Building Inclusive Societies in South Asia: The Role of Religious Leaders

BMF's Secretary, K V Soon (Vidyananda) was invited to his views on the the role of religious leaders in building inclusive societies. He shared the need for religious leaders to rethink their engagement with the community and to be more socially engaged in a forum held within the 2 day event.

We deeply appreciate the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect for this invitation and look forward to further ties and collaboration to build peaceful and inclusive societies.

Religious and Traditional Peacemakers

The International Forum on Buddhist - Muslim Relations (BMF) was invited to attend The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers Advisory Group Meeting on November 15-18, 2017

The event was held at Rose Castle, outside of Carlisle.

Represented by it Secretary, K V Soon (Vidyananda) shared his concerns on the growing religious tension in South and South East Asia. He also share his thoughts on the impact of the Rohingya crisis and the radicalization of Buddhism in Myanmar. Discussions on action plan and solutions were also held.

The Advisory Group meeting was attended by over 30 religious peacemakers from around the world.

PRESS RELEASE: PERMANENT PEOPLES’ TRIBUNAL

PERMANENT PEOPLES’ TRIBUNAL

Session on

State Crimes Allegedly Committed in Myanmar against the Rohingyas, Kachins and Other Groups
University of Malaya, Faculty of Law
18-22 September 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Invitation: People's Tribunal on Myanmar (September 18-22, 2017)

We would like to announce that BMF along with International Movement for a Just World (JUST)  and Center for Human Rights Advocacy and Research (CENTHRA) are organizing committee for the People's Tribunal on the Rohingyas, Kachin and other Ethnic Minorities.

London, March 2017

The Rome-based Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) will hold the Concluding Session of its proceedings on the Rohingyas, the Kachins and other groups in Myanmar in Kuala Lumpur from the 18th to the 22nd of September 2017.

London, March 2017

The Inaugural Session was held at the International State Crime Initiative, Queen Mary University of London on the 6th and 7th of March 2017. The Tribunal urged the UN and ASEAN to take swift and effective measures to stop international state crimes against the Rohingyas and Kachins, specifically. Though neither the UN nor ASEAN has responded effectively, the importance of addressing the issues confronting the two communities remains as urgent as ever.

More information is available at https://tribunalonmyanmar.org/2017/07/04/tribunal-on-myanmar-in-kuala-lumpur/

We support and  believe that this event is necessary to highlight the situation and for us to understand the what's happening on the ground in Myanmar. With a lack of direct and formal access to document the situation, this is probably the best opportunity to appreciate the real situation for us to map out action plans.

INVITATION

We would like to invite you to come to Kuala Lumpur during that period to witness the proceedings. The details of the meeting are as follows:

Date: September 18-22, 2017,        VENUE: University of Malaya (UM) (Map)

If you do intend to come, please arrive on or before the 17th September, 2017 and depart on the 23rd September 2017.  

Full schedule will be available shortly. 

Please click here to confirm your attendance

Please EMAIL If you require information on the logistics, accommodation and travel information, please email the same address.

BMF Membership: Invitation to join us

Dear Friends,

We happy to announce that membership has opened for the International Forum of Buddhist Muslim Relationship (BMF) and we invite you join us and support initiatives in collaboration, peace building and strategic networking.

We look forward joining of ideas and collaborative effort to build platforms for positive interfaith engagement especially among Buddhists and Muslims communities.

Please click here for information on membership

For membership form, please click here.


If you are new to BMF, you might like to download our Jogyakarta Statement 



For more information, please contact:

Interim Secretariat: 
International  Forum on Buddhist-Muslim Relationsc/o International Movement for a Just World
JKR, 1258, Jalan Telok Off Jalan Gasing,  
P.O. Box 288. Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Vidyananda (KV Soon)
vidyananda@samma-ajiva.net

Hassanal Noor Rashid
hassanalnoorrashid@gmail.com

BMF in "World Beyond War Forum"

BMF's Interim Secretary, Vidyananda (KV Soon) share his views and ideas and supported a recently forum in seminar entitled "World Beyond War: The Rohingya Refugee Crisis and its Implications on Security in the ASEAN Region".  He stressed the need for spiritual communities to play a role in bringing peace and to develop new ideas for greater inclusive and positive engagement amongst the different communities, especially the communities experiencing conflicts in Myanmar and in the ASEAN Region. 

Here is a report of the Forum, reproduced from The International Movement for a Just World :

The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) successfully organized an important seminar on, "World Beyond War: The Rohingya Refugee Crisis and its Implications on Security in the ASEAN Region. Held on the 24th of September 2016 at the Institut Integriti Malaysia (IIM), the event was a part of the larger weekend-wide conference opposing global war and militarism taking place in Washington, DC. That "World Beyond War" conference included leading public intellectuals, activists, and community leaders from the US and throughout the world addressing the array of crises being produced by the political decisions of the powerful. 

