The political views of Mahatma Gandhi

     - actively support the process of intercivilizational dialogue; exert sustainable efforts towards creating a culture of peace, strengthening its principles as a firm basis of international politics and the life of all people;

     - work to establish a more fair world, to consolidate international law and justice, and to implement UN resolutions and signed international agreements, and to find effective means of establishing peace and security all over the world;

     - heed the voices of victims of oppression and terrorism and use all means to seek a just settlement of the existing conflicts, thus addressing the grievances that nurture violence;

     - reject totally the development, production and possession of weapons of mass destruction and promote the strengthening of non-proliferation regimes;

     - respect and protect the sanctity of religious symbols and places and take appropriate measures

     Based upon the abovementioned, we, the leaders of world and traditional religions, RESOVED TO:

     - take concrete collective measures for encouraging and highlighting positive perceptions of inter-religious relations by organizing joint meetings, seminars and addresses in the mass media, the Internet and other places of influence;

     - strongly promote interreligious tolerance among younger generations to make them more devoted to dialogue and encourage them recognize universal values;

     - integrate questions of the dialogue between civilizations and religions into curricula at all educational levels with a view to helping young people to respect and understand religious and cultural difference without hostility;

     - use our spiritual influence, authority and resources to further establish peace, security, stability and contacts between each other in order to make a combined contribution to the prevention and resolution of disputes among different religious communities;

     - offer our experience and best efforts to governments and people or groups and powers involved into conflicts in order to assist them in easing tensions, forming where appropriate joint delegations to conduct negotiations with them;

     - commit to make efforts to promote and realise the goals stated in this Declaration, and to assign the Congress Secretariat to propose a plan for the best possible translation of these recommendations into reality;

     - conduct the Congress of religions on a permanent basis and hold the third Congress of the leaders of world and traditional religions in 2009. For the Secretariat to present proposals on time and place of the next forum;

     - bring to the attention of the General Assembly of the United Nations the conceptual and practical role performed by the Congress in promoting dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions and its considerable achievements in interreligious understanding, inviting support for the further activity of the Congress. [29]

     The success of the event was consolidated by the decision of the I Congress to hold the interreligious forum on a regular basis - no less than once every three years. By this decision, Kazakhstan has been granted the honor of organizing the Second Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan - city of Astana. Also Kazakhstan was commissioned with developing all aspects connected with the creation of the Secretariat of the Congress.

     On September 12-13, 2006 in Astana the Second Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions chaired by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev took place. The Congress was held in the new building “Palace of Peace and Reconciliation”, built specially for realization of the Forum.

     The Congress was held with the general subject: “Religion, society and international security” in two directions: “Religious freedom and respect to followers of other religions” and “Role of religious leaders in the strengthening of international security”. 

     On the first day of the Forum “The Principles of interreligious dialogue”  were accepted, where basic components by which the participants of the Forum were guided in the course of the Forum work found their reflection.

     Principles of Inter-Religious Dialogue:  

     1. Dialogue shall be based upon honesty, tolerance, humility and mutual respect. It requires effective perception and learning, resulting in performing good deeds.

     2. Dialogue shall assume equality of all partners and create the room for free expression of opinions, perspectives and beliefs, including the integrity of each culture, language and traditions.

     3. Dialogue shall not be aimed at the conversion  to another faith, as well as to abuse or demonstrate the superiority of one religion over another. It should not be aimed at eliminating differences, but rather at the cognition and res

     4. Dialogue assists in avoiding prejudices and misinterpretation of faiths of other religions, thus encouraging their cognition and understanding of them. It helps to prevent conflicts and the use of violence as a means for reducing of tension and resolving dis­putes.

     5. Dialogue offers a way towards the peaceful coexistence and fruitful cooperation of peoples. It encourages better education, and may also promote to a better understanding of the dialogue, the importance of mass media and lessen the risk of religious  extremism.

