Christian–Muslim communities to build bridges, forge greater unity and harmony

New Delhi – September 25, 2005 marked an important day for Christian and Muslim communities in India as a 2–day National Seminar on “Christian–Muslim Endeavours For A Better Society” was organized by the Commission for Inter–Religious Dialogue (CIRD), CBCI in Don Bosco, New Delhi.

The Seminar, which was intended to forge a better relationship between Christian and Muslim communities in India, for the making of a better society in India, saw many eminent scholars, politicians and social activists, including Mr. Oscar Fernandes, Minister of State, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, Mr. Haroon Yusuf, Minister of Transport and Power, State Government of Delhi, Archbishop of Delhi, Dr. Vincent Concessao, Mohataram Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, a world–famous Islamic spiritual scholar, Fr. Dr. Paul Jackson, co–founder of Islamic Studies Association and Bishop Dr. George Punnakottil, National Chairman, Commission for Inter–Religious Dialogue (CIRD), CBCI, and the Bishop of Kothamangalam, Kerala come forward and urge the people of both religious backgrounds to join hands and help India retain its secular identity.

Having delved into a vast gamut of topics, the seminar attempted to arrive at an Action Plan, which will advance the vision of harmony into a more committed mission of harmony in line with the ground realities of the country.

“The clarion call of the hour addressed to the diverse religious communities is to pioneer the different dimensions of this mission of dialogue and harmony, in order to make a better human society as well as to maintain religions relevance for tomorrow,” said Fr. Dr M. D. Thomas, National Secretary, Commission for Inter–Religious Dialogue, CBCI in his inaugural speech.

After the inaugural speech by Fr. Thomas, all the dignitaries present on stage addressed the common challenges and issues faced by Christian and Muslim communities in India.

The seminar covered a plethora of issues from the socio–cultural, political and religious angle, and attempted to find a common platform which would encourage the two minorities communities in India to come together and work for the benefit of their communities and help in the general development of the society and the nation.