By TCN News:
Archbishop Joseph D’souza, the President of the All India Christian Council and the Primate of the Good Shepherd Church of India has been invited to the Second Global Unity Forum meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The two day international summit will be held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on 25 and 26 October 2018 in which President Joko Widodo and millions of Indonesians will participate to “foster the emergence of a truly just and harmonious world order, founded upon respect for the equal rights and dignity of every human being” (Gerakan Pemuda Ansor Declaration on Humanitarian Islam, point 31).”
The Global Unity Forum is an initiative of millions of moderate and humanitarian Sunni Muslims to distance themselves and take a stand against the radicalised elements of Islam that have resorted to violence and terrorism.
The first international summit of Moderate Islamic Leaders (ISOMIL) was held in 2016 in Jakarta attended by approximately 400 Muslim scholars from 30 nations and organized by the world’s largest Muslim organization called ‘Nahdlatul Ulama’ (NU). In the first summit the Nahdlatul Ulama board (NU), promulgated a 16-point declaration that identified the salient factors driving Islamist extremism and terror worldwide and called upon “people of good will of every faith and nation to join in building a global consensus not to politicize Islam” and explicitly affirmed that the NU will “strive to consolidate the Global Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah (Sunni Muslim) community, in order to bring about a world in which Islam, and Muslims, are truly beneficent and contribute to the well-being of all humanity”
This summit was followed by ‘Humanitarian Islam’ campaign in 2017 and followed by the Gerakan Pemuda Ansor Declaration on Humanitarian Islam on May 22, 2017.
Archbishop Joseph D’souza, accepting the invitation stated “This kind of unity movements are critically needed around the globe in the face of the radicalisation and politicization of religion. The leadership of the major religions of the world needs to come together to handle the menace of hate propaganda, violence and the deliberate polarisation of society.”
He also sated in their press release “In the light of recent developments and the mob violence against members of various communities, including moderate and liberal Hindus, India is also in great need of a major unity movement. This needs to be led by moderate and liberal Hindus inviting the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other faiths to come on the same platform to preserve the wonderful diversity of India. India’s integrity and unity should not be held hostage by divisive religious extremists or left to those who are bent upon a hate filled politicisation of religion”.
It will be my honour to represent the best of India’s historic religious pluralistic and tolerant culture.”