Call to action for World Interfaith Harmony Week

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URI has issued an updated and expanded tool card to encourage people to take action for this year’s World Interfaith Harmony Week, February 1-7.

World Interfaith Harmony Week was established by the UN General Assembly in 2010 in recognition of the importance of “mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue” to peace. URI, an organization founded on the principle of enduring interfaith cooperation for peace and justice, participated actively in the inaugural observance in 2011 and has called on its more than 530 member organizations to participate again this year.

The tool card, originally issued in January 2011, provides ideas for action by individuals and groups alike, including interfaith gatherings, community service projects and social networking as ways to bridge the religious divide and build relationships of trust.

“Interfaith harmony is not just about dialogue among religious leaders,” noted URI Acting Executive Director Debra Bernstein. “It is also about ordinary people finding common ground and working side-by-side to heal their communities politically, socially, economically and environmentally. This is more important than ever at a time when struggling economies are exacerbating tensions among different groups both in the U.S. and elsewhere.”

Through its work with the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, URI is also helping organize a special UN observance, to be held on February 7th in the UN General Assembly Hall. Monica Willard, URI’s representative at the UN, will be a featured speaker. Click here for more information on this event.

Other URI events will be posted on URI’s World Interfaith Harmony Week page, and additional listings can be found on the official World Interfaith Harmony Week site.

Planning an event? Email information to [email protected].

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