Discuss on beating religious extremism, Asean ministers urged

PETALING JAYA: The International Forum on Buddhist-Muslim Relations (BMF) is urging Asean ministers to have Inter-faith dialogue to defeat religious extremism.
In a statement, BMF secretary K. V. Soon said when Buddhism and Islam are used to fuel prejudice and incite discrimination and violence, this results in causing social unrest which would retard the progress of these Asean nations.
"The Buddhist and Muslim population comprises about 80% of the Asean community and conflicts fuelled by extremism and radicalism could potentially destablise the entire Asean community.
"Therefore, we want to reaffirm that Buddhist and Islam are religions of peace, mercy and compassion committed to justice for all humankind. For this reason, we pledge to counter extremist religious interpretations and work towards peace and harmony," he said.
Soon added that this year is a crucial milestone in Asean as it is the year when Asean realises the formation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC).
"Any prospect for economic progress is critically dependent on a peaceful state of the nation," he said.
He added that the forum, comprised of religious leaders from South East Asia countries, urged the Asean ministers to strengthen Inter-faith relations and not allow the use of religion to cause dissent among the communities in Asean.