Faiths join to stress vital challenge of nuclear disarmament at Melbourne Parliament of World's Religions

Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim representatives joined voices during the Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia, on December 7, calling for moral leadership by the world's religions in the effort to abolish nuclear weapons. Dr. Sue Wareham, former president of the Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia) and board member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), stressed the vital role people of faith can play as she chaired a panel on "Nuclear Weapons Abolition: Response and Advocacy by Religious Communities." Ibrahim Ramey, director of human and civil rights of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, commented, "All religions share a common wish for peace and reject nuclear weapons. Morally, nuclear weapons do not have any role or reason to exist in our world." Kimiaki Kawai, program director of peace affairs of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), outlined the organization's efforts to strengthen grassroots momentum toward nuclear abolition through its "People's Decade for Nuclear Abolition" initiative, stating that it is imperative that civil society organizations take the lead in generating a global groundswell of public opinion and getting this message heard by policy-makers.