From left, Veena Merchant, editor-in-chief of News India-Times and Capitol Debates’ host; Swami Shantananda, head of Chinmaya Mission, East Coast region, from New Jersey; Al Haaz Ghazi Khankan, former director of Islamic Center, Long Island; and Bhante Swami Kondanna, head of Buddhist Society of New York, from Queens. (Photo: Courtesy, TV Asia)

VEENA MERCHANT: We all have heard wall-to-wall coverage of Pope John Paul II’s funeral, his sickness…it has all been very public. There have been things that have divided the Christians with Pope John Paul II’s position on certain issues but basically what comes through is his message of unification. And in the wake of this I want to throw this challenge to you religious men of three different denominations. Can we take his message of unification forward –– the socio-religious problems, for example, that we have in India can we see any kind of reconciliation and peace?

SWAMI SHANTANANDA: I surfed on the Net for the profile of Pope John Paul II, and I was impressed by a few things about him.

MERCHANT: Swamiji I completely appreciate your admiring the Pope, we all do. But my question is can we take the message of unification forward? Do you see any kind of healing in India? In the United States, what we saw after Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat was refused visa, we saw Indian Americans divided? And that is because of the problems between Hindus and Muslims. Can we see any kind of patching up?

SHANTANANDA: We should take his message, use it and practice it.

MERCHANT: It is upto you to carry that message, people listen to you, you are a religious head. Imam saheb, how do you see the message? I know you are from Syria and I am asking you questions about South Asia but at the end of the day religion is the same everywhere, we are talking about Hinduism and Islam.

IMAM GHAZI KHANKAN: I think the message of the Pope –– of dialogue between different religious communities…Judaism, Islam, and others…that should also be applied in Southeast Asia. I believe there is lack of true understanding between Hindus and Muslims in India. There is world of ignorance on both sides and there should be constant dialogue…to discuss all the problems.

MERCHANT: That is a wonderful point to make. Swamiji, do you have any comment here?

SWAMI KONDANNA: We can and we should work on it to bring peace.

MERCHANT: What will be your method of working on it?

KONDANNA: Communication.

MERCHANT: So you agree that there is lack of communication. There are two religious leaders here who agree there is lack of communication here. Do you join in?

SHANTANANDA: The thinking of religious masters is not a problem. The problem always comes when politics mixes with religion. So if it is looked at as purely religious issues, we can solve it through communication.

MERCHANT: You are 100 percent right. The scientific community and modern human beings don’t like to talk about religion. The total population in the world is over $6 billion, you are talking about 2 billion Christians, 4 in 10 Christians are Catholics; Islam is at least 1.2 (or more) billion; people who say they have no religion are only 9.25 million. These statistics may be a little off, little old but I have picked them up from an official web site. Hindus are 786 million, the current figure is 900 million; Buddhists are 362 million, the current figure is over 500 million. If you look at the numbers we are talking about only one-fifth of humanity that has no religious affiliation. So it is a powerful medium. How are we going to use it? You three are religious heads, I would like to hear from each one of you as to what action you will take?

SHANTANANDA: The action is education, ignorance is a problem. We should know each other; what exactly what our goals and purpose of life are and how our religion is helping us achieve that. And if all the religious heads meet together and discuss the goals and the means — I have attended several inter-faith conferences, most of the time when they talk of highest goal of religion, they talk about the same thing but when it comes to practicality slight differences are there. These should be worked out. The practicality is in interacting with the religious heads.

MERCHANT: Can I say something here without being misunderstood? I still see possibles here. I am not looking at anything tangibly usable.

IMAM: Ignorance breeds prejudice. It starts at home. Children must be educated in a new different atmosphere.

MERCHANT: So we are talking about the responsibility parents should take. Here I am sitting with three religious heads--how can you help parents correct that?

IMAM: We should convey the message to the community that one should not degrade other human beings and their faith and their way of life. We believe that God’s religion is one. God is one, humanity is one.

KONDANNA: You were reading the statistics but do you think all those people practice it (religion)?



MERCHANT: The point I was trying to make is that in the modern world sometimes we are shy of saying ‘I am a religious person.’ We don’t speak of religion as an important item. But the statistics tell you that there is a very small number that is not religious. What they practice is I don’t know.

KONDANNA: We need to address that.

MERCHANT: The point you are making is that in the name of religion what do they practice? I am sorry I missed the point.

KONDANNA: It doesn’t matter what religion you are from or what label you carry but if you practice it you will love each other. We all talk about love, compassion, kindness but there shouldn’t be a label. If we are Buddhist practicing love we should be able to love Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. We should be able to work with each other.

MERCHANT: So is that what you teach?

KONDANNA: Of course. I always talk about that.

MERCHANT: Can you give a quick sound bite of practical suggestion of what religious heads might do or can do?

KONDANNA: What has happened is that we are struggling. We have built barriers among us. We mistrust each other. Therefore, we have to communicate.

IMAM: I think each community should invite not just the leadership but the members of the temple or the mosque to come and meet…not just leaders. We must get our community to sit down with other communities to have personal experiences and then they will find out how much alike they are?

MERCHANT: Do you agree Swamiji?

SHANTANANDA: Yes. We can set an example by communicating with each other and by havingess among religious heads.

MERCHANT: I am going to throw a question at all three of you. The thing is that I have been told many times that I hold a very powerful medium in my hand: the media. But do the three of you realize how strong a medium you have in your hands…if you watch people waiting for hours to get a glimpse of the Pope for a few seconds, they are not even Christians. What can you promise me that you will do to spread this message (of unification)?

SHANTANANDA: We are doing it in our own way.

MERCHANT: Then why has religion allowed itself to be used for political purposes? I am not accusing you but I am asking what are you doing to combat that? What is your message to the viewer?

SHANTANANDA: Nation building is done by politicians; character building is done by individuals…so if the individual changes, community changes, the country changes.

IMAM: We came on different ships but now we are on the same boat. We either row this boat together to safety or drown and die separately.

KONDANNA: Go to people, be with people, work with people so that you can achieve the goal.

MERCHANT: I hope we carried the message to the viewer that it is all about being one and peace on earth.

(Transcribed by Bhavna Kaul)