey towards building and strengthening URI in our region, some of us who have journeyed the longest--and have seen how URI in our region has grown through the years-wish to express our gratitude to all the wonderful people in the region who have helped give birth to URI in our part of the world.
We recognize MARIO "TOOTS" FUNGO (of World Peace Prayer Society- Phils. and Byakko Shinko Kai) and SR. LILIAN CURAMING,FMM (Franciscan Missionaries of Mary) who first brought the seed of URI to the Philippines. Toots Fungo had attended the Global Summit at Stanford University in 1997, and Sr. Lilian in 1998. They shared the good news about an upcoming new kind of interfaith organization with friends in Metro Manila.
MARITES GUINGONA-AFRICA was so inspired by the URI vision that she volunteered to bring together an interfaith group and spearheaded the "72 Hours Project," an unprecedented interfaith peace gathering in Metro Manila at the turn of the millennium. They were joined in this endeavor by a fellow visionary 
BRO. ELI ANDRADE and a quiet and passionate Hindu peace builder SHAKUNTALA VASWANI. This eventually led to the formation of the Peacemakers' Circle CC in Manila and the rest, as they say, is history. 
Here we also recognize the serene yet cohesive energy of ORLAN DE GUZMAN, JR., our Regional Information and Communications officer who served as the "center of gravity" of all activties of the region in the last three years.We acknowledge all the "MOVERS" who have been drawn to the URI by their ideals and the largeness of their vision, who have subsequently inspired the creation of their own CCs (and other CCs), and who continue to provide URI leadership in one way or another in their respective locales. In their hearts, minds, and ways of being with one another they hold the life, vitality and hope of URI in our midst.
In the spirit of gratitude, joy, and love, we have humbly attempted to recognize and honor them--the MOVERS of URI in Southeast Asia-Pacific--by presenting each one of them to the URI global list serve (one person a week in the past few months) with a brief write-up on their invaluable contributions to the URI in our region. We hope you will be inspired, as we have been, by the beautiful and colorful tapestry of diversity and uniqueness that is being created by the efforts and contributions of each precious MOVER in our part of the world. We give you a glimpse of a few of these MOVERS here—the past and present Global Trustees of SEAP…
REV. GEORGE ARMSTRONG may well be the "Father of URI in Southeast Asia." He has always been inspiring in his passion for action even since the URI Summit at Stanford University in 1999 where his energy and enthusiasm was already evident.
A respected Anglican religious leader in New Zealand, Rev. George served as member of the Interim Global Council and his involvement in the early processes of building the foundations of the URI is a building block of URI in SEAP. When URI SEAP was separated from the rest of the URI Asia region sometime in 2002, his leadership became pivotal. He was elected as Member of URI's first democratically elected Global Council. As one of the founding fathers of URI in SEAP, he continues to serve as an inspiration to all of us here!
He is known to us simply as Boni. If George Armstrong is the "Father of URI in SEAP," Bonifacio amado M. Quirog, Jr. is the brother to us all. Fueled by Boni's passion and vision, Bohol Goodwill Volunteers CC-- a Founding Member of the URI-- shone like a jewel of good will in that quaint island in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines.
Despite the many responsibilities as Provincial Secretary in the local government of Bohol, Boni devoted time and energy to the challenging endeavor of encouraging interfaith participation and collaboration in the local gatherings. His critical mind and talent for planning and organizing people are the gifts that he brings to URI in SEAP.
From 2002 to 2005, Boni, together with George Armstrong and Shakun Vaswani, served as member of the first Global Council representing the region. His involvement in the URI so inspired his son Ludwig that soon, this passionate and intelligent young man decided to bring together his friends--youths of different religions in Bohol-- to share the spirit of the URI PPP there. In 2007, the TULAY ("bridge") CC came to be!
