Remarks by Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, Vidar Helgesen at Interreligious ConferenceAvari Hotel, Lahore, Pakistan on the 7 March 2005.
08/03/2005 ::
Honorable Governor of Punjab,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure and honor for me to be together with you this afternoon. It is a privilege to be together with people of different faiths, based on a common, faith-based approach to addressing common challenges.
Punjab has historically seen its share of trouble. I believe your collective experiences form a strong part of your motivation to succeed. It has been encouraging to see the efforts made by religious leaders of different faiths to reach out with the message of peace and reconciliation. The introductions made by the two prominent religious leaders representing Muslim and Christian faiths here today, are strong and courageous testimonies of the same.
Dear friends,
Religion has gained importance on the international political agenda during the past decade. There are also plenty of examples of religion being associated with war and conflict through history. Religion is rarely the reason or the main reason for conflict, but often it is being misused for political purposes. Religious belief is so central to our identity that it has the power to mobilize like no other force. Extremists belonging to different religions as well as populist movements exploit religion and religious traditions to serve different political and – more often than not – selfish agendas. One could say that religion is being hijacked and used to stir up unrest and promote destabilization. Religion is thus in many conflicts considered to be part of the problem, while it should be part of the solution.
We must reject the notion that religious belief and true faith breeds violence. We must realize that as faith and religious conviction can be misused in conflict, then the same faith and religious conviction has the power to diffuse conflict. We must recognize the responsibilities inherent in the vital role of religion in our societies. Religion should be a pillar of support for development and justice, not a false justification for destruction and abuse.
Let me add my voice to that of the Governor and others, including the President of Pakistan, who says that your initiative for dialogue is a timely one. It is much needed in the midst of the challenges you face in Pakistan and the challenges we all face as part of a global community with common concerns about security and development. In meeting these challenges, we need more faith – more faith in God and more faith in each other.
There are a number of basic messages that all great religions have in common. One of these is peace. Another is respect for others. A third is to do good deeds and to help each other. These common messages do not mean that we have the same faith. It means that our different faiths can unite us in the struggle for development and security, to build a better Punjab, a better Pakistan, a better Norway, a better World.
Islam is a pillar of Pakistani society, much as Christianity is a pillar of Norwegian society. Both our constitutions recognize this, and both our constitutions also recognize the freedom for those who have other faiths to practice and to contribute to our societies in their own right.
Norway is here as a partner in development. We are not here to impose our values or solutions on Pakistanis, but to assist where you deem it helpful to achieve the goals you have set. These goals are many. They appear in the Constitution of Pakistan, they appear in the Human Rights commitments Pakistan has undertaken, they appear in the Poverty Reduction Strategy of Pakistan, they appear in the current agenda of Enlightened Moderation and in the international ambitions of Pakistan.
Norway is a small country that is heavily dependent on external economic and political relations. We have been fortunate to be in a position to share our experiences and to be able to assist in conflict resolution and peace building. Religious dialogue is important in the efforts to reduce conflict between Palestine and Israel. It is also central in the Balkans and in many other regions ridden by conflict. Norway has for some years facilitated the peace process between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers. Even if religion is not a crucial factor in this conflict, dialogue between the different religious groups is important in the reconciliation process. Four of the world’s great religions are all represented on this small island – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
Cooperation between religious leaders and religious communities can be a powerful force for peace. Interfaith dialogue can be seen as a religious approach to peacemaking. Greater harmony between religions will not in itself resolve conflicts. But it can pave the way for peaceful, durable political solutions to conflicts.
Dear friends,
I am also here in order to emphasize to you that although we support your efforts, we have in no way instigated them. I know there are those who hold a very healthy skepticism towards the notion that foreigners can contribute to local dialogue between faiths. There are also those who do not wish for dialogue and cooperation to succeed, because their self-serving agenda thrives on strife and lack of development. The fact that some of the initiators of the Islamabad Declaration of the 19th of September last year met in Oslo last summer was coincidental, as the Pakistani Bishops and Maulanas happened to be in Norway for different programs at the same time. Whether it was divine will that was fulfilled through the two delegations meeting each other, resulting also in meetings of minds on important issues, is up to your own belief and judgement.
For my part, and that of the Norwegian Government, I wish you all the best in taking your own dialogue further here in Punjab and elsewhere in Pakistan. You will no doubt find it useful to develop cooperation and common action. In your dialogue, you will surely also address social and economic conditions – factors that foster the spread of extremism and conflict. Poverty, injustice and lack of political freedom generate frustration and hopelessness. To deal with the challenges, we must put human dignity and human rights at the center. You will find that your dialogue can benefit from networking with actors in similar dialogues around the world, because these dialogues concentrate on values that are at the core of all world religions. These values are dear and important to me, as they are to you, for they must guide our common efforts to promote peace and development.
Thank you.