AN INTERVIEW

AN INTERVIEW UNITED Religions Initiative, North India and Afghanistan, in association with UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding and Banaras Hindu University, is seeking to develop a compendium on Inter-religious/Interfaith Dialogue, Good Practices and Future Directions. This project aims to collate and analyze innovative narratives and good practices of inter-religious/interfaith dialogue from across cultures and regions to supplement the expanding and deepening scope and outreach of UN engagement with religious entities. The project also aims to weave together the remarkable narratives, aphorisms and stories of interfaith dialogue, less accessible resources of religious peace-building, faithinspired and interfaith social action. Tanya Sablok is a social development and peace-building professional with a Master of Arts focused in Peace and Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia. She is currently working as the Cooperation Circle Liaison Officer, URI North India and Afghanistan. She interviewed Ms Shabina Ali, a CPS member on July 17, 2021. Ms Shabina joined Centre for Peace and Spirituality International in 2015. She works in Kolkata and participates in programmes of peace and spirituality. This is a selection from the interview. While giving a brief history of CPS, please share your story by telling us about the amazing work that Honourable Late Maulana Wahiduddin Khan had been engaged in, and the contribution of CPS to the interfaith movement. Do share the various dimensions (how have scriptures become the tool of peace, how many people are connected, how do you involve diversities, etc.) of the work as you focus more on interfaith dialogue. You would be surprised that the foundation of CPS International began on interfaith note when three youths came to meet Maulana and of the three, two were Hindus and one Muslim. They came to discuss spirituality and God. This was way back in 2001. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, being a spiritual master, immediately recognized the call of God and decided that today’s youth need to be addressed for their spiritual starvation. He saw that youths are more receptive to the rational approach of religion. So he started CPS International as a platform to connect the hearts of people with one another.