Interfaith involvement

At a meeting of the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL) in Frankfurt, Germany from May 11-13, 2015, over 40 religious leaders of different faiths welcomed former president of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) and honorary treasurer of the Inter Faith Network for the UK Dorab Mistry, OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), as a Council member to represent the Zoroastrian community. Jehangir Sarosh, OBE, the former Zoroastrian representative to the Council who suspended his membership to take on the position of secretary general of the Council thanked Mistry "for taking on another responsibility on behalf of our community.”

Dorab Mistry (left) and Jehangir Sarosh: interfaith veterans

Congratulating Mistry "on behalf of the ZTFE managing committee and trustees,” ZTFE president Malcolm Deboo commented, "Dorab’s contribution to the interfaith movement in the UK on behalf of the Zoroastrian community has been legendary so this is a natural stepping stone for him to the larger European body. The ZTFE is further delighted that our veteran on interfaith matters Jehangir is the secretary general.” "Thank you both for keeping the name of Zoroastrians front and center in the world of interreligious activities,” wrote Dr Dolly Dastoor, editor of FEZANA Journal, the quarterly publication of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America.
At the Frankfurt meeting, representatives of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism deliberated on the future of the interreligious dialog platform and discussed an action plan on tackling violent religious extremism. The action plan is intended to be implemented in conjunction with Religions for Peace International, ECRL’s umbrella organization and the world’s largest and most representative multireligious coalition, bringing together religious leaders and grassroots representatives, academics and activists from more than 100 countries, mentions Sarosh.
In their efforts to counter violent religious extremism, "a plague to the entire world,” as seen in the attacks on the editorial team of the French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo, ECRL is focussing on peace and fruitful coexistence in the midst of an increasingly multicultural and multi-religious Europe. In the words of ECRL moderator Thomas Wipf, "Religion is a sublime ethical and spiritual force that aims to heal human society, provide security and peace among people, and ensure human dignity and the rights that flow from it. However some extremists abuse their religion, distorting its image and using it to achieve non-religious objectives.”
Founded in Oslo in 2002, ECRL brings together senior religious representatives who address concerns including human rights, human trafficking, poverty, AIDS, interreligious coexistence, disarmament and the environment. It lives up to its motto "Different faiths, common nation,” stresses Sarosh.