UN World Interfaith Harmony Week
The fundamental principles of ACW, ‘Love of God and Love of the Neighbour’ form the basis of the fundamental principles used in the WIHW, these being ‘Love of God and Love of the Neighbour’ or ‘Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour’.
In 2010, the World Interfaith Harmony Week was launched at the United Nations General Assembly. The resolution (A/Res/65/5) was adopted unanimously by the UNGA after considerable diplomatic efforts by Arab, Muslim, Central American countries and Russia. It reads as follows:
The General Assembly,
- Reaffirms that mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace;
- Proclaims the first week of February of every year the World Interfaith Harmony Week between all religions, faiths and beliefs;
- Encourages all States to support, on a voluntary basis, the spread of the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the world’s Churches, Mosques, Synagogues, Temples and other places of Worship during that week based on Love of God and Love of the Neighbour, or based on Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour, each according to their own religious traditions or convictions;
- Requests the Secretary-General to keep the General Assembly informed of the implementation of the present resolution.
It will be noted that the diplomatically unprecedented central phrase of the resolution—‘Love of God and Love of the Neighbour, or based on Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour, each according to their own religious traditions or convictions’— excludes no one, of any religion or of no faith at all: every person of good will, with or without faith can and should commit to ‘Love of God and Love of the Neighbour’ or ‘Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour’. Loving the Good and the neighbour is, after all, the essence of good will as such. And referring to ‘the Good’ obviously does not necessarily imply belief in God or in a particular religion, even though for monotheistic believers ‘the Good’ is God precisely: Jesus Christ (pbuh) said: No one is Good but God Alone [Mark, 10:18; Luke, 18:19, and Matthew, 19:17], and ‘the Good’ (‘Al-Barr’) is one of God’s Names in the Holy Qur’an [Al-Tur, 52:28]. Thus speaking of ‘the Good’ is an ingenious theologically-correct but inclusive formula—in so far as it goes—that unites all humanity and excludes no one.