Mumbai-based heads of foreign missions will put their pen to paper this month in a unique experiment that hopes to find a more peaceful way to resolve religious and political conflicts in India and the world.
Mumbai-based heads of foreign missions will put their pen to paper this month in a unique experiment that hopes to find a more peaceful way to resolve religious and political conflicts in India and the world.
The consular heads of the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and Kuwait are among those who have agreed to present papers on conflict resolution at the Nehru Centre in Worli on January 18.
The papers which are part of the ‘Healing Memories’ project by WISDOM Foundation which is led D Zeenat Shaukat Ali, the head of Islamic studies at St Xavier’s College, will be later published as a book by the foundation. Dr Ali said that the writers will offers views and ideas that could be shared with the United Nations and other international agencies working for conflict resolution.
“There is so much conflict in the world and, we are enveloped in that conflict, whether as individuals, societies or nations. Look at the Lokpal Bill, something that can be done with goodwill has become a contention between political parties. There is so much turmoil,” said Ali.
The Clash of Civilisations theory by political scientist Samuel Huntington argued that in the post-Cold War era, religious and cultural divides could be the source of conflicts. The horrific incidents of 9/11 gave credence to the theory. “There are so many conflicts for which we need to put our heads together with determination to come up with a solution,” said Ali.
The diplomats in Mumbai will, hopefully, come up with some solutions. Peter Haas, the consul general of the United States in Mumbai and Dr Leopold Theodor Heldman, the consul general of Germany will be among the contributors to the project. “They are happy to do this,” said Ali. The compilation of their writings into a book will be a tribute to their work, she added.
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