     6. Inter-religious dialogue can serve as an example for other kinds of dialogues, especially social and political ones.

     7. Dialogue, conducted in a spirit of tolerance, emphasizes that all people inhabit the same globe. This assumes certain shared values such as sacredness of life, dignity of all human beings and the integrity of creation.

     8. Dialogue emphasizes that religion plays a vital and constructive role in the society. It promotes common good, recognizes the important role of good relationships between people and respects the specific role of the state in a society as well.

     9. Dialogue is fundamentally important for future generations to benefit from better relations between people of different religions and cultures. [29]

     In the reports of the Forum participants words of gratitude to the address of the Republic of Kazakhstan, its President for the organization of the Forum of Religions where the religious dialogue as a means of disputes settling was opposed to the methods of violence and terror in interdenominational and international relations have sounded.

     By the results of the Congress its participants adopted joint Declaration calling representatives of all religions and ethnic groups to non-admission of conflicts on the basis of cultural and religious differences. This document reflects in full the global need in replacement of “opposition ideology” by “culture of peace”. [29]

     Participants of the II Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions:    

     Ministries and authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan put forth great efforts to make the preparation and process of this II International Congress successful.

     The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter - MFA RK) and the foreign offices of the RK conducted purposeful and complex work for the leaders of religions, religious organizations and honored guests to participate in the forum. As a result, the Event was attended by 25 religious leaders (7 of which are representatives of Islam, 7 are representatives of Christianity, 4 representatives of Buddhism, 2 representatives of Judaism, 1 representative of Shintoism, Taoism, Hinduism, and heads of 2 religious organizations) and 14 honored guests from 26 countries of Europe, Americas, Asia, Africa and Middle East. In total, there were 160 participants. For the first time, Astana was visited by delegations from Libya, Thailand, Armenia, South Korea, as well as the heads of other international religious organizations of the USA and Switzerland.

     Islam was represented at the Congress by delegations headed by the highest leaders of the religion - Supreme Imam Al Azhara Muhammad Sayed Tantawy (Egypt), Secretary General of World Islamic League Abdallah ben Abdel Mohsen Al-Turki (Saudi Arabia), President of the Muslim Organization "Djamaat-e-Shabab-e-Islam" Salman Al-Hussein Al-Nadvi (India), Ex President of the International Islamic University of Pakistan Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi (Pakistan), Member of Supreme Cultural Council of the IRI Ali Akbar Sadiqi Rashad (Iran), Councillor of the Secretary General of the World Association of Islamic Convocation Ageli Farkhat Almeri (Libya), Head Mufti of Kazakhstan Absattar kazhi Derbisali.

     Christianity was represented by delegations headed by Honored President of the Pope's Council of Justice and Peace Roger Etchegeray (Vatican), Metropolitan of Minsk and Slootsk, Exarch Patriarch of Byelorussia Filaret (Russia), Constantinople Patriarch of the Orthodox Church Bartholomew I (Turkey), Bishop Nicolas Banes (Anglican Church, UK), Head Patriarch and Catholicos of All the Armenians Garegin II (Armenia) and Secretary General of the Lutheran World Federation Doctors Ishmael Noco.

     Buddhism was represented by the delegation headed by Deputy Chairman of the All China Association of Buddhists Jia Mu Nian (China), Head of Buddhist Center Demberel Choizhamts (Mongoli) and Rector of the University Mahachulalongkornradjvidyalay Pra Darmokosadjarn (Thailand).

     Judaism was represented by the delegation headed by Rabbi General of Ashkenaz of Israel - Jonah Metzger, Rabbi General of Sefard of Israel - Shlomo Amar, Shintoism - the delegation headed by the Board Chairman of the Association of Shinto Temples Kuni Kuniaki (Japan), Taoism - the delegation headed by Deputy Head of the Administration of Religious Relations Jian Jianiun (China), Hinduism - by the delegation headed by world famous theology scientist Shantilal Somaya. Religious organizations - the Head of the Program of the World Council of Churches on Issues of the Middle East - Michelle Nseir (Switzerland) and the President of National Council of Churches Michael Livingstone (USA).

