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INTERNATIONAL PROGRESS ORGANIZATION (I.P.O.) ‑ INFORMATION
SERVICE
KHARTOUM/VIENNA, 11 OCTOBER 1994/P/K/14473/C‑IS
SUDAN / RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR INTER‑RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY CONCLUDED ITS DELIBERATIONS MONDAY NIGHT IN KHARTOUM BY CALLING FOR THE LAUNCHING OF A JOINT RELIGIOUS FRONT TO FACE THE CHALLENGES TO WORLD PEACE AND TO A JUST WORLD ORDER. AT THE FINAL SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE, A PERMANENT 'SOCIETY FOR THE DIALOGUE OF RELIGIONS' IN THE SUDAN HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF ALL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES.
THE DELEGATE OF THE VATICAN, FRANCIS CARDINAL ARINZE, HEAD OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR THE RELATIONS WITH NON‑CHRISTIANS, WELCOMED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION AS AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS RECONCILIATION AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE SUDAN.
THE CONFERENCE WAS ATTENDED BY REPRESENTATIVES OF OVER 50 RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS FROM MORE THAN 30 COUNTRIES.
IN HIS SPEECH BEFORE THE CONFERENCE, DR. HASSAN AL‑TURABI, SECRETARY‑GENERAL OF THE PEOPLE'S ARAB‑ISLAMIC CONFERENCE, CALLED FOR THE ADOPTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL CHARTER FOR THE RIGHTS OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES. THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PROGRESS ORGANIZATION, PROF. DR. HANS KOECHLER, IN HIS STATEMENT APPEALED TO CHRISTIAN LEADERS FROM EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES TO CONFRONT THE TRENDS OF RACISM AND ANTI‑ISLAMIC STEREOTYPES IN WESTERN SOCIETIES IN ORDER TO PREVENT A FURTHER ALIENATION BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY. HE EMPHASIZED THE RECIPROCITY BETWEEN THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN THE MUSLIM WORLD AND OF THE RIGHTS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN CHRISTIAN COUNTRIES.
IN CONNECTION WITH HIS
PARTICIPATION IN THE CONFERENCE FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS
DIALOGUE, THE PRESIDENT OF
THE I.P.O.,
DR. HANS KOECHLER, MET
WITH THE PRESIDENT
OF
THE REPUBLIC
OF SUDAN,
GENERAL OMAR HASSAN ARMED AL‑BASHIR,
WITH THE
SECRETARY‑GENERAL OF THE PEOPLE'S ARAB‑ISLAMIC
CONFERENCE,
DR. HASSAN
ABDALLAH AL‑TURABI, WITH FIELD MARSHAL (RTD) ABDUL
RAHMAN SOWAR
AL‑DAHAB, FORMER HEAD OF STATE OF THE SUDAN,
AND
CHAIRMAN OF THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ISLAMIC DA'AWA ORGANIZATION,
WITH DR. GHAZI
SALAHUDDIN AL‑ATABANI, STATE MINISTER FOR POLITICAL
AFFAIRS, WITH
THE SECRETARY‑GENERAL OF THE SUDANESE COUNCIL OF
CHURCHES, REV.
EZEKIEL KUTJOK, WITH THE CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF
KHARTOUM,
GABRIEL ZUBEIR WAKO, AND WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE COPTIC
CHURCH, FATHER PHILO THAUS FARAJ. *** |