“If we want peace and justice, it is very important for Buddhists and Muslims to come together because these are two major world religions.” So says Chandra Muzaffar, president of International Movement for a Just World, in explaining the need for the newly issued Yogyakarta Statement, in which, as the Jakarta Post reports, “religious leaders from 15 countries [have] called on Muslim and Buddhist communities to maintain peace.”
The issuing of the statement is the result of “Overcoming Extremism and Advancing Peace with Justice,” a recent meeting of leaders from both Buddhism and Islam that took place in Indonesia. Though, “It is not for Buddhists and Muslims only,” as Indonesian Ulema Council chairman Din Syamsuddin has stated. “It is for the whole world.”
