‘Fraternity’ accords Dignity to Humanity
International Day of Human Fraternity 2022 / 04 February / Article
‘Fraternity’ accords Dignity
to Humanity
Fr Dr M. D. Thomas
Director, Institute of
Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi
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The 04th day of February is dedicated as
‘International Day of Human Fraternity’. The day was proclaimed so by the United Nations General Assembly on 21 December 2020 and was co-sponsored by
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The first
event was held on 04 February 2021. This date commemorates the historical
meeting in Abu Dhabi between Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyib, on 04 February 2019, oriented to
‘world peace and living together’.
The UN Secretary General acknowledged the 2019
declaration on ‘human fraternity for world peace’ by the above head of the
Catholic Church and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, who is also an Egyptian Islamic
scholar. He applauded all UN Member States who supported the resolution
readily, as well.
Highlighting the context of
the declaration in a video broadcast
during a commemorative event, held online, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated, “around the
world, deep-seated discrimination, acts of intolerance and hate crimes persist
against people, simply because of their religion or belief, ethnicity, gender
or sexual orientation”.
He proceeded, “I thank both religious leaders for
using their voice to promote interfaith dialogue, mutual respect and
understanding across the faith spectrum. In these trying times, we need this
spirit more than ever”. Further, “as we commemorate the International Day of
Human Fraternity, let us commit to do more to promote cultural and religious
tolerance, understanding and dialogue”, he added.
Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and
Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, told the UN General Assembly, before the UN gave its approval,
“in recent years, the world has been witnessing a dramatic increase in
violence, hate speech, xenophobia, religious bigotry and other forms of
discrimination. In the face of such transnational threats, we need to support
initiatives that encourage solidarity and unity among people in the spirit of
‘human fraternity’.
Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the UN
Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), showed
up the relevance of fraternity in the following words. “Observing an
international day of Human Fraternity is needed now more than ever before,
considering the deplorable fragmentation of our world today. We are not only
facing the ramifications of a pandemic, but also the contagious virus of hate,
discrimination and racism”, he said.
Besides, the UN resolution recognizes
the valuable contributions of people of all religions and beliefs to humanity.
It underlines the role of education in promoting tolerance and eliminating
discrimination based on religion or belief, too. It commends all international,
regional, national and local initiatives and efforts by religious leaders to
promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue, as well.
Further, the UN resolution also
expresses deep concern for acts that advocate religious hatred and undermine
the spirit of tolerance, especially as the world confronts the unprecedented
crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights the need for a
global response to the pandemic built upon unity, solidarity and renewed
multilateral cooperation.
Furthermore, the antidote to
hate is human fraternity, which embodies compassion, solidarity, unity and
mutual respect. ‘Cultural
diversity and freedom of belief’ are part of the ‘rich tapestry’ of humanity. Promoting
peace, love and fraternity has been a consistent message from religious figures
throughout history. Therefore, more
commitment towards promoting cultural and religious tolerance is called for.
In addition, ‘fraternity’ means brotherhood,
that is to say, ‘the sense of being
brotherly an d sisterly. It is the quality of being a social group with persons
with shared interests and experiences. Fraternity or brotherhood promotes unity
and integrity in the nation and binds its people. Fraternity stands
for standing up for fellow citizens and for resolving dispute and conflicts in
well-behaved and orderly manner, which would not harm the integrity of the
nation or of the society. Fraternity is committed to celebrating together our shared
values of acceptance, openness, empathy and love towards other human beings, as
well.
Most of all, human fraternity
is grounded in the divine paternity. The creator God is origin and life-giver,
sustainer and care-taker and destiny and destination. The human and other
beings are filial to the Creator and are necessarily fraternal to each other
and they cannot be otherwise. Human fraternity is the way of being related to
each other. Human fraternity is the very way to be related to the paternal
Creator, as well.
The spirit of human fraternity
is the right response to diversity of ethnic traits, gender, caste, clan,
class, creed, and the like. Fraternity is the true solution to problems related
to differences in language, ideology, culture, social traditions, food habits,
dress patterns, etc, too. Fraternity is the core principle of the Constitution
of India. Fraternity is the essential spirit of religious systems and social
communities. Fraternity is the universal human quality underscored by the
United Nations organization. Fraternity is the sum and substance of human life,
as well.
On the occasion of ‘International Day
of Human Fraternity 2022’ it has to be avowed by the humanity anew that humans
in India and world over will imbibe the spirit of being ‘fraternal’ and live
like brothers and sisters, one to another, and thus give dignity to our
humanity and the divinity above.
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The author is Director, Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, New Delhi, and
has been committed to interfaith
relations, national integration and social harmony, for the past over 40 years. He contributes to the above
cause through lectures, articles, video
messages, conferences, social interactions, views at TV channels, and the
like.
He
could be viewed, listened to and
contacted at the following portals – websites ‘www.mdthomas.in’ (p), ‘https://mdthomas.academia.edu’, ‘https://drmdthomas.blogspot.com’ and
‘www.ihpsindia.org’ (o); social
media ‘https://www.youtube.com/InstituteofHarmonyandPeaceStudies’, ‘https://twitter.com/mdthomas53’, ‘https://www.facebook.com/mdthomas53’; email ‘mdthomas53@gmail.com’ and telephone 9810535378.
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