Nur Yalman on his dialogue with Daisaku Ikeda

In the preface to their book, 'A Passage To Peace', Dr Nur Yalman, provides the reader with the necessary frame of reference with which to approach the book. He reminds readers that “Social anthropology, with its emphasis on ‘understanding’, has played a vital role in the interpretation and understanding of other cultures”. From this, one gather’s that Dr Yalman’s participation in this dialog stems from his desire to promote better reciprocal understanding of Buddhism and Islam by and within the respective communities.

He adds a sense of urgency to this need, by highlighting how “powerful symbols of religious commitment are being used by unscrupulous persons for nefarious ends”. He points out the antidote to this malaise lies in surfacing before the public eye, the “universal values of humanity, sincerity, simplicity and empathy, which are so much at the core of both Buddhism and Islam”.