     The Honored Guests of the Forum were such famous politicians, heads of international organizations, states and governments as Sergey Ordzhonikidze - Director General of the Geneva UN Office, Koichiro Matsuura - UNESCO Director General, Mahathir Mohammad - Ex Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahmud Zakzuk - Minister of Wakufs of Egypt, Alejo Vidal Cuadras Roca - 1st Vice President of the European Parliament, Rene van der Linden - Chairman of the Parliamentary Assemble of the European Council, Staf Nimmegeers - 1st Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Kingdom of Belgium, Kim Won Ki - the Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Ex Speaker Emery de Montescu - Senator of the French Republic and others.

     Besides the participants and the guests, the Congress was attended by the deputies of the two Chambers of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, members of the Government of Kazakhstan, representatives of the Assembly of Nations of Kazakhstan, Diplomat Corps accredited in Kazakhstan.

     The Congress was greeted by heads of states and international organizations: the UN Secretary General Coffi Annan, President of France Jacque Chirac, ex President of Turkey Suleymen Demirel, ex Presidents of the USA  Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Ex President of France Gescar d'Esten, ex President of the Czech Republic Vatslav Gavel, Prime Minister of Turkey Rejep Erdogan, Prime Minister of Spain Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Ex Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder, and high hierarchs of different Churches - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexis II, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams,  the President of the Japanese Buddhist Association Ko Yasuhara and others.

     By unanimous consent of all Forum participants it was decided to hold the next Third Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana in 2009.  
 

2. Non-violent resistance of Martin Luther King

 

     Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement [30, p. 13]. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi [31, p. 19]. King is often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism [32, p.73].

     A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career [33, p.3]. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.

     In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War.

     With assistance from the Quaker group the American Friends Service Committee and inspired by Gandhi's success with non-violent activism, King visited Gandhi's birthplace in India in 1959. The trip to India affected King in a profound way, deepening his understanding of non-violent resistance and his commitment to America's struggle for civil rights. In a radio address made during his final evening in India, King reflected, “Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity. In a real sense, Mahatma Gandhi embodied in his life certain universal principles that are inherent in the moral structure of the universe, and these principles are as inescapable as the law of gravitation” [34, p. 4]. African American civil rights activist Bayard Rustin had studied Gandhi's teachings. Rustin counseled King to dedicate himself to the principles of non-violence, served as King's main advisor and mentor throughout his early activism, and was the main organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. Rustin's open homosexuality, support of democratic socialism, and his former ties to the Communist Party USA caused many white and African-American leaders to demand King distance himself from Rustin.

     King, representing SCLC, was among the leaders of the so-called “Big Six”  civil rights organizations who were instrumental in the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which took place on August 28, 1963. The other leaders and organizations comprising the Big Six were: Roy Wilkins from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Whitney Young, National Urban League; A. Philip Randolph, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; John Lewis, SNCC; and James L. Farmer, Jr. of the Congress of Racial Equality. The primary logistical and strategic organizer was King's colleague Bayard Rustin. For King, this role was another which courted controversy, since he was one of the key figures who acceded to the wishes of President John F. Kennedy in changing the focus of the march. Kennedy initially opposed the march outright, because he was concerned it would negatively impact the drive for passage of civil rights legislation, but the organizers were firm that the march would proceed.

     The march originally was conceived as an event to dramatize the desperate condition of blacks in the southern United States and a very public opportunity to place organizers' concerns and grievances squarely before the seat of power in the nation's capital. Organizers intended to denounce and then challenge the federal government for its failure to safeguard the civil rights and physical safety of civil rights workers and blacks, generally, in the South. However, the group acquiesced to presidential pressure and influence, and the event ultimately took on a far less strident tone. As a result, some civil rights activists felt it presented an inaccurate, sanitized pageant of racial harmony; Malcolm X called it the “Farce on Washington”, and members of the Nation of Islam were not permitted to attend the march.

