Fourth Parliament of World’s Religions
Barcelona, Spain: July 7-13, 2004

SYMPOSIUM

Religion and Human Rights:
Towards a Universal Declaration of Human Rights
by the World’s Religions

Convened by the Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University, CANADA, and
The Global Ethics and Religion Forum, USA

Saturday, July 10, 2004                                Session I                                   3:00-4:30 pm

Opening Session  (30 minutes)

 Moderator:                    Joseph Runzo
                                         Executive Director, Global Ethics and Religion Forum, USA

Introduction         
of the Symposium:         Reverend Dirk Ficca
                                       
Executive Director, Council for the Parliament of World Religions

Video Presentation:       His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
                                        An Interview on Human Rights and Peace

Roundtable (60 minutes):

    Theme:                       How Can Humanity's Religious Traditions Enrich
                                        Human Right Discourse?

     Moderator:                Arvind Sharma (McGill University, CANADA)

      Panelists:                  Rama Rao Pappu (Hinduism)

                                        Sulak Sivaraksha (Buddhism)

                                        Tu Wei-ming (Confucianism)

                                        Ines M. Talamantez (Native American Religion)

Sunday, July 11, 2004                                Session II                               9:30-11:00 am

 Roundtable II  (90 minutes)

Theme:                        How Can Humanity’s Religious Traditions Enrich
                                     Human Rights Discourse?

 Moderator:                 Joseph Runzo
                                     Executive Director, Global Ethics and Religion Forum, USA

 Panelists:                    Philip Rossi, S.J. (Christianity)

                                     Christopher Key Chapple (Jainism)

                                    John Berthrong (Chinese Religions)

                                    Wande Abimbola (Yoruba Religion)

                                    Abdulkarim Soroush (Islam)

                                    Surjit Singh (Sikhism)

 Sunday, July 11, 2004                                Session III                               11:30 am-1:00 pm 

Breakout Sessions (90 minutes)

I.    Focus:  Islam

      Session  Leaders:    Abdulkarim Soroush
                                        H.M. Habib Chizrin
                                        Irfan Omar

II.   Focus :  Chinese Traditions

       Session Leaders:    Tu Wei Ming
                                       
Xinzhong Yao
                                        John Berthrong

III.  Focus:    Hinduism, Buddhism, and Baha'i

       Session Leaders:    Arvind Sharma (Hinduism)
                                       
David Chappell (Buddhism)
                                        Brian Lepard (Baha'i)

Sunday, July 11, 2004                                    Session IV                              3:00-4:30 pm

Closing Session (90 minutes) 

Moderator:                 Nancy M. Martin
                                    Associate Director, Global Ethics and Religion Forum, USA

 Speaker:                     Arvind Sharma

Topic:                          The Rationale for a Universal Declaration of Human Rights
                                     by the World's Religions:  Before and After September 11, 2001

Respondents:             Dan Cohn-Sherbok (Judaism)  

                                    Frances Adeney (Christianity)         

                                    Brian Lepard (Baha'i)

                                    H.M. Habib Chirzin (Islam)

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