WUNRN
Dr.
Farooq Hassan
Barrister-at-Law
(UK)
Attorney-at-Law
(US)
Senior
Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan
Professor
Harvard University
Special
UN Ambassador for Family
Religion & Family Values:
Madrid Declaration through Dialogue
between Great Faiths
My endeavor is to briefly present the basic ethos
and message regarding Family and the society emanating from a truly unique
international conference of the leadership of world’s great religions on
matters of contemporary significance. This meeting of far reaching and historic
nature, let me emphasize at the outset was not convened for elaborating on this
theme per se. It was convened in
Madrid on the invitation of the Saudi monarch for a crucial and timely dialogue
between, inter alia, the three monotheistic faiths; its pre-eminent aim being
that King Abdullah appealed for “constructive dialogue” to end disputes between
the world’s major religions to avoid a “clash of cavitations.” Opening this
interfaith meeting in
“We all believe in one God. We are meeting here today to say that religions should be a means to iron out differences and not to lead to disputes.”
The conference organized on a personal initiative
of King Abdullah was on a scale not frequently seen in international meetings.
Many notable figures of the world’s major religions were seen together. I had
the privilege of having met him personally since 2002-3 when I went to deliver
the King Faisal Memorial Lecture in
Spanish King Juan Carlos also addressed the
gathering in the presence of
and Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at a ceremonial palace
on the outskirts of
The
Attendance at this meeting was quite difficult. Other than the inaugural session, the conference was not open to journalists, experts and to observers; even getting official confirmation of the events scheduled at different times proved difficult. Saudi embassy officials referred questions to a Spanish public relations company helping to organize the meeting, while the public relations company often in order to get rid of public pressures to obtain entry directed reporters to the embassy. Back in the Kingdom, two local TV stations carried the conference opening live, and some public relations’ type stories were on the front page of several daily local newspapers the following day. The stories mentioned that there were participants of different backgrounds, countries and beliefs, but did not specifically mention that world’s leading rabbis and priests were invited by the Conference. Still it is matter of record that King Abdullah has made reaching out to other faiths a hallmark of his rule since taking over the affairs of the kingdom following the death of his half brother in 2005.
It is for this reason that greater publicity was not perceived of this mega event in the international press and media. There is no doubt that the vision of the convening of this conference was not disseminated appropriately by lack of briefing by the organizers; accordingly the possible impact of this vitally strategic interfaith meeting was somewhat less than this conference deserved on an intellectual and an historical plane.
After Wednesday’s inaugural session, four closed-door round tables were held before a final communiqué was issued on Friday, 18th July. As an expert on drafting and legal matters and in the context of my deep commitment to Family and moral principles that underlie all great human faiths I am pleased to report that the final declaration did contain a strong message that is of truly historic significance as the Family and the societal perils facing modern nations was specifically mentioned.
The Final Declaration statement of this International Dialogue was read to the closing session by Abdul Rahman Al-Zaid, the deputy secretary-general of the Mecca-based Muslim World League that had organized the conference. This statement had a brief but a very positive statement of fundamental encouragement to the Family as an institution. It is indeed arguable that since the formation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 in which Article 1 (3) mentioned directly that:
“Family is the natural and fundamental group unit of the society and is entitled to protection by the society and the State”
the Madrid Declaration has the widest possible phraseology aiming at the strengthening of the traditional status of this institution.
My initial and brief comments (Link http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/696 ) of this conference had been undertaken simultaneously with the holding of this meeting to disseminate the salient points examined in this major gathering of the world’s leading clergy of diverse faiths as it was clearly felt by me to be of far reaching significance; however I did envision to present later a detailed report of my perceptions about the outcome of this conference. The present expose containing this analysis is the fulfillment of that obligation.
It would thus be useful from both a jurisprudential and cultural perspectives to present initially the quintessential phraseology used in the text of this final Declaration. This Declaration manifestly contains a genesis of the international legal issues that have been in the forefront of many interesting arguments and debates regarding the place of the Family in positive transnational law and the codified norms on this subject at the UN. The declaration issued at the end of the final Session on Friday in a press conference, inter alia, called for:
“observing peace, honoring agreements and respecting traditions of peoples and their right to security, freedom and self-determination that are the basis for building good relations among all the people of the world. Achieving this is a major objective of all religions and prominent cultures.”
The declaration however went on to highlight the:
“Significance of religions and
moral values as well as the need for human beings to revert to their Creator in
the fight against crime, corruption, drugs and terrorism. We also call upon the people to preserve the institution of the family
and protect societies from deviant behaviors.”
The five-point methodology for the realization of the conference’s objectives included (1) cooperation among religious, cultural, educational, and media organizations to (2) consolidate ethical values, (3) encourage noble social practices and (4) confront sexual promiscuity, family disintegration and (5) to combat other societal vices. It also decided to organize inter-religious and inter-cultural meetings, conduct research and use the Internet and other media for the dissemination of a culture of peace, understanding and coexistence. While admittedly part of vocabulary of this great vision used in the text of this document may be rhetorical nature, the reference to protection of the family and the society seems to echo forcefully the fundamental message of all faiths to continue to support the traditional concepts of this institution.
All major addresses given by the galaxy of pious
people gathered there were really directed towards the anti-terrorism emphasis
of all the great Faiths of Mankind as religious leaders belonging to Islam,
Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism were gathered there. These leaders appealed for
a special session of the UN General Assembly to promote dialogue and prevent “a
clash of civilizations.” In this respect King Abdullah s likely to pay a major
role.