He stood out in the crowd, a stunning dusky figure in white traditional Balinese finery trimmed with gold. The Balinese headgear, destar, wrapped around his head accentuated the air of royalty about him, and his startling white smile was a picture perfect "Bali high" moment for URI pilgrims arriving Denpasar for the 1st URI Asia Regional Assembly in December 2001. Agus Indra Udayana, worthy kin and successor of the late Ibu Gedong Bagus Oka (whose legacy of URI leadership in Southeast Asia continues to inspire us), has been a moving force in the awe-inspiring Bali gathering.
Earlier in 2001, the Gandhi Puri Ashram CC was established in Denpasar by Ibu Oka with Indra as its Chairman. When Ibu Oka passed away in November 2002, Indra took on the responsibilities of running the ashram and engaged fully in promoting interfaith dialogue activities and organizing prayer gatherings. Soon, Indra was inspired to create another CC in Denpasar, the Ahimsa Satya Karuna CC. He then became a Trustee At-Large during the first Global Council.
Indra is a veritable "mover" in the region. He is highly connected politically and his influence in the inter-religious sphere has enabled him to contribute immensely to the endeavors for peace in Bali.
He is a leader among men and a healer of women. Dr. Amir farid bin dato isahak is a gracious Malaysian Muslim whose presence in URI SEAP is a source of inspiration, hope, and encouragement to this fledgling team of URI "movers" in these parts of the world. His talents are multifaceted, and his leadership in various fields of endeavor makes him a valuable asset to the URI. Not only a well-known and respected figure among leaders of all religions and leaders of government in Malaysia (he serves as Adviser to several Islamic organizations), Dr. Amir is also a senior medical consultant with over 25 years of practice. Although trained in Modern Medicine (practicing Obstetrics/Gynecology,Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine), he is a firm believer and practitioner of Holistic Health, Alternative/Complementary Therapies, Integrative and Preventive Medicine, Nutritional and Spiritual Healing.
It was in 2005 when he was unanimously elected as a URI Global Trustee for 2005-08. In March 2007, he led the Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship (INSaF) CC--with the support of the Pure Life Society and the Malaysian Interfaith Network CC—in organizing the successful regional meeting in Kuala Lumpur where a huge gathering of religious leaders of Malaysia attended the interfaith forum that concluded the historic event. Today, Dr. Amir continues to serve the region as a leader with a healing heart. With him as continuing GC Trustee until 2012, may our passion for URI remain forever young!
She brims with vivacious energy and it is not easy to miss her in a crowd. SR. Sandra Gonzales Clemente, a Catholic nun of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Congregation (RSCJ), thrives in the hustle and bustle of her busy life as “formator” of hundreds of students of the University of Cebu. As the university’s Director of Community Extension Service and Development and National Service-Civic Welfare Training program, she has about 100 student volunteers and about 4000 students under her care every semester!
Sr. Sandra’s energy is constantly fueled by her engagement with young adults on a daily basis as she moves about the corridors and hallways of the university; and this energy she has a lot of to spare for her other passions—caring for the environment, and promoting interfaith awareness among the predominantly conservative Catholic populace of Cebu.
In 2002, Sr. Sandra and the Kalinaw (“Peace”) CC came to be and grew in vitality through the years. During the SEAP regional meeting in Manila in 2005, Sr. Sandra was elected as URI Trustee of the region. Her membership in different NGOs and her budding partnership with government in some of the university’s projects are giving her enough opportunities to promote URI in her part of the country. This includes leading the city in organizing and launching its first ever interfaith council earlier this year last June.
DR. RATNAM ALAGIAH was like a beam of light that suddenly appeared at the horizon from that place "down under" signaling the presence of life force in what was once a distant and unexplored territory in the URI SEAP region. Hearing so much about the URI from his brother, Sabapathy Alagiah (an active URI leader in Mozambique), he was inspired by him to join URI. Being a member of the faculty of Griffiths University-- specializing in teaching Theoretical and International Accounting-- he was able to inspire youths to become members of the Unity Peace and Multiculturalism CC in Gold Coast of Queensland where he initiated interfaith celebrations on the International Day of Peace with the multi-faith devotional group on the campus. He also encouraged his nephew, Nemat Sabapathy, to participate in the URI and soon the Peace Justice Harmony CC was created in Sydney.
