SEATTLE: Representatives of Sikh Community were among many other religious leaders who participated in a multi religious meeting held recently in the campus of University of Washington, Seattle. This conference was sponsored by the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) and hosted by Interfaith Council of Washington Slati.
The conference was planned for clergy and laity, activist and academics, and featured lectures and panel discussions involving individuals from 13 religious traditions present in North America. These included Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Native American, Mormons, Shinto, Sikh, Unitarian Universalists and Zoroastrian.
In all, the program provided an exposure to a grand mosaic of religious points of view and an Opportunity to meet a diversity of Individuals from all over North America. The theme of the conference was “Ethics in Action: In the Home, the Workplace, and the Environment.”
Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, born in Trinidad, a Hindu professor in the Dept. of Religion at the Lutheran seminary, St. Olay College in Minnesota, was the conferences Key note speaker. Trinidadian’ born professor emphasized the point how fanaticism and fundamentalism has fanned. The flames of violence and hatred in India, especially in RamJanam bhoomi ‘incident. He also showed his deep concern over cruel and inhuman treatment of low caste people by upper class in India and Apartheid in S. Africa.
The conference started with each religious group presenting the essence of each religion. Throughout the conference these were many issues which were discussed, one of them was the Sikh Turban issue in, RCMP in Canada and other topics related to other minority religious groups in primarily Christian majority North America. Key to solidifying the emerging NAIN at the conference was the adoption of a constitution and election of an Executive Committee of 17 persons and 4 alternates elected. Dr. Rajwant Singh; exec. Director of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (G.G.S.F.) was elected as Sikh member of the executive board of NAIN.
Dr. Rajwant Singh said that, “such a meeting of people from different faiths is of historical significance we, as people of faith, owe it to the world to respond to the challenges of contemporary religious pluralism, not by weakening the intensity of our religious commitment, but through entering into dialogue at the deepest level to strengthen the depth of our own faith, to renew the sincerity of our own worship, and to increase the server of our own spirituality”. He added, that, “We as Sikhs want to contribute in the richly pluralistic religious environment of our continent to make it more just and peaceful”,
Guru Gobind Singh Foundation based in Washington played a major role in organizing the Sikh Participation in this conference. Other Sikhs who participated in this conference were, Dr.Kirpal of Sikhs serving America from Creston, Iowa S. Prem Singh an active Sikh member from Vancouver, Canada and S. Ralph Singh of Gobind Sadan from Syracuse, N.Y. who was also representing the Sikh Faith on panel discussion.
Among others who took part in the conference were. Jain leader Sushil Kumar Muni Jay Rock of National council churches, Chattels White of Buffalo area metro ministers, Aziz Khaki of council of Muslim communities of Canada and Dr Jamshed Mavalwala of Zoarastrian society of Canada.
Conference ended with a multipath worship program in which Dr Rajwant Singh recited a hymn
from Guru Granth Sahib and each religious leader recited hymns from each of their own traditions. Local Sikhs from Seattle also attended the closing ceremony. Dalwinder S. Gill of Seattle Gurdwara and others helped in the local arrangements for the Sikh delegates to the conference.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 21, 1990
