With the help of Chabad, a couple was married under a white chuppah framed by a golden, Cambodian sunset last week.
South East Asia News
Interfaith News from Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Timor Leste
Buddhist Monks battle deforestation in Cambodia
Cambodia has one of the world’s highest deforestation rates. But a group of Buddhist monks are stepping up efforts to save forests by publicly revealing wrongdoings and mobilising local villagers.
Indonesians join thousands of soldiers, police at Interfaith Rallies
Thousands of Indonesians have joined nationwide interfaith rallies organised by the military in an attempt to demonstrate national unity as religious and racial tensions divide the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Read more…Indonesians join thousands of soldiers, police at Interfaith Rallies
VIETNAM: At a Crossroads, 10 Years after CPC Designation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the 10th anniversary of the State Department’s removal of Vietnam’s designation as a “country of particular concern” (or CPC), the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) sees a country that has made progress but still has a long way to go before it fully respects religious freedom. USCIRF also watches with concern as the Vietnamese National Assembly is poised to vote on a new law governing religion.
“Vietnam is at a crossroads,” explains USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J. “Its government needs to stop oppressing believers and enact legislation that respects religious freedom. If it does not, USCIRF will have to continue calling for its designation as a country of particular concern.”
Read more…VIETNAM: At a Crossroads, 10 Years after CPC Designation
Vatican continues talks with Vietnam
A Vietnamese Delegation to the Vatican has concluded its visit and there are postivie outcomes. The two sides acknowledged the progress in Vietnam – Holy See relations, including regular contacts and consultations, the exchange of high level delegations and frequent pastoral visits to Vietnam by the papal representative and non-resident special envoy, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli.
East Java: Buddhists help celebrate Ramadan
Every day at dusk during the fasting month, over a hundred residents get a free meal to break their fast in a garage-turned-dining room on Jl. Dr. Wahidin, Lawang district, Malang regency, East Java. This is an 18-year-old tradition maintained by Paguyuban Metta, a Buddhist association in the city.
Muslim Leaders From 30 Countries Meet In Indonesia To Fight Extremism
Muslim leaders from around the world met in Jakarta in the early part of May to address the religious aspects of extremism and terrorism. The International Summit of Moderate Islamic Leaders was hosted by Nahdlatul Ulama, an Indonesian Muslim organization that claims 50 million members worldwide.
Read more…Muslim Leaders From 30 Countries Meet In Indonesia To Fight Extremism
Singapore President’s Vatican meeting with Pope Francis
On Saturday May 28, Pope Francis met with the president of the Republic of Singapore, marking 35 years of diplomatic relations between the Southeast Asian country and the Holy See, and the first ever state visit by a Singaporean president to a Pope.
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Bangladesh: Religious leaders vow to fight extremism with harmony
Leaders of four major religions have vowed to unite and promote religious harmony as part of efforts to combat a sharp rise in religious extremism and militancy in Bangladesh. The pledge came at an interfaith conference organized by Bangladesh police in Dhaka on April 28. The gathering brought together about 1,500 people, mostly leaders from Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Buddhist communities.
Read more…Bangladesh: Religious leaders vow to fight extremism with harmony
Religions for Peace Advances Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar
On 28-29 March 2016, U Myint Swe, President of RfP Myanmar and Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Deputy Secretary General of RfP International, visited Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar, the scene of major inter-communal violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in 2012. Further sporadic outbreaks since then have left scores dead and over 140,000 displaced.