As a Baha’i, Dr. Ratnam’s passion for interfaith dialogue and collaboration is fueled and was further ignited as he was elected as a URI Global Trustee in 2005. He recently moved from Queensland to Adelaide. He is now connected with the University of South Australia and there he plans to start another CC!
He is often mistaken for an American Indian, but when Musa Mohamad Sanguila plays the guitar and sings, Filipinos take pride in claiming him as their own. He is a remarkable Muslim whose long hair and colorful ethnic-inspired shirts accentuate his passion for building peace among his people in conflict ridden Mindanao.
Musa’s passion to serve his people is well recognized. He is a member of the Council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC); Member of the Board and Vice-Chairperson of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations (CBCSO) and a member of the Local Monitoring Team (LMT) representing the Civil Society in the Monitoring Body for the ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
In 2001 Musa helped to found PAKIGDAIT, Inc. ("reaching out in the way of peace") which brings together Christian and Muslim leaders from five religious denominations, all of whom are united in their desire for peace. Under his leadership, Pakigdait became a URI CC in 2006. For Musa peacebuilding is a career and a way of life. Currently, he is an upcoming GC Trustee from our region.
PILGRIMS OF PEACE gathered for the URI GLOBAL ASSEMBLY in MAYAPUR, INDIA
The United Religions Initiative (URI) held its second Global Assembly (GA08) on November 27th to December 5th, 2008 in Mayapur, West Bengal, India. The much-anticipated event brought together in one unprecedented grassroots global gathering some 200 global interfaith leaders and around 100 interfaith youth delegates representing diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions from 44 countries.
A perfect setting for such an event was the holy land of Sridham Mayapur --renowned spiritual center of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Along with the support of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in Kolkata, ISKCON played host to the global delegates with exceptional hospitality and warm accommodation.
The leaders and representatives of Cooperation Circles from the Southeast Asia & the Pacific Region who attended were: Dr. Shakuntala Vaswani (URI-SEAP Regional Coordinator - from Manila); Ms. Marites Guingona-Africa (Regional Council Chairperson & The Peacemakers’ Circle CC leader – from Manila); Dr. Amir Farid Isahak (Global Trustee, Interfaith Spiritual Felowship CC leader & Malaysian Interfaith Network CC representative – from Kuala Lumpur); Bro. Musa Sanguila (Global Trustee & Pakigdait CC leader – from Mindanao); Sr. Sandra Clemente, RSCJ (Kalinaw CC leader – from Cebu); Sis. Jessiee Kaur-Singh (Center of Melbourne Multifaith & Others Network CC leader – from Melbourne); Ms. Cora Ponteres (Bohol Goodwill Volunteers CC representative – from Bohol); and Ms. Padmini Solomon (leader of the up and coming Nur Damai CC).
Also part of the SEAP delegation who arrived a week earlier (November 25th – 29th, 2008) in Mayapur to attend the URI Young Leaders Program (YLP) were: Mr. Sam An Ros (Interfaith Youths of Cambodia CC leader – from Svey Rieng); Ms. Elyse Rider (COMMON CC youth member – from Melbourne); Mr. Orlan de Guzman, Jr. (URI-SEAP Regional Information & Communications Officer, Peacemakers’ Circle CC youth member, & Youth for Unity/Y4U member – from Manila); Mr. Ramesh Balgos (YLP logo design contest winner – from Manila); Ms. Sharon Vaswani (Y4U representative – from Manila); Mr. Agus Indra Udayana (Ashram Gandhi Puri CC leader – from Bali); Mr. Gede Suwantana (Ahimsa Satya Karuna CC representative – from Bali); Mr. Ketut Suwidiarta (Ashram Gandhi Puri CC youth member – from Bali); and Mr. Sidon Sok (Youth Council of Cambodia - soon to be a CC from Phnom Penh). (See related article on the Young Leaders Program here)
Aimed as “a vibrant gathering where people can deepen their experience of living into the URI Preamble, Purpose and Principles, address visions of collective actions, and celebrate the totality of URI”, the GA08 provided a rich program which consisted of an array of sacred practices, ceremonies across traditions, capacity-building workshops, thematic plenary sessions and community-building interactions, knowledge cafes & exhibit booths, local tours and community outreach, as well as affinity dialogues, global council and regional meetings.
