Muslim, Buddhist leaders forge ties to promote interfaith relations

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- A Muslim politician and a local Buddhist group have taken the first step in fostering interfaith relations between the two religions.

<< Malaysian Muslims were upset that a prayer room (surau) of a holiday resort was used by Buddhists to conduct prayers and meditation.

The duo - Parit Buntar Member of Parliament Mujahid Yusof Rawa and a leader in the Buddhist Vajralink Movement, Sherab Wong - noted that to promote relations, individuals and associations must continue "healthy, positive and proactive" dialogue.

"Each religion must be proactive in ensuring their members understand the meaning of respect for each other and totally avoid extremist views which are of no benefit in a multiracial society," they said in a statement.

They pointed out that in recent times, interfaith relations have become challenging particularly when questions about sensitivities of either faiths were not addressed, adding that this would undermine the relations.

They referred to the surau issue in Kota Tinggi, Johor, as an example.

The manager of the resort had allowed a group of Singaporean Buddhists to use a surau at the premises for their meditation. The incident had caused an uproar among Muslims and the manager was detained by police on Sunday to assist in investigations.

"This happens when there is no sense of sensitivity among certain quarters which would result in heightened tension between the different religions," they said.

Both men asserted that the element of respect for one another has faded over time while the multiracial fabric of society continues to be threatened.

"What is worrying is that certain quarters are taking advantage of the matter to further incite this fragile situation by causing hatred between religions."

In an attempt to defuse the situation, the two leaders urged Malaysians to look at the Federal Constitution which states that Islam is the official religion of Malaysia but there is freedom of religion for other faiths.

They called on the authorities to act on those who purposely create hatred among citizens, stressing that they needed to be firm in their actions against those who deliberately hurt religious sensitivities, regardless of who they are.

"The police should be independent of any political influence, and work hard to eliminate the rising crime in our midst," they said.

"The past incidents were not real serious problems between two religions but made to appear as such by those who harbour ill motives for their own personal interest.

"We hope everyone can view the current issue with a matured, open mind and heart so that our thinking and actions are not influenced or tarnished by irresponsible parties," Mujahid and Wong said.

Mujahid is a chairperson of Southeast Asia Inter-religious Dialogue for Peace, which has links in Indonesia and Thailand.

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Sri Lanka: Buddhism to promote moral development among foreign tourists

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Colombo, Sri Lanka -- The Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs Ministry considers its teaming up with the Economic Development Ministry in a joint endeavour to promote Buddhism throughout the world as a major victory, Prime Minister and Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs Minister D M Jayaratne said.

<< Prime Miniser D M Jayaratne handing over a copy of “Why Worry” written by late Dr.Kirille Sri Dhammananda Thera to Lanka Hotel Association Chairman M Shanthkumar. Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa is also in the picture.

The Prime Minister said this participating in a ceremony at the Kotte Parliamentary Complex to mark the distribution of the book "Why Worry"authored by late Dr. Kirille Sri Dhammananda Thera among hotels in Sri Lanka recently.

The Sri Dhammananda Foundation of Malaysia will provide 15,000 copies of the book for distribution among hotels under the auspices of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa on a concept of the Buddhasasana Ministry.

The Prime Minister said concurrent to the tourism promotion drive launched by the Economic Development Ministry, teachings of Buddhism could be made use of to promote moral and spiritual development among foreign tourists visiting Sri Lanka and his Ministry hoped to make maximum use of this opportunity.

He said during his visit to China, he saw the Holy Bible and literature on agriculture kept in hotel rooms for the information of visitors. Such a scheme is not found in Sri Lanka to promote Buddhism and the Economic Development Ministry has stepped into fill this void which is a highly commendable gesture.

The Prime Minister said the book "Why Worry" written by late Ven.Dr. Kirille Sri Dhammananda Thera had many important details,not only for Buddhists, but all people in the world, especially those in the developing world to lead a meaningful life.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said Nature as well as Buddhism could be made an investment to develop and promote tourism. When tourists visiting Sri Lanka feel lonely and confined to hotel rooms, they could easily get over their boredom by reading books of this nature and also understand the essence of Buddhism.

Ven. Kirille Sri Dhammananda Thera, Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs Deputy Minister MKADS Gunawardena, Secretary to the Prime Minister S Amarasekera, Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs Ministry Secretary MKB Dissanayake, Public Trustee Sarath Seneviratne, SLTDA Chairman Bhashwara Senanka other representatives of Hotel Associations were also present.

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Kashmir tourism department restore Buddhist sites to promote pilgrimage tourism

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Baramulla (Jammu and Kashmir), India -- In a bid to attract more Buddhist pilgrims, the tourism department in Jammu and Kashmir has decided set to restore Buddhist sites in the state.

<< Ancient ruins at Parihaspora

The department has already sent a plan to the Archaeological Survey of India proposing to install basic facilities at these sites.

Places like Parihaspora, Harwan and Kanispura-Ushkura, which still have ruins of Buddhist monasteries, are planned to be included in department's pilgrimage tourism initiative.

