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Love of God and Love of the Neighbour or Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour

Professor David de Kretser, AC, Governor of Victoria, accompanied by Mrs de Kretser, launched the World Interfaith Harmony Week in Melbourne at a luncheon for over 80 religious and spiritual leaders, in Queen’s Hall, Parliament House on the 1st February. The Hon. Ted Baillieu, Premier of Victoria, sent a congratulatory message to be read out to the guests.

The Governor reminded us that we in Australia are fortunate to live in a diverse, multicultural society, and are at liberty to practise our respective faiths openly and without fear.  He said: “Around the world there are too many places where religious intolerance is rife … where people are oppressed or unable to practise their religion openly and where people are incapable of expressing their values. In too many countries this tension is the cause of constant unrest and conflict.”  The Governor hoped that the observance of World Interfaith Harmony Week would have a lasting and significant impact around the world.

The Resolution for the World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed by H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan on September 23, 2010 to the United Nations General Assembly and then introduced and explained to the General Assembly by H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, Personal Envoy and Special Advisor to the King of Jordan on the 20th October 2010.

He said the Assembly was well aware the world was rife with religious tension, mistrust, and hatred, which facilitated war and violence.  The remedy for such problems could only come from the world’s religions themselves, and although much good work had already been done towards that end, religious tensions were on the rise.  The present draft sought to turn the tide against that negative movement by coordinating and uniting efforts among all interfaith groups doing positive work through one focused annual theme.  At the same time, it would harness the collective might of places of worship for peace and harmony and regularly encourage the “silent majority” of preachers to commit themselves on the record for peace and harmony.

The text used the Confucian concept of the word “harmony”, which suggested peace and also “beautiful and dynamic interaction between different elements within a whole”, he said.  The third paragraph of the text made religious reference to “Love of God and Love of the Neighbour, or Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour” but that language excluded no one.  He noted, however, the entire proposal was purely voluntary and no place of worship should be forced to observe World Interfaith Harmony Week.  The resolution “excludes no individual, compromises no one, commits no one, forces no one, harms no one, costs nothing, and — on the contrary — includes everyone, celebrates everyone, benefits everyone, unites everyone and has the potential to bring much needed peace and harmony to the entire world, in sha Allah,” he said.

The General Assembly adopted the resolution without a vote.

The launch of the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week was organized by The Interfaith Centre of Melbourne with support from the Victorian Multicultural Commission, the Islamic Council of Victoria and Religions for Peace (Australia).

Above Photo: Reverend Helen Summers, (The Interfaith Centre of Melbourne), Professor David de Kretser, AC, Nur Shkembi, (Islamic Council of Victoria)

Click here to view the full speech of Professor David de Kretser, AC, Governor of Victoria

Click here to view Interfaith Harmony Week website