Buddhist-Muslim Forum urge ASEAN Ministers to have Inter-Faith Dialogue to defeat Religious Extremism

PRESS RELEASE – 30 Sept 2015

Buddhist-Muslim Forum urge ASEAN Ministers to have Inter-Faith Dialogue to defeat Religious Extremism

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 September ; THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON BUDDHIST-MUSLIM RELATIONS (BMF) is making a clarion call to Asean Ministers to take proactive measures to stop, prevent and avoid extremism and radicalism in the name of religion.

Several recent conflicts have flared up in the region, most notably affecting the Rohingiyas and other ethnic minority communities in Myanmar, as well as the inter-ethnic friction in southern Thailand.

Some of these conflicts have spilled over into other ASEAN countries including Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Forum urges the ASEAN Ministers to strengthen Inter Faith relations and not allow the use of religion to cause dissent among the communities in Asean.

YOGYAKARTA STATEMENT - Shared Values and Commitments

A HIGH-LEVEL SUMMIT OF BUDDHIST AND MUSLIM LEADERS

Overcoming Extremism and Advancing Peace with Justice

March 3-4, 2015 

Yogyakarta and Borobudur Temple

Indonesia ​

hosted by 

Indonesian Buddhist Association (WALUBI) &

Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI)

organized by 

 International Forum on Buddhist-Muslim Relations (BMF) 

(Core Group: International Network of Engaged Buddhists, 

International Movement for a Just World, Muhammadiyah & Religions for Peace)

FINAL STATEMENT: Shared Values and Commitments   

We, Buddhist and Muslim leaders, recognize that our followers have developed together a harmonious relationship, which has become the foundation for building peace and prosperity in many parts of the world. Buddhism and Islam share in their respective scriptures and other canonical texts the importance of holistic and positive peace, which encompasses the notions of inner peace, peace among humans, and peace with nature.

Buddhist Muslim Summit 2015

Details to follow

BMF Core Members Meeting, Jakarta (Aug 12-13, 2014)

Just completed a two-day Core Members meeting of the International Forum for Buddhist-Muslim Relations (BMF) in Jakarta. Very good discussions including visits to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Indonesian Ambassador to ASEAN. The meetings ended with a lively youth forum. 

Among the key initiatives in the coming months will be an international conference on Buddhist-Muslim relations which is planned to be held in April 2015 in Jakarta. Also in the works are several youth initiatives and exchange programs. More details to follow.

Our thanks and deep appreciation to  the Center for Dialogue and Cooperations between Civilizations (CDCC) for hosting the meetings. Thank you to all Core Members and supporting organizations too.

Meeting in progress 

Meeting with HE Rahmat Pramono, Ambassador / Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to ASEAN.

Meeting with Ms Esti Andayani, Director General for information and Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia.

Global Appeal For End of Ethnic Cleansing Against Indigenous People of Chittagong Hill Tracts

Why this is important

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in the Indian Sub-continent is the traditional homeland to the 11 ethnic groups who today collectively identify themselves to be an ‘indigenous people’, namely the ‘Jumma’. The British colonized CHT in 1860. With the end of the British colony, the Sub-continent was partitioned into the two nations—Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Secular Democratic Republic of India—in 1947 on the basis of religion. Pakistan was formed with the Muslim majority areas, while India with the non-Muslim majority areas. CHT with 98% non-Muslims (Buddhists, Hindus and Christians) was annexed with East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in violation of the principle of the partition of the Sub-continent and without any consultation with the then leadership of the Jumma indigenous people! Such annexation is illegal, undemocratic and unfair.

Joint Press Release: Towards The Creation of a Fact-Finding Commission on Relations Between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar

Joint Press Release 

by  

International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) 

International Movement for a Just World (JUST) 

November 20, 2013 

Towards the Creation of a Fact-Finding Commission on Relations Between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar 

The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) concluded its biennial conference on November 4 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, our first such meeting in a Muslim-majority nation.  The conference theme — Inter-Faith Dialogue for Peace and Sustainability — points to the interdependence of Buddhists and Muslims throughout Southeast Asia.  A long history of harmonious relations across all the nations of this region has been challenged in recent years by inter-religious conflicts rooted in a complexity of economic, political, social, and cultural tensions. INEB’s mission is to respect the integrity of all religions and people, restoring harmony wherever possible. 

