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Islam
not a violent religion, says Dalai Lama
BETHLEHEM: The Dalai Lama said that “it’s totally wrong,
unfair” to call Islam a violent religion.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, appearing Sunday at Lehigh
University in Pennsylvania, offered a defense of Islam
in response to a question about the rise of violent
religious fundamentalism. He added that he has made a
point of reaching out to Muslims since the attacks of
September 11, 2001. The Dalai Lama arrived at Lehigh on
Thursday for a series of talks on a 600-year-old
Buddhist text.
He took a break Sunday to lecture on “Generating a Good
Heart,” and afterward took questions from Lehigh
President Alice P Gast that had been submitted in
advance by the public. Asked why so many Americans are
depressed and anxious, he joked: “I’m the wrong person
to ask. You should ask Americans.” Then he answered that
US society is too competitive and that people always
want “something more, something more, something more.”
The Dalai Lama, who attracted a capacity crowd of about
5,000, did not mention next month’s Beijing Olympics.
The Chinese government has demanded that the Dalai Lama
express support for the Olympics and repudiate efforts
to disrupt them as a condition for continued talks. The
Dalai Lama, who turned 73 on July 6, said Sunday that
he’s looking forward to “complete retirement.” He joked
that he’s now considered a “senior most respected
adviser” to Tibet’s government in exile. He is scheduled
to speak at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia on
Wednesday.
Source: ap |
