Blair vows to unite religions
Tony Blair has vowed to "spend the rest of his life" uniting the world's religions, reports Vijay Dutt.
Tony Blair has vowed to "spend the rest of his life" uniting the world's religions.
While launching a faith foundation, he said faith could be a civilising force in globalisation, bringing people together to solve problems. "Faith is part of our future. The values it brings with it are an essential part of making globalisation work," he added.
Faith, Blair said, needs to be claimed back by those who believe in co-existence.
"When I was Prime Minister, to talk about religious faith in the British context was more difficult. (But) I never hid the fact that I had religious convictions. What I want to do now is focus on how to bring greater understanding between the faiths."
HT has learnt that he intends to open chapters of his foundation in other parts of the world, including India.
His foundation's aim is to bring religions together to tackle global issues such as the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals, which range from eradicating extreme poverty to ensuring environmental sustainability. "If you got churches and mosques and those of the Jewish faith working together to provide the bed nets that are necessary to eliminate malaria, what a fantastic thing that would be," said Blair.
He related his experience in the Middle East and said it convinced him that his foundation would yield results.