Interreligious
Peace Sports Festival
A Race for Peace
By Fidelis Iyebote
Cheonan, South Korea
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Even as the feet of Palestinian and Israeli
leaders wobble along the path of the Middle East peace road map, three Jordanian
men - about the age of suicide bombers from the
PLO and Chechnya ran steadily to win three of four
top spots in a race for peace organized by the
widely spreading Interreligious and International
Federation for World Peace in this sleepy town of
442,593 people known for the hard work of its
farming population.
Flanked by two of his triumphant countrymen,
shortly after clinching the coveted crown for the
world's number one runner for peace, Jordanian
college marathoner, Methkel Abu Duras said in
Arabic with his coach, Umm-Qise native, Talib Al
Rousan interpreting, "We are in Korea to show our
people and the entire world the right way to go --
the way of peace, love and understanding. Peace
and harmonious living are beautiful and attractive. Who says war and violence are not ugly
and life destroying?"
Compatriots Sulman al Gdran won the second place,
Bashar Rehael took the fourth, while Young Leal of the United States
wrested the third position in this ding-dong race of five kilometers that
rendered hundreds breathless and others heaving
sighs of relief after chesting the tape at the
end.
Altogether, 2,000 men and women, representing 43
nations and 10 different faiths--Buddhism, Chondokyo,
Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam,Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism and
Unification--vied for laurels and "at the same
time enhance global peace, cultural, racial and
religious harmony, and draw the attention of a world at war with
itself to the urgent need for
peace and the role of non-conventional means like
sports diplomacy and cultural festivals to attain it."
Hundreds of participants spoke from the podium and
in press interviews in similar vein of the
"enduring benefits for humankind" of this global
peace movement which is the brainchild of
Washington Times newspaper baron and United Press
International news service owner, Reverend Sun
Myung Moon.
One of the ardent believers in this global peace
movement, Inderjeet Singh, a Bowling Green University-trained sports
administrator from Malaysia said of the race for peace, "The world indeed is
one home and humankind is one family. We are seeking to build a new breed of
boys and girls, men and women with broad enough horizons to see themselves
as citizens of the world,not just citizens of one particular
nation."
Intermittently referring to the immortal words, of
India's Mahatma Ghandi of blessed memory, "Do we
want the world to be blind? No! If it were eye for
an eye, the whole world would have been blind," --
Mr. Singh, a Sikh added, "we are here to celebrate
peace and the unity of the human race and our
Creator, the only one God."
Others who spoke about the need for peoples and
leaders of the world to engage in similar
activities and events that may pull down the
strongholds of racial and cultural disharmony,
intolerance and bigotry include Thailand's lawn
tennis player and Buddhist, 18-year-old, Sukrit
Samakketkarn, Russia's Ecology student, Ksenia
Fesenko, Aila Willitts, an economist and Christian
from Finland, Singapore's Polytechnic and Moslem
student, Airin Astuty Samsuri, Kai-riin Saluste of
Estonia, Rev. John Gehring of the United States,
Korea's Kyung-June Lee and Lynne Kim.
Reverend and Mrs. Moon's peace movement is
embraced by millions of adherents of 10 religions
from 200 countries. Their Sun Moon University in
South Korea, known for its racially and
religiously diversified international student
population, teaches character education,
international studies, religious youth service,
world peace through interreligious action in
addition to information technology.
Malaysia, with 110 participants, had the highest
representation at the race, a total of 104 men and
women came from the United States; from Japan came
90, the Philippines 86, Taiwan 70, and 60 Russians
and hundreds from about two-score countries took
part in the race for peace.
- http://www.klava.org/Archives/IPSF2003.htm
- http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_view_tb_national.asp?Pays=ROK
- http://www.internationalgames.net/linksto.htm
- http://www.iifwp.org/Activities/2003/wcsf/opening.shtml
Pictures from some moments at the IPSF program
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Copyright (c) 2003 IRFF Europe
Luxembourg@irff-europe.org