2010 09 10 reyty statement dekalb international network

Yes to Peace with Justice! Yes to Interfaith Dialogue!

Rey Ty’s Public Statement on September 10, 2010

© 2010 Rey Ty

Rey Ty’s Public

Statement on

September 10, 2010

© 2010 Rey Ty

Yes to Peace with Justice! Yes to Interfaith Dialogue!

Rey Ty’s Public Statement on September 10, 2010

© 2010 Rey Ty

In response to the plan of a non-denominational pastor to hold an International

Burn a Koran Day, the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Justice and Peace asked Rey Ty

to give a statement from a Buddhist perspective that promotes tolerance, during

its regular Friday Peace Vigil, on Friday, September 10, 2010 in downtown DeKalb,

Illinois.

Today, the Muslim world celebrates Eid ul-Fitr, the end of Ramadhan.

Tomorrow is the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attack on New York.

Buddhists remind us that we need to be mindful of our thoughts and actions and develop understanding & wisdom.

The sources of ethnic conflicts are historical, social, political, cultural or religious injustice, discrimination, or prejudice when people cling to stereotypes about groups.

Instead of being and staying ignorant about other people, let us learn about people of other backgrounds.

Instead of fighting hatred with hatred, an eye for an eye, let us spread enlightenment. Jesus teaches love and justice, not hatred and injustice.

Let us affirm justice, peace, and life.

Let us practice compassion and care for others,

including people who are not of our color, our ethnicity, our gender, our

religion, and our faith.

Instead of being close-minded and bigoted, let us engage in interfaith dialogue to promote interfaith understanding.

Let us be respectful of different faiths and backgrounds, even if we don't subscribe to their beliefs.

Islam is a religion of peace. It comes from the word

Salam, which means peace.

Muslims have contributed to world civilization, mathematics, and the sciences: they preserved lost Greek philosophy (Aristotle's writings) and introduced algebra, the Arabic numerals, the decimal system, and the number zero.

Those few persons who perverted Islam to carry out acts contrary to the teachings of Islam do not represent Muslims or Islam.

We are *not* at war with Muslims, but with terrorists who could be people of any or no faith. We are opposed to terrorism by anyone.

No to war! Yes to Justice!

Yes to Peace!

Act with loving

kindness.

Be open-hearted.

We enjoin people of all and

no faith to demonstrate our

unity and commemorate those who died in 9/11 and in

wars around the world.

We affirm universal loving kindness.

We affirm peace with justice.

If I have offended you, please forgive me.

If you have offended me, I forgive you.

We have faith in us, human beings, to change human destiny, for the better, for the common good.

Peace and

justice be unto all living things.