FROM MAULANA'S DESK

TOLERANCE: THE PRICE OF PEACE Unity In Spite of Differences Requite evil with good... THE QURAN 23: 96 T HE year 1995 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the ‘Year of Tolerance.’ The statement of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) said: “….the ability to be tolerant of the actions, beliefs and opinions of others is a major factor in promoting world peace. Amidst the resurgence of ethnic conflicts, discrimination against minorities and xenophobia directed against refugees and asylum-seekers, tolerance is the only way forward” In its statement the U.N mentioned that racism and religious fanaticism in many countries had led to many forms of discrimination and the intimidation of those who held contrary views. Intolerance is both an ethnic and political problem. It is a rejection of the differences between individuals and between cultures. When intolerance becomes organized or institutionalized, it destroys democratic principles and poses a threat to world peace. This proclamation of the U.N. in 1995 holds true even today. The prime need of the world today is indeed peace and tolerance. Roses can be had only by tolerating the existence of thorns. One of the stark realities of life is that divergence of views does exist between man and man, and that it impinges at all levels. Be it at the level of a family or a society, a community or a country, differences are bound to exist everywhere. Now the question is how best unity can be forged or harmony brought about in the face of the human tendency to differ. Some people hold that the removal of all differences is the sine qua non (prerequisite) for bringing about unity. But, this view is untenable, as it is not practicable. You may not like the thorns that essentially accompany roses, but it is not possible for you to pluck out all the thorns and destroy them completely. For, if you pluck out one, another