Some of the highlights of the event was a beautiful and solemn ritual opening at the banks of the sacred Ganges River and solidarity procession around the pilgrimage campus. This was then followed by a ceremony for URI’s Celestial CC to honour and remember the respected URI leaders who have passed on—including ISKCON’s very own Dr. T. D. Singh who was the visionary behind the whole Mayapur assembly.
Colorful and spectacular performances were offered throughout the week as the delegates were treated to music, songs, dances, story-telling and poetry not only from the local Indian traditions but also from all over the world as talents and creative presentations were shared with one another through cultural showcase sessions.
The outgoing Global Trustees (2005-2008) were honoured while the new Global Council (GC) was inaugurated. From the SEAP region, Ms. Marites Africa, Dr. Amir Isahak and Mr. Musa Sanguila stood before the global assembly along with the other incoming Global Trustees and took oath as they declared their commitment for their term of service from 2008 to 2012. The officers of the new GC were also elected and inducted. Among them is SEAP’s very own Trustee, Ms. Marites Africa, who was elected as Co-Vice Chairperson. (Congratulations, Marites!)
The GA08 also featured the formal presentation of the Moral Imagination (MI) Peacebuilding Training Program to the URI community. The URI MI learning team and MI representative trainees from India, Philippines, Uganda, and Ethiopia shared about their work not just through speeches but also with songs and creative drama. Throughout the week they have also conducted seminar workshops on engaging the Moral Imagination for grassroots peacebuilding in their respective areas.
The presentation of the Bowes Award to the winners from each region was another highlight in the GA08. Upon receiving the award for the SEAP, Ms. Marites Africa (newly-elected Co-Vice Chairperson of the Global Council) of The Peacemakers’ Circle CC called up to the stage the rest of the delegates from the region-- to emphasize that the winning proposal was a project which is not just for their own CC but for the whole SEAP region (see article on page __).
Indeed another golden mark was etched in the pages of history for URI as its second Global Assembly was a big success in Mayapur. Likewise, golden sparks of inspiration, learnings and wonderful memories of friendship and kinship, old and new-- crossing the boundaries of generations, cultures, and creed-- have been etched in the hearts, minds and souls of around 300 pilgrims of peace of diverse faiths from around the world journeying through many paths but together sharing the same one purpose.
With the theme 'Pilgrims of Peace: Many Paths, One Purpose' the assembly bore witness to members of Cooperation Circles from around the world meeting face to face, sharing with and learning from one another's successes in their respective interfaith grassroots work, and strengthening alliances within the URI network, as well as forging friendships with new contacts, to further worldwide interfaith cooperation and peacebuilding.
A perfect setting for such an event was the holy land of Sridham Mayapur --renowned spiritual center of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Along with the support of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in Kolkata, ISKCON played host to the global delegates with exceptional hospitality and warm accommodation.
The leaders and representatives of Cooperation Circles from the Southeast Asia & the Pacific Region who attended were: Dr. Shakuntala Vaswani (URI-SEAP Regional Coordinator - from Manila); Ms. Marites Guingona-Africa (Regional Council Chairperson & The Peacemakers’ Circle CC leader – from Manila); Dr. Amir Farid Isahak (Global Trustee, Interfaith Spiritual Felowship CC leader & Malaysian Interfaith Network CC representative – from Kuala Lumpur); Bro. Musa Sanguila (Global Trustee & Pakigdait CC leader – from Mindanao); Sr. Sandra Clemente, RSCJ (Kalinaw CC leader – from Cebu); Sis. Jessiee Kaur-Singh (Center of Melbourne Multifaith & Others Network CC leader – from Melbourne); Ms. Cora Ponteres (Bohol Goodwill Volunteers CC representative – from Bohol); and Ms. Padmini Solomon (leader of the up and coming Nur Damai CC).
