One-Year Later: Religious Leaders Convene in Mumbai in Solidarity and Remembrance of Terrorist Attack Victims

November 3, 2009

ONE-YEAR LATER: Religious Leaders Convene in Mumbai  in Solidarity and  Remembrance of Terrorist Attack Victims

Simon Wiesenthal Center, leading Jewish NGO and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Co-sponsor anti-Terror Solidarity Meeting with faith leaders from overseas and across India
(Read formal remarks of each speaker*)

 Mumbai, India – In a gathering of solidarity with the victims of November 26-29, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, the U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal Center and India's Art of Living convened a multi-faith event with Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and other faith leaders, as well as survivors of terrorism, local leaders and foreign dignitaries.  Co-sponsored by two leading NGOs: the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Art of Living Foundation, was held in Mumbai.
           
Among the religious dignitaries who attended were: Swami Gnana Tej of the Art of Living Foundation; Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance; Dr. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, leading Islamic scholar in India; Dr. Ashok Arora, Chief of Education Division, Bharat Soka Gakkai; Sri Raman Tikka of the Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram; Mr. Karambir Kang, the manager of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel at the time of the November ’08 terror attacks; and Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, Director of the Chabad Mumbai Relief Fund. Also in attendance will be survivors of last year’s attacks, The Hon. D.R. Kaarthikeyan, former Director of the CBI, and The Hon. Orna Sagiv, Israeli Consul General in Mumbai and an array of local leaders and foreign dignitaries including; Father Caesar D'Mello; Ervad Dr. Ramiyar Parvez Karanjia; Dr. Khwaja Iftikhar Ahmed.  
           
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder Art of Living Foundation declared that: “26/11 in Mumbai was the ultimate test of patience and forgiveness. Terrorists were striking every month before that. By now a strong message has gone out that we do not react, but we will respond to these acts resolutely.”
           
“Religious leaders have a special obligation to publicly condemn terrorist attacks that are inspired and sanctioned by those who call themselves servants of God. We are gathering at the site of last years attacks in solidarity with the people of India as they remember all the victims of 26/11, including the first-ever attack on Jews in India” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.  “This is a time for people of faith to openly repudiate the culture of death nurtured in the name of religion while standing beside our Indian friends to promote the sanctity of life, tolerance and freedom.”

“We are buoyed by the resilience of the world’s largest democracy, her noble history of protecting minority peoples (Jews among them) and her commitment to our shared values,” Rabbi Cooper added.

           
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

The Art of Living Foundation is an international non-profit educational and humanitarian organization that works in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Its educational and self-development programs offer powerful tools to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being.

*Read formal remarks of each speaker by clicking here.

The Wiesenthal Center and the Art Of Living Foundation have collaborated on a multi-faith anti-terrorism conference in Bali, Indonesia and in the presentation of an exhibition on the Nazi Holocaust, Courage To Remember, in New Delhi and in Bangalore.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 1-310-553-9036 or mlavina@wiesenthal.net; in Mumbai, Ms. Ami Patel ,91-98-2013-5195.

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