     The march did, however, make specific demands: an end to racial segregation in public schools; meaningful civil rights legislation, including a law prohibiting racial discrimination in employment; protection of civil rights workers from police brutality; a $2 minimum wage for all workers; and self-government for Washington, D.C., then governed by congressional committee. Despite tensions, the march was a resounding success. More than a quarter million people of diverse ethnicities attended the event, sprawling from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial onto the National Mall and around the reflecting pool. At the time, it was the largest gathering of protesters in Washington's history. King's “I Have a Dream”  speech electrified the crowd. It is regarded, along with Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy Speech, as one of the finest speeches in the history of American oratory [20].

     The March, and especially King's speech, helped put civil rights at the very top the liberal political agenda in the United States and facilitated passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

     After his death, King came to represent black courage and achievement, high moral leadership, and the ability of Americans to address and overcome racial divisions. Recollections of his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy and poverty faded, and his soaring rhetoric calling for racial justice and an integrated society became almost as familiar to subsequent generations of Americans as the Declaration of Independence.

     King’s historical importance was memorialized at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, a research institute in Atlanta where his tomb is located. The King Center is located at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, which includes King’s birthplace and the Ebenezer Church. Perhaps the most important memorial is the national holiday in King’s honor, designated by the Congress of the United States in 1983 and observed on the third Monday in January, a day that falls on or near King’s birthday of January 15.

     We can see that King was inspired by Gandhi. All his non-violent resistance against racism and for civil rights of blacks was similar to the policy of Gandhi. All types of protests of King were based on the activities of Gandhi up to his famous march on Washington as “Salt March”  and march to Transvaal of Gandhi.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CONCLUSION 

     “…In this small, physically weak person was something solid, such as steel, indestructible as a rock, something with which anything could not cope, no physical force, however great it may be ... he had some kind of regal majesty Inspiring others involuntary homage ... He always spoke simply and to the point without wasting words. On the audience acted absolute sincerity of this man, his very identity, as though it hid inexhaustible sources of inner strength ... Having attained inner peace, he radiated to those around him and walked along the winding life unflinchingly, with a firm step” [35, p. 216]. So wrote the eminent statesman, first Prime Minister of India Nehru Jawaharlal about a man who over three decades, led the Indian national liberation movement and led to its historic victory.

     Mahatma Gandhi had a chance to see the first, the immediate fruits of the heroic struggle of his people for national freedom, the achievement of which he devoted his life. But at that solemn moment at the night from 14 to 15 August 1947 on the ancient ramparts of Red Fort in Delhi hoisted the tricolor flag of independent India and the vast majority of Indians exulted, only one national leader was plunged into deep mourning. It was Gandhi. It would seem, has come true is what he sought, in the name of which went to enormous suffering for which he lived and fought, and he had to have a legitimate satisfaction. In fact, he was only person who suffered the most bitter disappointment in his life, and what is happening around, looked like a catastrophe like the collapse of its lofty ideals and hopes. Among the general joy and jubilation triumphant ... a spiritual drama of Gandhi. Prior to his people, opens up broad prospects and the light was given, he was also engulfed in darkness of grief, despair and sinister forebodings. Unfortunately, they did not cheated. How would the fatal end of his spiritual drama was soon followed his tragic death at the hands of Hindu fanatics. Ruthlessly bitter irony in the fact was, that he was killed just as the “apostle of nonviolence”, fell victim to hostility between Hindus and Muslims just as the advocate of their friendship and unity, was morally and physically devastated at the very moment when his country broke away from the shackles of colonialism and proceeded to the national revival as a free, democratic state, of which he had longed for and who gave his vivid life.