“Terrorism is a universal phenomenon that
requires unified international efforts to combat it in a serious, responsible
and just way,” the three-day World Conference on Dialogue said in a final
communiqué. “This demands an international agreement on defining terrorism,
addressing its root causes and achieving justice and stability in the world.”
The Declaration called for more “ways of enhancing understanding and
cooperation among people despite differences in their origins, colors and
languages,” and a “rejection of extremism and terrorism.”
But in drafting with which I am now chiefly concerned, it is the language that is used which needs notice since it manifestly and boldly is supportive of the strenuous struggles of pro family protagonists against the current acceptance of different cultural milieu regarding the status and role of the traditional family. As the meeting really was held to ally fears in the context of the post 9/11 world, it was manifestly a remarkable accomplishment that I have alluded to and articulated above.
The matters discussed in this meeting are now going to the UN for possible adoption and consequential projection of the “political” dimensions of message of this meeting. In the context of the mention of “Family” in the final Declaration, however, there would be opportunities for empathizing the role that I feel this insinuation deserves in an historical sense in such debates.
In this conference it seems that prominent speakers of Muslims. Jewish and Christians made notable contributions. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who is in charge of the Vatican’s relations with Muslims nation’s said that Pope Benedict XVI had expressed “a great interest in the agenda of the conference: “His Holiness is convinced that dialogue based on love and truth is the best way to contribute to harmony, happiness and peace for the people of the earth,” he told the closing session. The cardinal said the conference had “stressed the main convictions that we have in common” which manifestly included the reference to family.
I may further mention that the Secretary-General
of the Muslim World League and a visibly moving spirit of this conference,
Abdullah al-Turki, said “The event took place against a backdrop of tensions
between the Islamic world and the West since the September 11, 2001, attacks in
the
An important statement that came simultaneously with
the issuance of the Madrid Declaration also needs to be noticed. Speaking in
The Pope’s comments came as
Anglican bishops from around the world gathered at
But the non participation of major African Christian clergy from the
It is important to note that both
in
After a series of private
meetings on 18th July, the Pope took part at the start of a
“stations of the cross” re-enactment of the last days of Jesus Christ’s life.
The re-enactment, held at some of
It would be noticed that in all
the principal addresses the blame for religious intolerance was squarely put on
the “zealots and extremists of diverse faiths”.
King Abdullah of
Some comments may be usefully
quoted to stress the varying perspectives of this interfaith dialogue. “It’s a
major step,” said Jesse Jackson, the American civil rights leader. “For the
king to use his moral authority to convene this session, to work for common
ground — that’s a very big step.” Tony Blair, special envoy of the Middle East Quartet, was
equally encouraged. “The king has made a lot of reforms,” Blair said, referring
to King Abdullah. “The fact that this conference is happening with the king,
and with religious leaders of all different faiths, is significant.” For Rabbi
Brad Hirschfield of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in
The three-day
Delegates were optimistic that
the Conference would open a new era in interfaith relations. “I’m sure the
commitment of the king to engage in dialogue will continue,” said Anthony Ball,
an aide to the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Similarly Rabbi Marc
Schneier, North American chairman of the World Jewish Congress, said King
Abdullah was reaching out to other faiths to counter extremists and fanatics.
“What I heard from him is that ‘I represent Islam, and I am the voice of
moderation’,” he added.
The conference adopted 10 principles that included unity of humankind and the equality of human beings irrespective of their colors, ethnic backgrounds and cultures; purity of the nature of humans as they were created liking good and disliking evil, inclining to justice and avoiding injustice; diversity of cultures and civilizations.
Other principles adopted included:
The heavenly messages aim at realizing the obedience of humankind to its Creator and achieving happiness, justice, security and peace;
Respecting heavenly religions,
preserving their high status, condemning any insult to their symbols, and
combating the exploitation of religion in the instigation of racial
discrimination;
Observing peace, honoring agreements and respecting unique traditions of peoples and their right to security, freedom and self-determination as the basis for building good relations among all people.
The conference emphasized the significance of religion and moral values
and the need for humans to revert to their Creator in their fight against
crime, corruption, drugs, and terrorism, and in preserving the institution of
the family and protecting societies from deviant behaviors.
“The family is the basic unit of society and its nucleus. Protecting it
from disintegration is a cornerstone for any secure and stable society,” it
said.
“Dialogue is one of the most important means for knowing each other,” the
declaration said. “The preservation of the environment and its protection from
pollution and other dangers are considered a major objective of all religions
and cultures.”
It is well known that the threats
to the Western social values relating to traditional marriage and family
emanate from the concepts and behaviors of advanced civilization that this
industrial region has produced. It is thus ironic that the support for this
pristine values system in the international field has come vigorously from the
countries of the
Not surprising therefore, that as
these crucially vital developments referred to above were occurring across the
world in support of traditional morality in the context of marriages and family
in the second half of July, most ominous
thinking and a pattern of
developments were gradually occurring with in the
But after same-sex marriage became legal in
As such I feel that the interfaith Madrid
Declaration’ reference to family and the International Selection Committee of
the World Congress of Families V of which I am privileged to be a Member and which
incidentally also met about the same time in Washington DC (28th to
30th July) under the able and dynamic leadership of Dr Allan Carlson
is destined to play a pivotal role in time ahead in safeguarding the
traditional foundations of family values. The World Congress of Families
(WCF) is a periodic gathering that celebrates the natural family. The first
four such conferences of WCF became a rallying center of the world’s family
systems grounded, inter alia, in religious faith.
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