Burma's pro- democracy leader cites the work of CSW as exemplary as she calls for solidarity between different faiths.
"The most admirable achievement of Christian Solidarity Worldwide has been to achieve solidarity between those of different religions...it is well known that peoples of all races and all religions have been protected and helped by your organisation."
These wonderful observations opened Aung San Suu Kyi's address for our "Freedom of the Nations" conference held in London on 26 November 2011. Even before she started speaking, over 400 delegates burst into applause, a mark of respect for a leader who has spent over fourteen of the last twenty years under house arrest. Currently freed, her address emphasised that "We do not have to be divided because we belong to different countries, or different races, or different religions".
Transcript of Aung San Suu Kyi's address to CSW's annual conference, "Freedom for the Nations", 26 November 2011.
"The most admirable achievement of Christian Solidarity Worldwide has been to achieve solidarity between those of different religions. Although we call it Christian Solidarity Worldwide, it is well known that peoples of all races and all religions have been protected and helped by your organisation. This is such a good example for the whole world. We do not have to be divided because we belong to different countries, or different races, or different religions. We can all unite together in solidarity, for values that are shared by those who love humanity.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide has done so much to help peoples in our part of the world; the underprivileged, the poor, the suffering. We have learnt from you that a truly Christian spirit is a spirit that can be shared by peoples who belong to other religions. After all, when we think of Christianity, we think of love. Christians always teach their adherents that God is love. In Buddhism too, we put so much value on loving kindness, Metta, to be able to love others as we love ourselves, to care for others as we care for ourselves. So this is what, I think, we share in common. We of different religions, we all believe that loving kindness, that love, that charity, are important for human beings.
I have followed the work of Christian Solidarity Worldwide through the years when I was under house arrest. I have heard about all the good work that you have done, over the radio. And I have had the good fortune to meet some of you. And I have been so encouraged by the way that you are creating a more peaceful, a more united world, in every way that you can.
As we progress into the 21st Century, there will be more challenges for all of us to face. The temptation to resort to hate, the temptation to divide into different groups and different thought patterns will be very great, so we need people like you who will help to achieve solidarity, who will teach everybody that solidarity needs only one thing common to all of us: our common humanity. And with that alone, we should be able to overcome the differences that might possibly divide us and bring suffering into our world. I hope you will be able to continue with your work for many, many years to come, with greater and greater strength. And I hope very much that we can all join together, we peoples of different religions, to promote human solidarity in our world today. Thank you."