In late July, URI Bangladesh helped host "Interreligious Harmony Building," coordinated by Love and Peace Circle CC. The one-day workshop was held in one of the major districts in Bangladesh, Caritas-Rupsha, Khulna. The event’s speakers included Francis Halder, the General Secretary of URI Bangladesh; representatives from Rama Krishna Mission, Dialogue Center, and Rahim Sarwar and Dr. Abdul Hye from the URI Bangladesh Committee. Francis Das, chairperson of Love & Peace CC, moderated the program.
The hall was filled with an unanticipated number of participants. The workshop’s opening speech included recitations from the holy Quran, Bhagavad Gita, and Bible. After reviewing the Holy Scriptures, Francis Halder presented the Global URI charter and purpose. From the start, the speakers asked the participants to use the workshop as an opportunity to improve the wellbeing of the Bangladeshi community, referencing important Indian and Bengali figures, literature, and arts to encourage an interfaith movement.
Dr. Abdul Hye spoke of those dedicated to the cause of interfaith, emphasizing research that maintained there was more solidarity in the past between leaders than today on account of simple yet honest motives. He used two songs to further support his point, one from Nazrul, a nationalist activist, and another from Lalon Shah Fakir, an icon of religious tolerance. Mr. Rahim Sarwar from URI Dhaka depicted the human race as a garden of various flowers and addressed the need of unity, determining that the unity as the demand of the present era. Michael Biswas, the Regional Director from Regional Office in Caritas-Khulna, recited and explained two famous poems by Nazrul and Satyendra Nath Dutta, a Bengali poet, relating to the interfaith movement.
Ashoke Podder, one of the representatives from Rama Krishna Mission, highlighted the wisdoms of Swami Vivekananda, an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th century saint, Ramakrishna, who is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. The Bishop of Khulna Diocese Rev. Ramen Boiragi, in his speech, called on everyone to make a sincere effort towards the interfaith movement. He referred to the teachings of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism, creating harmony among all the Indians irrespective of their differences.
In closing, Francis Halder talked about the importance of inviting other communities to their religious centers to promote mutual respect and understanding and then thanked the participants for their involvement and interest in URI’s first workshop in Khulna.
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