The Dalai Lama and Islam

[Grant]

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Dalai Lama Meets With Muslims in Calif.
- By JUSTIN M. NORTON, Associated Press Writer
Sunday, April 16, 2006


(04-16) 05:47 PDT SAN FRANCISCO, (AP) --


The Dalai Lama urged religious leaders Saturday to reach out to Muslims, saying Islam is a compassionate faith that has been unfairly maligned because of a few extremists.


"Nowadays to some people the Muslim tradition appears more militant," the 70-year-old exiled monk said at a weekend conference, which aimed to bring Muslims and Buddhists together.


"I feel that's totally wrong. Muslims, like any other traditions — same message, same practice. That is a practice of compassion," he said.


Event organizers say the Dalai Lama interrupted his schedule to fly to San Francisco and meet Islamic scholars and leaders from other faiths to discuss reducing violence and extremism.


Security was tight at the invitation-only event, which drew about 500 religious leaders and scholars. The conference included speakers and presenters from numerous faiths and roughly 30 countries.


The Dalai Lama told the audience that many people see and hear news of suicide bombings in predominantly Muslim countries but don't hear about how Muslims often work with the poor.


He said all human beings are prone to violence if they lose control of their emotions and not to judge an entire faith based on a few people. "A few mischievous people are always there," he said.


The Dalai Lama, who was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, fled Tibet in 1959 following an aborted uprising against Chinese rule in the territory and now keeps an office in exile in the Himalayan town of Dharmsala, India.


The Dalai Lama also told conference attendees that religious traditions must work harder to live together in peace, citing religious violence in Northern Ireland, Pakistan and Iraq.


Hamza Yusuf, founder of the Zaytuna Institute, a Hayward-based center for Islamic study, said the conference could help build relationships between Buddhists and Muslims and promote a greater understanding of Islam. He noted that Muslims and Buddhists lived together peacefully for hundreds of years in Tibet.


Yusuf said the Dalai Lama's participation in the event could warm Americans to Islam, since many Americans have mixed feelings about the faith but are receptive to Buddhism.


"He wanted to meet us in solidarity as a community because he felt like people were attacking Islam," Yusuf said.


Seyed Ali Ghazvini of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno said he hoped the conference would encourage Muslims to be more visible and active in the United States.


"This is a matter of necessity," said Ghazvini, who gave the Dalai Lama a set of Islamic prayer beads. "It's not an option to sit alone in our own community and our own mosques."


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On the Net:


Dalai Lama:


www.dalailama.com


URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f ... 020D71.DTL


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©2006 Associated Press

[Cawar]

^^Why woul;d anyone who is not muslim be interested in going to a place of worship anyway and a sacred one to say the least?? I bet you never posed that question to yourself.

[Galol]

Cawar

have I underestimated you? Do you really think that people are not interested in visiting religious places of others?

I visited Hindu Temples and Budhist sites and muslim holy places and loved them all.

I would love to see sky burials in tibet and Indian funerary in Brazil and Ethiopian hermit masterpieces and Zoroastrian temples in Tashkent and Sufi dance platfroms in Pakistan.

Why do you think people should only be interested in their own little space? Are you dumb Cawar or just pretending?

[Wise-Man]

[quote] DD
I can visit ANY place of religious worship. Islam is the only exception. So much for tolerance and respect of others.[/quote]

A none-Muslim person can visit any place where Muslims perform their religious affairs if his/her motive is to learn Islam. He/she can also go to Mosque if they want to meet the Imam in order to discuss anything that related to the social problems that Muslim communities need to be aware of if they live in a town where people have different beliefs, or if they want to reach a peaceful agreement between them, but other than that, it is just unacceptable. .Islam allows everybody to practice what they believe as long as they respect you and give you the right to worship your religion.

[Grant]

DD,

I am a Jackmormon, meaning that I do not live my faith.

Mormons accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet of God, the translator of the Book of Mormon, and the author of much of the Doctrine and Covenants. Mormons sustain each new President of the Church as prophet, seer and revelator for the Church as a whole, and believe in continuing revelation. Each adult male bearing the priesthood (and nearly all do) are considered to be a prophet " unto his own house."

Mormons accept both the old and new testaments of the Bible " in so far as they are translated correctly."

Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon was written , preserved and translated under the direction of God.

People of all faiths are welcome in Mormon chapels, but only Mormons in full compliance with all Church laws are permitted in Mormon Temples, and only then for special functions and on the recommend of a Bishop.

Specific questions?

[Cawar]

Galol

You know they say in Arabic "Khuduu Naasa calaa qadd caqluhum", so it differs when reply to dhuuso who is confused but no real atheist and when I reply to you.

However.....Why would you want to go Mecca and Medina and visit Mohammeds(CSW) Qabr or the Ka'bah??? you know even most of muslims dont ever get the chance to go....but I am curious why have the interest of going there if all you can show is disrespect??

I visited the Vatican(although the reason they allow this to happen is obvious...make money from the tourists....but ), in any case I had all the respect for the beliefs of others since its a cardinal for Islamic teachings to respect the others...can we say the same would be true by Americans(CIA for sure) doing the same thing to muslim holy places?? its all about confidence man....no muslim is dying to go to church for any reason but why dhuuso is crying to be accepted when he himself revoced his own rights???

[dhuusa_deer]

Where are my posts?


Ok... Grant yeah I have more questions. What is the Mormons view of Gnoticism? Do mormons accept the Nicene Creed?

[LionHeart-112]

^^deleted!

[Grant]

DD,

Mormonism states that it is a re-establishment of the early Christian Church, from before it was hijacked and corrupted by the Romans. The Nicene Creed has nothing to do with it.

Specific knowledge of Gnosticism and especially access to the Gnostic gospels is a relatively recent thing. Wesley may have more recent knowledge of Church attitude here than I, but I have not yet heard an official position. I did read an article by one Church scholar who felt the Coptic Gospel of Thomas was genuine. There has also been some positive talk about the Gospel of Philip. But I have the feeling that most of the Gnostic writings would be regarded as spurious.