Shii calls for common effort toward peace on earth with religious people

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo gave a talk on "Religion and our time" at a meeting with the religious community at an Osaka hotel on February 27.

The meeting was organized by Osaka's religious leaders and attended by about 200 people, including Buddhists, Christians, and Shintoists. It was the first meeting between JCP Chair Shii and such a wide grouping of religious people.

Referring to the historical heritage of Nara, St. Matthew Passion by Bach, and his recent tour of South Asian countries, Shii stated his impression that religion must have helped to create valuable cultural assets and is inseparable from the development of international exchanges and friendship.

He specifically spoke about two issues that he believes important for religion in the 21st century.

One is the need to develop common efforts to make the world a better place through solving problems concerning peace, life, and the environment, by setting aside differences in world outlook.

Referring to the world's religious community increasing its opposition to a war against Iraq, Shii said it carries an important manifestation of firm rejection of calamities of war, the view that the planned war is without moral cause or justice, and the warning that war will only increase rifts between religions.

The JCP chair said he hoped that mutual understanding and common efforts be developed between the JCP and the religious community to improve living conditions, the environment, social morals, and defend religious freedom.

The other issue was about the importance of pursuing dialogues and peaceful coexistence between different religions and civilizations as a task for the 21st century.

He also pointed out the harmfulness of arguments about a "clash of civilizations" regarding Islamic society as having nothing in common with social progress.

He also criticized the Komei Party and its parent religious organization Soka Gakkai for its chauvinism and self-righteousness based on the premise that all the other religions and thoughts are evil and therefore should be eliminated. Shii said that opposing such attacks has an important place in the defense of democracy.

In closing, Shii explained the JCP's commitment to the defense of democratic principles, including the freedom of religion and separation between politics and religion. (end)