Thousands gathered in Khartoum today in an interfaith effort to see unity between the North and South of Sudan. Mark Siljander presented a lecture “Spiritual Values that Lead to National Unity” at the event where Muslims and Christians gathered to show their support towards peace. The public rally concluded with prayers with President Al Bashir for the peace of Sudan. The event then continued on with top scholars presenting papers to an audience of several hundred.
Mark’s lecture opened with these words:
A Salaam alechum. In the name of God who is compassionate and merciful, I want to thank the Ministry of Guidance and Bridges International for their courage in sponsoring this event, particularly in light of the momentous events surrounding this occasion. The Obama Administration has announced a new direction in dealing with Sudan, Darfurian rebels are seriously considering a willingness to engage in meaningful negotiations in Doha and critical aspects of the CPA are poised to be implemented. While this event was not planned around these historic events it is amazingly fortuitous; elhamdulillah!
Serving in politics at three levels (local, state, and federal) and as a diplomat at the United Nations, my new paradigm led to an approach which begins with building a spiritual camaraderie, which can lead to practical resolution of conflict and political challenges. It is called the “Fifth Track of Engagement.”
The “Fifth Track” approach works through facilitating the sharing of a multicultural spiritual paradigm powerful enough to foster trust, and empower influential leaders to replace radicalism with reconciliation and peace.
Fifth Track works to bridge cultures by following a successful and proven peacemaking model based on the teachings of the Holy Books, drawing on the thoughts of Jesus of Nazareth. Why? His teachings regarding reconciliation of offended parties are some of the most powerful in human history.
We hope to share audio and video of the conference soon!
