Recently, an International Conference was convened at Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) which was meant to initiate an International Movement for a just world. Some sixty scholars, legal experts, leading teachers and policy makers attended this very important international consultation, in which much wisdom was shared. I also was invited to attend this Conference, which was held in early October 2010. The main discussion was focused on how the shared wisdom and ethical values common to all religions, including indigenous spirituality, can be integrated into an international law.
There was a rapid advancement in Information Technologies, during the last three decades, which virtually reduced the world into a single global village. As a result of advanced transportation facilities and consequent increase of migration of people around the world, more and more multi-cultural societies have come up which still continues to be divided in the name of beliefs and faiths.Different religious traditions and institutions had to play a great role in prevention of conflicts in the name of religion and cultural diversity. To create a unique international law that might eradicate all sorts of similar clashes between people, we have to identify in the first place shared values that are common to all religions, ethnical and indigenous traditions.
The consultation found that the stream of shared wisdom and model values common to all religions and traditions is very wide and deep while the differences are far and few.The differences were mostly related to rituals and outward manifestations only. It also found that it is not difficult to identify the common shared values and give shape to a global ethical code.
All religions denounce offences like vengeance, cruelty, theft, adultery, fraud, hypocrisy and dishonesty. On the contrary, all religions uphold as core principles, love, charity, compassion, truth, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, generosity etc. and care to uphold family values and respect for others. In building a world order of justice and peace, those core principles are very important and crucial and have to be applied at individual, social, national and international levels. The consultations also found why the United Nations adopted a Universal Declaration of human rights. In my view, the findings arrived at are very important in building peace and justice everywhere. In the context of the present scenario, where there is too much talk of clashes among civilisations endangering the solidarity and peace environment of the world, an international code is the final answer.
