I am pleased that The Washington Post and Newsweek have launched "On Faith - A Global Conversation on Religion," which will be led by Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn. I am also delighted that prominent individuals like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel and Madelaine Albright are contributing. I regret that I am unable to directly participate at this stage, but I do look forward to perhaps contributing in the future in some manner.
While I have the highest respect for the media, I am also, at the same time, a critic of them for focusing more on negative reporting than highlighting positive efforts and actions. Therefore, I am deeply appreciative of this global initiative which will promote a respectful yet frank exchange of ideas. This dialogue should not only be limited to conversations about different belief systems, but more importantly on how together we can make an effort to deal with some of the tragic conflicts that confront us today. Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.
