Dalai Lama urges harmony ahead of 9/11 anniversary

Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Canadian Press

President Obama speaks at the 9/11 Memorial during the tenth anniversary ceremonies of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center site, September 11, 2011 in New York City. New York City and the nation are commemorating the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people after two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and one crash landed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Dalai Lama says all religions, including his own, have faithful who carry the seeds of destructive emotions within them.

The Buddhist spiritual leader's message comes just days before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

He was speaking in Montreal at a conference on the role of religions in fostering peace in a post-9/11 world.

The Dalai Lama says a key to promoting religious harmony after 9/11 is to stop criticizing religions based on the actions of their destructive followers.

He says, for example, that by criticizing Islam based on the deeds of a few Muslims, then logically one must denounce all religions.

The one-day conference also features a panel discussion by prominent religious scholars and spiritual thinkers, including Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, Tariq Ramadan and Deepak Chopra.