religious diplomacy
Madison Jones on how Church mission trips foster cross-cultural communication.
Critics in the Maldives likely sighed relief when Saudi King Salman this week postponed his visit because of an outbreak of flu. The flu is however unlikely to halt a planned massive Saudi investment or the impact on Maldives society of the kingdom’s religion-driven public diplomacy. [...] Yet, religion often was an elephant in the room on most stops on King Salman’s trip that took him to Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, China and Japan.
Pakistan can receive millions of tourists annually if there may be peace and infrastructure in areas where these ancient sites and relics were located. If Pakistan government take the initiative, it could kick start a massive hospitality industry in the region earning billions of dollars foreign exchange annually.
The exhibition would not only bring the rich Buddhist archaeological treasure of Pakistan to Republic of Korea but also help attract religious tourists to Pakistan, according to a press release of the Pakistan embassy in Seoul. The exhibition starting from March next year, would be held in two cities of Republic of Korea for six months.
Soon after coming to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi prudently decided to emphasise India’s rich tradition of Buddhism in a soft-power approach to Asian geopolitics. Apart from countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Japan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Mongolia and others, he even struck a direct chord with China to revive India-China ties.
To strengthen inter-religious dialogue, combat fundamentalist ideology at the root of war and violence, relaunching the peace projects involving personalities of all faiths in a common path of encounter and discussion: These are some of the objectives outlined in the fourth Christian-Muslim Summit, which was held in Tehran (Iran) from 6 to 9 November. The meeting, which was widely reported on Iranian media, was hosted by the International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, which belongs to the Organization for Islamic cultures and religions.
Leaders from Buddhist bodies in South Korea, China and Japan have expressed hope for peace and exchanges among the three Northeast Asian countries at an annual gathering in the eastern China city of Ningbo, a South Korean Buddhist organization said Thursday.
Pope Francis Sunday met Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan concluding his trip in the Caucasus region. Describing the visit of the spiritual leader of the globe’s estimated 1 billion Catholics in a Muslim-majority country as “historic”, Aliyev said that it was important, both for bilateral relations between the Vatican and Azerbaijan and dialogue between civilizations.