Faiths Unite in Support of Child Rights

3 April 2014
Source: Mizzima-news from Myanmar

Leaders of Myanmar's four main religions met to make a joint 'Myanmar Interfaith Declaration' on the rights of the child. 

The declaration expressed their commitment to the notion that every child can enjoy his or her rights according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The commitment was given at an event organised by a partnership between the Ratana Metta Organisation and UNICEF and held at the Chatrium Hotel on April 2-3.

Sri Lanka Council of RfP Opens Multi-Religious School in Conflict-Affected Area

After three decades of war in the Vavuniya district of Sri Lanka, the Tachibana RfP pre-school, a multi
religious center of learning, opened on 21 February and marked another significant milestone for the Sri Lanka Council of RfP (SLCRP).

The 60 children enrolled in the new school come from Sri Lanka's diverse religious communities. Studying and playing together will help rebuild bridges of trust among their families even as they receive a high-quality education in a safe, protected and calm environment.

The Tachibana RfP Pre-school was opened with the financial assistance of Tachibana Sangyo Corporation, Japan.

RfP Myanmar Child Protection Projects

Approximately 56,000 children under five die annually in Myanmar - 43,000 of them younger than 1 month.

RfP Myanmar is currently undertaking initiatives to advance and strengthen multi-religious collaboration for child protection. 

These projects aim to deliver important services to support vulnerable children and their families and strengthen child protection systems. Implemented in the Southern Shan State, Bago West, Ayeyawaddy and Yangon Regions within 13 townships and 20 villages of 8 districts, the child protection project in Myanmar so far has succeeded in -

Religions for Peace Sri Lanka Advances Post-War Reconciliation and Healing: RfP Sri Lanka’s 12th District-level Interreligious Council Launched in Kirinochchi, the most war-affected region and the ex-stronghold of LTTE

(7 November 2012 | Kirinochchi, Sri Lanka)

Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Buddhist leaders in the Kirinochchi district, the most war-affected region
and formerly the stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), launched the Religions for Peace (RfP) Sri Lanka-Kirinochchi District Interreligious Council on November 7, 2012. The inauguration was preceded by the RfP delegation’s visit to its Jaffna District Council for the monitoring of interreligious projects in youth leadership training, medical camps, Sinhara-Tamil language training, and women’s empowerment.

Senior Religious Leaders in Myanmar Reject Violence and the Misuse of Religion in Rakhine State

(Yangon, Myanmar)

Senior Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Hindu leaders in Myanmar, collaborating as members of the working committee for Religions for Peace Myanmar, issued a multi-religious statement on June 18, 2012 in Yangon, Myanmar, to address the escalating violence and the misuse of ethnic and religious differences to fuel conflicts in Rakhine state. The senior religious leaders represent Myanmar’s major religious organizations, namely the Ratana Metta Buddhist Organization; the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC); the Catholic Church; the Hindu Community in Myanmar; and the Islamic Center of Myanmar.

At least 50 people have been killed in fighting in Rakhine State since May 28, 2012 when a Buddhist
woman was raped and murdered in Kyauk Ni Maw village, allegedly by three members of the Muslim
Rohingya minority. The rape-murder resulted in a series of clashes across Rakhine State, which
borders Bangladesh, displacing up to 30,000 people.

Religious Leaders from the ASEAN Region Visit Conflict Zone in South Thailand and Form an ASEAN Region Multi-religious Network

PRESS RELEASE

(Bangkok and Pattani, Thailand | September 19, 2012)

Photo: Supreme Cambodian Patriarch Tep Vong [an RfP Co-President] together with a Senior Islamic Leader in conflict zone of Southern Thailand 

More than 200 religious leaders, representatives of inter-religious councils and peace scholars from the
Association of South Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, convened in Bangkok and Pattani, Thailand on 17-19 September 2012, to address the role of religion and inter-religious cooperation in resolving conflicts and building peace in the ASEAN region.

Religions for Peace Myanmar Launched to Advance Inter-Communal Harmony and Peace

PRESS RELEASE

(13 September 2012, Yangon, Myanmar)

Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities in Myanmar together launched the Religions for
Peace Myanmar as the country’s first full-fledged representative and action-oriented inter-religious body for reconciliation, peace and development. Approximately 100 religious, diplomatic, political and civil society leaders in Myanmar and Religions for Peace International leaders joined the inauguration.

Religion and Peace Building Process in ASEAN

Peace building efforts in ASEAN needs to be enhanced. Here is an event to share from efforts by core groups member, Religions for Peace

Venerable Tep Vong, Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia; Co-President, Religions for Peace, being escorted by the Imam of a mosque in Yala, Southern Thailand (copy right: Religions for Peace)