A question about showcasing religious pluralism to US President Obama and Indian PM Modi

Last updated on Jan. 27th 2015

Some time ago (on Jan. 24th, 2015) I added the following question (on the mygov.in portal) for the joint radio address by US President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Modi scheduled to be aired on Jan. 27th 2015, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-Obama-Man-Ki-Baat-on-January-27-at-8pm/articleshow/46004291.cms.

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Mr. President & Mr. Prime Minister, as USA and India are two of the world's largest and deeply religious countries in the world, is it possible for USA & India to take the lead, in today's rather tense inter-faith world environment, to showcase to the world a path by example, for a multi-faith environment which includes atheists & agnostics (religious pluralism) where all (or most) can live peacefully, respecting faiths other than one's own (including atheist & agnostic attitudes/views)?

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An update related to Delhi townhall meeting of US president Obama on Jan 27th 2015:

From "US President Barack Obama addresses town hall meeting", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sGFUPEtNAg:

[A little after 51:30] Our nations are strongest when we see that we are all God's children. All equal in His eyes and worthy of His love. Across our two great countries, we have Hindus and Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Buddhists (Jains) and so many faiths. We remember the wisdom of Gandhiji who said, for me the different religions are beautiful flowers from the same garden or they are branches of the same majestic tree [audience applauds] - branches of the same majestic tree. Our freedom of religion is written into our founding documents. It is part of America's very first amendment. Your article 25 says that all people are equally entitled to freedom of conscience, the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion. In both our countries, in all countries, upholding this fundamental freedom is the responsibility of government but it is also the responsibility of every person. In our lives, Michelle and I have been strengthened by our Christian faith. But there have been times where my faith has been questioned by people who don't know me, where they said I adhere to a different religion, as if that were somehow a bad thing.

Around the world we have seen intolerance and violence and terror perpetrated by those who profess to be standing up for their faith but in fact are betraying it. No society is immune from the darkest impulses of men. And too often religion has been used to tap into those darker impulses as opposed to the light of God. Three years ago, in our state of Wisconsin, back in the United States, a man went into a Sikh temple (and) in a terrible act of violence killed six innocent people, Americans and Indians. In that moment of shared grief, our two countries reaffirmed the basic truth as we must again today. (That) Every person has the right to practise their faith how they choose, or to practise no faith at all, and to do so free of persecution and fear and discrimination. [Audience applauds].

The peace we seek in the world begins in human hearts. It finds its glorious expression when we look beyond any differences in religion or tribe and rejoice in the beauty of every soul. Nowhere is that more important than (in) India. Nowhere is it going to be more necessary for that foundational value to be upheld. India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along lines of religious faith, so long it is not splintered along any lines, is unified as one nation. And it is when all Indians, whatever your faith, go to the movies and applaud actors like Shah Rukh Khan or when you celebrate athletes like Milkha Singh or Mary Kom. And every Indian can take pride in the courage of the humanitarian who liberates boys and girls from forced labour and exploitation who is here today - Kailash Satyarthi [audience applauds], our most recent winner of the Nobel prize for peace. So that's what unifies us. Do we act with compassion and empathy? Are we measured by our efforts, by what Dr. King called the content of our character rather than the colour of our skin or the manner in which we worship our God?

In both our countries, in India and in America, our diversity is our strength and we have to guard against any efforts to divide ourselves along sectarian lines or any other lines. And if we do that well, if America shows itself as an example of its diversity and yet (shows) the capacity to live together and work together, in common effort, in common purpose; if India, as massive as it is, with so much diversity, so many differences, is able to continually affirm its democracy, that is an example for every other country on earth. That's what makes us world leaders. Not just the size of our economy or the number of weapons we have. Our ability to show the way in how we work together. How much respect we show each other. And finally our nations are strongest when we empower our young people. Because ultimately you (the young audience in the town hall meeting) are the one who has to breakdown these old stereotypes, these old barriers, these old ways of thinking. You know, prejudices and stereotypes and assumptions - those are what happens to old minds like mine (:-)). I am getting grey hair now - I was more youthful when I first started this office.