Sixth Regional Interfaith Dialogue
The sixth Regional Interfaith Dialogue was held in Semarang, Indonesia, from 12-15 March 2012 and involved the participation of religious leaders, civil society, academia and media.
The theme for the Dialogue was Strengthening Collaborative Communities to Promote Regional Peace and Security: Interfaith in Action. The Dialogue was attended by 120 delegates from co-sponsoring countries Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand and the Philippines, as well as from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.
The participants of the Dialogue developed a Plan of Action which included activities to increase awareness and understanding of religions and faith traditions in the region through active engagement by civil society organisation with the youth, schools, media and government.
Indonesia responded to the Plan of Action by undertaking to establish the Special Program of the Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarships 2012 that would provide 15 scholarships for future faith leaders from Regional Interfaith Dialogue countries and a Peace Journalism Media Workshop for 15 young journalists from Regional Interfaith Dialogue countries.
Plan of Action
6th Regional Interfaith Dialogue Plan of Action
Media Releases
Australia Welcomes 6th Regional Interfaith Dialogue
Media Release from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta
Media links
This is the link to a half-hour interview on Radio National done by Reverend Professor James Haire while at the sixth Regional Interfaith Dialogue:
Republika online interview with Mr Tim Fischer AC
Link to an article on the 6th Regional Interfaith Dialogue on CIMER
http://www.cimer.org.au/documents/TheSixthRegionalInterfaithDialogue-media.pdf (PDF format)
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We, as leaders of faith communities, need to develop a more inclusive view of the religious other, to recognise the humanity of the religious other as a starting point. We need to recognise the essential equality of all human beings regardless of religious beliefs. We need to affirm the mutuality and interdependency of all people... We may need even to extend this and recognise that religious other may, just may, have at least some access to the Truth. We may need to accept that the religious others also adopts more or less the same set of essential universal ethical-moral principles we share; that the religious other has feelings of pain and pleasure just like us; that the religious other has similar expectations about their children and family and the preservation of life, property and security; and that the religious other has the same fears and anxieties about the world and the future, just like us.