Also part of the SEAP delegation who arrived a week earlier (November 25th – 29th, 2008) in Mayapur to attend the URI Young Leaders Program (YLP) were: Mr. Sam An Ros (Interfaith Youths of Cambodia CC leader – from Svey Rieng); Ms. Elyse Rider (COMMON CC youth member – from Melbourne); Mr. Orlan de Guzman, Jr. (URI-SEAP Regional Information & Communications Officer, Peacemakers’ Circle CC youth member, & Youth for Unity/Y4U member – from Manila); Mr. Ramesh Balgos (YLP logo design contest winner – from Manila); Ms. Sharon Vaswani (Y4U representative – from Manila); Mr. Agus Indra Udayana (Ashram Gandhi Puri CC leader – from Bali); Mr. Gede Suwantana (Ahimsa Satya Karuna CC representative – from Bali); Mr. Ketut Suwidiarta (Ashram Gandhi Puri CC youth member – from Bali); and Mr. Sidon Sok (Youth Council of Cambodia - soon to be a CC from Phnom Penh). (See related article on the Young Leaders Program here)Aimed as “a vibrant gathering where people can deepen their experience of living into the URI Preamble, Purpose and Principles, address visions of collective actions, and celebrate the totality of URI”, the GA08 provided a rich program which consisted of an array of sacred practices, ceremonies across traditions, capacity-building workshops, thematic plenary sessions and community-building interactions, knowledge cafes & exhibit booths, local tours and community outreach, as well as affinity dialogues, global council and regional meetings.
Some of the highlights of the event was a beautiful and solemn ritual opening at the banks of the sacred Ganges River and solidarity procession around the pilgrimage campus. This was then followed by a ceremony for URI’s Celestial CC to honour and remember the respected URI leaders who have passed on—including ISKCON’s very own Dr. T. D. Singh who was the visionary behind the whole Mayapur assembly.
Colorful and spectacular performances were offered throughout the week as the delegates were treated to music, songs, dances, story-telling and poetry not only from the local Indian traditions but also from all over the world as talents and creative presentations were shared with one another through cultural showcase sessions.
The outgoing Global Trustees (2005-2008) were honoured while the new Global Council (GC) was inaugurated. From the SEAP region, Ms. Marites Africa, Dr. Amir Isahak and Mr. Musa Sanguila stood before the global assembly along with the other incoming Global Trustees and took oath as they declared their commitment for their term of service from 2008 to 2012. The officers of the new GC were also elected and inducted. Among them is SEAP’s very own Trustee, Ms. Marites Africa, who was elected as Co-Vice Chairperson. (Congratulations, Marites!)
The GA08 also featured the formal presentation of the Moral Imagination (MI) Peacebuilding Training Program to the URI community. The URI MI learning team and MI representative trainees from India, Philippines, Uganda, and Ethiopia shared about their work not just through speeches but also with songs and creative drama. Throughout the week they have also conducted seminar workshops on engaging the Moral Imagination for grassroots peacebuilding in their respective areas.The presentation of the Bowes Award to the winners from each region was another highlight in the GA08. Upon receiving the award for the SEAP, Ms. Marites Africa (newly-elected Co-Vice Chairperson of the Global Council) of The Peacemakers’ Circle CC called up to the stage the rest of the delegates from the region-- to emphasize that the winning proposal was a project which is not just for their own CC but for the whole SEAP region (see article on page __).
Indeed another golden mark was etched in the pages of history for URI as its second Global Assembly was a big success in Mayapur. Likewise, golden sparks of inspiration, learnings and wonderful memories of friendship and kinship, old and new-- crossing the boundaries of generations, cultures, and creed-- have been etched in the hearts, minds and souls of around 300 pilgrims of peace of diverse faiths from around the world journeying through many paths but together sharing the same one purpose.
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