Religious representation

The religious leaders in Europe who met at the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) decided to form a European Religious Leaders Council. The Council will consist of the world’s major faiths (including Zoroastrianism). The Council will have 30 members and we shall have one seat.

Forty-two percent (269 million) of the population of Europe which is Roman Catholic will have five seats on the Council and we Zoroastrians 0.000018 percent (12,000) shall have one seat. This shows the generosity and change in mindset that numbers are not important. What is important is that every single individual counts when working for the common good.

Now we, the Zoroastrians, have the opportunity to be heard and with that comes responsibility. We must ensure that we offer the wisdom of our tradition for the common good that will lead to the final renovation of the good creation, by cooperating in common actions.

This needs

•individuals willing to offer their expertise on issues that concern us all, e.g. poverty, drugs, HIV, religious freedom, asylum, education, support for the youth, equality for women, etc;

•funding to enable persons to participate in the appropriate meetings;

•research to evaluate what our scriptures have to say on the various issues.

I hope our community will fully participate and offer support. Those interested can contact me at 18/20 Vale Road, Bushey Herts, WD23 2HE; Tel: 01923 211168; Fax: 01923 211169; Web: www.religionsforpeace.org

JEHANGIR SAROSH

President, World Conference of Religions for Peace Europe