By TCN News,
New Delhi: Upset with the United Nations endorsing and facilitating wars in the name of peace and democracy instead of protecting human life, a group of spiritual leaders from different religious communities has stood up seeking restructuring of the world body.
Citing failure of the political structure of the UN in bringing peace to the world, the religious leaders have demanded no-confidence motion against the Security Council on one hand and leading role for major religions at the UN on the other because they believe that “only moral and religious guidance and inter-religious dialogue can save the world from the brink of disaster.”
The spiritual leaders and some intellectuals and academicians have jointly written a letter to the United Nations in this regard.
They have also endorsed the demand for moving the UN Headquarters to India, which is the world’s largest democracy and the land of Mahatma Gandhi who showed the world the path of peace.
The signatories of the letter include: Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Adhokshjanand Devteerth, Goverdhan Puri Peethhadheeshwar, Orissa; Pandit N.K. Sharma, President -Universal Association for Spiritual Awareness, New Delhi; Swami Agnivesh, Human Rights activist and President, World Council of Arya Samaj; Sardar Mukhtar Singh Asssal, Chairman-International Sikh Council; Maulana Mahmood Madani, Leader Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind; Sayyad Wahid Hussain Chisti, Sajjadanashin Angara Shah, Dargah Ajmersharif, Rajasthan.
Text of the Letter
The United Nations has lost its entire credibility by endorsing and facilitating wars in the name of peace and democracy instead of protecting human life thus allowing nations to be attacked on the basis that ‘might is right’ in recent wars such as Iraq and Libya.
After the devastation of the second world war the United Nations, like the League of Nations before it, was intended to be a means to avoid future conflicts of this nature by giving all nations on earth a say in international affairs. Unfortunately, the power structure put in place at the time defeated this laudable objective and allowed the permanent members of the securitycouncil to pervert the mandate of the UN in order to legitimise their imperial wars. Peace remains as elusive as it did when the UN was founded. The majority of nations on the globe are victims of the colonising policies of the victor nations after the second world war. Since the political structure of the UN has proven to be inept in bringing peace to the world, the nations of the world require a new moral focus in which the world’s major religions play a leading part. We believe that only moral and religious guidance and inter-religious dialogue can save the world from the brink of disaster.
The power assumed by the security council to dictate to nations around the world must be taken away and sovereignty returned to the general assembly or a similar body, if the UN structures prove impossible to reform.
As people of faith we call upon the general assembly of the United Nations and upon each and every nation individually to issue a vote of no confidence in the Security Council and the current UN governing structure and to make every effort to bring about a more meaningful and principled body for guiding world affairs towards peace.
We also join with Dr K A Paul in his call to move the UN Headquarters to the nation of India, which is the world’s largest democracy and the land of Mahatma Gandhi who showed us the path of peace leading the way for others such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela so that wars can be stopped, billions of innocent people can be saved, peace can be promoted and security, stability, democracy and justice can be assured.
1. Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Adhokshjanand Devteerth
Goverdhan Puri Peethhadheeshwar, Orissa
2. Pandit N.K.Sharma
President -Universal Association for Spiritual Awareness, New Delhi
3. Molana Mahmood Madni MP
Leader Jamiat Ulema-E-Hind
4. Sayyad Wahid Hussain Chisti,
Sajjadanashin Angara Shah,
Dargah Ajmersharif, Rajasthan
5.Qari Mohammad Mian Majhari,
President -Islamic Council of India
Chief Editor Secular Qayadat , Delhi
6. Molana Yaqoob Bulandshahari
President -All India Deene Madaris Board
Saharanpur, UP , India
7. Chancellor Abdulla Kunhi
Yenepoya University, Manglore, Karnataka
8. Dr. S.N. Pathan
Ex Vice Chancellor , Nagpur University, Maharashtra
9.Mr. Shafi Ahmed
Chairman- HMSIT
Tumkur, Karnataka
10.Swami Agnivesh,
Humanrights activist
President-World council of Arya Samaj
11. Sardar Puspendra Singh
Minority Commission of Delhi
12. Sardar Mukhtar Singh Asssal
Chairman-International Sikh Council
14. Sardar Devender Pal Singh
Gen Secy Gurudwara Sigh Sabha