Director of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism, Talat Parvez, said on Sunday that they would develop the whole circuit of tourism.

"There are many such ancient places and monuments where we want to promote tourism. We have done a documentation, which we will bring forward in the shape of a coffee table book in the next season. This coffee table book will become a source of promotion and such places will become prominent. We are also promoting circuit tourism," said Parvez.

Besides their historical importance, these sites hold a lot of significance and emotional attachment to Buddhists the world over.

Once these sites are developed, they will give a boost to local infrastructure and generate employment for locals.

Historians said that the Buddhist monastery in Parihaspora town, which is located at a distance of 26 kilometres from Srinagar, is one of the famed sites and if the provincial government pays attention and give it facelift then tourists will visit the place in large numbers.

"People do no come here in Kashmir to look only to the scenic beauty. They also would like to see the old heritage and how the civilization has developed here. So, if we see this is one of the biggest civilizations, which was here and this was the central place at one point of time. Now nobody recognises this place, it is all in shambles. So, the need of the hour is not just to preserve them, not just to put fence around them but to also bring people here to look, so that they will themselves see and develop the area around the vicinity," said a historian, Professor Mohammad Sultan.

Tourism is one of the biggest means of earning for the people of the Kashmir Valley. It was hit hard by the separatist agitations, which had adversely affected the turnout of tourists.

Meanwhile, Kashmir of northern Jammu and Kashmir state was once a top Asian tourism destination, popular among honeymooners, skiers, trekkers and anglers, and attracting about a million tourists a year until 1989, when a simmering anger against New Delhi's rule burst into a violent rebellion. And the numbers of visitors shrunk to only a few thousand a year.

However, with peace being restored in the province, the influx of tourists has increased.

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India plans to promote Buddhist sites as new tourist hotspots

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VARANASI, India -- In an effort to attract at least half of the total Buddhist population spread in 35 countries by promoting Buddhist pilgrimage sites, is the new mantra of the ministry of tourism, Government of India and the states enshrining the Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

The call was given during the inauguration of the three-day International Buddhist Conclave (IBC)-2012 at a hotel compound in Nadesar area on Saturday. Due to the last-minute cancellation of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's visit, Union minister of state for tourism Subodh Kant Sahai, along with the ministers of tourism of UP, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha inaugurated the conclave. Apart from 133 delegates from 30 countries, who are mainly tour operators, opinion leaders and travel writers, delegates from 16 states are also taking part in the conclave.

In his address, UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) executive director Marcio Favilla said that "while the number of international tourists last year was one billion, next year this figure can touch the mark of 1.8 billion".

"During the G-20 summit held in June, the tourism sector was approved as an important economic activity. It's for the first time that the tourism has been included in G-20 declaration. Focus should be on sustainable tourism to generate employment. Similarly, religious tourism would play a key role in increasing the number of international tourists."

The Union minister of state for tourism said: "The ministry is aiming at promoting religious tourism on the line of the Muslim religious shrines in Saudi Arabia. Even if half of the Buddhist population (out of a total of 50 lakh) visits the Buddhist pilgrim centres in the country annually, the goal of the ministry would be achieved. This would also help in generating employment for three crore people."

The minister also highlighted the measures initiated by the Central government regarding visa issues.

The tourism ministers of participating states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, left no opportunity to promote the Buddhist sites of their states. However, the main competition between UP and Bihar to woo the delegates for attracting more and more tourists was quite evident.

Bihars minister for tourism Sunil Kumar Pintu highlighted how improvement in basic infrastructure, especially roads, had help in attracting a large number of tourists to the Buddhist sites in Bihar. However, UP minister of state for tourism M C Chauhan had no concrete plans to disclose except expecting that the chief minister would do some miracle to change the fate of tourism industry in UP.

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Korean Buddhists promote temple food, Templestay program in N.Y.

The event kicked off with a culinary showcase of temple food by Ven. Daean at the Culinary Institute of America on June 7. Various other programs will be held at different venues in the city throughout the week, Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, said in a press release. The event runs through June 15.

In cooperation with the Korean Cultural Service New York and the Korean Embassy in New York, the cultural arm of the Jogye Order will invite local journalists, chefs, restaurateurs, power bloggers and travel agents to gala dinners from June 12 to 14, to offer a better understanding of temple food.

Temple food, the food that Buddhist monks eat, is comprised mostly of wild vegetables, roots and husks of trees foraged in mountainous regions. Seasonings are used sparingly to enhance the original taste and flavor of the main ingredients.

The event also features lectures on temple food as well as an art exhibition of dolls made of dak paper or Korean traditional paper, depicting the self-disciplinary life of Buddhist monks.

On June 15, the Buddhist group will hit the road with the Kimchi Taco Truck, a popular Korean fusion food chain, to promote its temple food and Templestay program on the streets of midtown Manhattan.

The group also plans to hold a press conference to increase media exposure of its cultural offerings.

The New York event is a follow up to a similar showcase held in Paris last year.

The group plans to open its first temple food restaurant on the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette in Paris next year.

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