Meet Some Ambassadors for Peace of the Universal Peace Federation
What are Ambassadors for Peace? Ambassadors for Peace are a global network of leaders of every religious and cultural background who have distinguished themselves in service to their communities. They support the Universal Peace Federation's vision of promoting reconcilation, overcoming barriers and building peace, nations and the world through interreligious cooperation and service. Not members of Reverend Moon's faith community, they recognize the effectiveness of Universal Peace Federation's unique work solve the world's most pressing problems including national and regional conflicts and the breakdown of the family.
Ambassadors for Peace from Around the World.
Ambassadors for Peace from Around the World.
Dr. L.M Singhvi
Former High Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom;
Former Member of Parliament; President, Parliament of the World’s Religions
(1992)
Former High Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom; Former Member of Parliament; President, Parliament of the World’s Religions (1992)
As far as I know, God is not sectarian. He is not obsessed with minor details
of doctrine. We should quickly liberate ourselves from theological conflict
which results from blind attachment to doctrines and rituals, and instead
focus on living communication with God. I think we urgently need to purify
the religious atmosphere into one in which believers can have living faith
and every soul can communicate with God. In God’s parental heart and
His great love, there is no discrimination based on color or nationality.
There are no barriers between East and West, North and South. Today God is
trying to embrace the whole of humankind as His children. Through inter-religious
dialogue and harmony we should realize one ideal world of peace, which is
God’s purpose of creation and the common ideal of humankind.
H.E. Sir James Mancham
Founding
President, Seychelles (1976-77); Chairman, UPF Global Peace Council
Founding President, Seychelles (1976-77); Chairman, UPF Global Peace Council
At that time, many of my collaborators thought that I should not participate
in this gathering because it was an initiative of Dr. Sun Myung Moon, who
was regarded then as a leader of a controversial religious sect known as the "Moonies." For
a while, I thought I would refuse the invitation, but when I realized that
such outstanding world personalities as Alexander Haig, former U.S. Secretary
of State, and the Rt. Hon. Edward Heath, former Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom, were to attend, I made up my mind to accept it in order to see and
hear things for myself.
Upon my arrival in New York City, I learned that Rev. Moon had launched
the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP), with
the objective of getting all the religions of the world to put aside differences
of dogma and theology in order to concentrate and collaborate, on the basis
of their commonalities, in an urgent search for peace and a better world order.
I have never regretted my decision to go to New York and subsequently lend
my unqualified support to Father Moon’s initiative. As a born and practicing
Roman Catholic, there has never been any attempt to "convert me" towards another
faith. On the contrary, through attending various conferences organized by
the IIFWP over the years, I have come to know and to befriend imams, rabbis,
archbishops and bishops of various Christian persuasions, Confucian and Buddhist
leaders, Hindu swamis, and a whole range of other religious personalities
of good will from every corner of the globe.
H.E. Abdurrahman Wahid
President, Indonesia (1999-2001)
President, Indonesia (1999-2001)
If he can continue, we are the beneficiaries. This is why I harbor an inner hope that this visit will bring about the peace he lives and gives through his life and his speeches.
Hon. Jose de Venecia, Jr.
Speaker, Philippine House of Representatives
Speaker, Philippine House of Representatives
Reverend Moon is a great teacher and prophet of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We the delegates gathered here believe this is the formula for bringing together the great religions of the world. This is the formula for bringing together the great civilizations and the great cultures of the world. This is the formula for bringing together the great nations, the great tribes and the great peoples of the world.
Rev. Walter Fauntroy
Former District of Columbia U.S. Congressional Delegate, Founder of Black Caucus in the U.S. Congress, Chairman of the Black Leadership Roundtable.
Former District of Columbia U.S. Congressional Delegate, Founder of Black Caucus in the U.S. Congress, Chairman of the Black Leadership Roundtable.
.
Rt. Hon. Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford
Former Prime Minister, Barbados (1987-1994)
Former Prime Minister, Barbados (1987-1994)
Ven. Shoshu Murei
Priest, Takamitamanomiya Shrine, Japan
Priest, Takamitamanomiya Shrine, Japan
I deeply appreciate Reverend Moon’s vision for establishing world peace based on true love and true family. In order to establish world peace, one has to build a strong foundation at one's feet, which is the true family based on true love. Those who cannot establish families filled with true love are not qualified to speak about world peace. Therefore, I am publicly speaking that our goal is to complete the true family.
Dr. A. Abdul Santoe
European Representative, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at-Lahore,
The Netherlands
European Representative, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at-Lahore, The Netherlands
But the more I learned about IIFWP, the more I noticed its difference from other sectarian movements. Born in Korea, Dr. Sun Myung Moon not only founded a Christian association but also laid the foundation for dialogue with other religious societies in the world. Out of the IIFWP has evolved the Universal Peace Federation. With this, Father Moon—as he is often referred to by his adherents—has reached out his hand to all nations in the world so that all may experience peace.
It is essential to mention that the association does not imposes its own principles on others; all who are involved in the peace process, mostly as appointed Ambassadors for Peace, participate out of their own conviction.
Dr. Raheem Khan
Vice President, British Muslim Society;
Consultant Cardiac Surgeon (Retired), United Kingdom
Vice President, British Muslim Society;
Consultant Cardiac Surgeon (Retired), United Kingdom
Their basic function will be to maintain peace by having representatives of different communities meet together regularly and cooperate at all levels. In a wise move that will utilize the wisdom, experience and influence of the world’s religious leaders, the setting up of an International Peace Council as an "upper house" to the United Nations will stand at the apex of this worldwide network of peacemakers, and is a proposal that I stand behind 100%.
Haji Roshan Khan
President, Guyana Islamic Forum for Education, Peace and
Religious Solidarity
President, Guyana Islamic Forum for Education, Peace and Religious Solidarity
The work of the Universal Peace Federation, through its Ambassadors for Peace in Guyana, continues nationwide, spreading respect and love for all. Ambassadors for Peace have contributed tremendously to the current peace that prevails in Guyana. There was no violence during the elections or afterwards, and Guyana is on the threshold of great human and industrial development. In Guyana, Ambassadors for Peace are fulfilling their mandate.
Dr. Eva Latham
President, Human Rights Teaching International, The Netherlands
President, Human Rights Teaching International, The Netherlands
The UN Charter as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are both means to an end: peace.
The road Dr. Moon takes to that goal is astonishing and innovative. He began at the grassroots level as an individual with a spiritual mission, later surrounded by his wife and a few followers. The evolutionary struggle of his mission is now expressed in the Universal Peace Federation, a movement spanning the globe and successfully mobilizing people to bring lasting peace based on inclusive thinking.
In the implementation of his vision, his road is concrete: to bring together not only religious, but also political leaders and people at a grassroots level from all walks of life. He has inspired them to reach out beyond their own national, religious, ethnic and social borders and affirm each other unconditionally as members of one human family. It is inclusive thinking in practice and at its best. It is the concept of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights becoming reality.
Dr. Cheryl Lau
Former Teaching Fellow, J.F.K. School of Government, Harvard University, USA
Former Teaching Fellow, J.F.K. School of Government, Harvard University, USA
Reverend Moon’s vision first encompassed programs of peace education that focused on the individual and the society; then it expanded to the national and international levels. The dozens of organizations that he has founded have all been building blocks that have resulted in this final global connection.
Dr. Yamba Elie Ouédraogo
Ambassador for Peace, Burkina Faso
Ambassador for Peace, Burkina Faso