Racism is “deadly” for human relationships and “one of the most dangerous poisons in our lives as one human family”, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches has told a conference in Abu Dhabi as he called for an affirmation that living in “human fraternity” is a “divine calling”.
Speaking at the Global Conference on Human Fraternity – organised by the Muslim Council of Elders – on Sunday, Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said that racism is a reality – “degrading, discriminating and excluding others”.
“Racism is a human sin and one of the most dangerous poisons in our lives as one human family. It is deadly for our relationships,” he said. “And it can pose a huge risk and even deadly consequences for human beings. We know that from the history of the 20th century, particularly the tragic genocides against Jews and other peoples.”
Tveit said that despite the forms racism takes, degrading or excluding others because they belong to “another group, another people or religion” is always the opposite of living in human fraternity.
“It is the opposite of the love we need to live together. Any form of racism attacks the dignity and the rights of other human beings, it destroys relations with one another, and therefore it is also self-destructive for the one human family, eventually even for the one who excludes and practices racism.”
He said that despite differences – including religious differences, it must be affirmed that human fraternity is a “divine calling”.
While acknowledging that religious convictions “can motivate strong emotions, including aggression, hatred, and even violence toward others”, Tveit said “our respective religious beliefs can be a source for the protection of all humans”.
“We know also that religious convictions can motivate strong emotions, including aggression, hatred, and even violence toward others. It is our responsibility, we who are here, and everybody representing religions in our time, to reflect God’s love for humanity. We should therefore be mutually accountable to one another, for how we manifest the meaning and blessing of being one human family together.”
Tveit said religious leaders and institutions should join with politicians, lawmakers, media and others in promoting “the responsibilities and the freedom of true and shared citizenship”.
“This would – I believe – be significant contributions also against many forms of exclusivism, discrimination and racism of our time.”
He called for a “new communal narrative and a new social pact” to allow the most vulnerable to “experience the true support and solidarity of all”, including the Palestinian people, “who have been suffering the longest from lack of solid citizenship, lack of equal rights and proper protection”.
“We need to care for the human rights of all. Such respect for human rights are – in its deepest sense – a translation of love, of care for the other.”
Others attending the two day conference in the UAE include Pope Francis, on the first papal visit to Arabian Peninsula, and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr Ahmad Al-Tayyeb.
Before leaving for the Arabian Peninsula, Pope Francis made an appeal for the international community to ensure food aid reaches people in the war-ravaged nation of Yemen, saying the country’s population was “exhausted by the lengthy conflict and a great many children are suffering from hunger, without being able to access food supplies”.
“The cry of these children and their parents rises up to God.” he reportedly said.
The Pope’s comments are likely to be controversial given the UAE’s involvement in the Yemen conflict as part of the Saudi-led coalition backing the government there.
