HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal,
President Emeritus,
Wins Prestigious 2008 Niwano
Peace Prize
—Work
in Israel-Palestine relations
highlighted by committee—
(
NEW YORK, 27 February 2008)—HRH
Prince El Hassan bin Talal of
Jordan, President Emeritus of
Religions for Peace—the
world's largest and most
representative multi-religious
coalition—today was named winner
of the 2008 Niwano Peace Prize.
The prize, in its twenty-fifth
year, is awarded by the Niwano
Peace Foundation.
An
award ceremony will take place
at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May
8, in Tokyo, Japan. HRH Prince
Hassan will receive a medal and
20 million yen, or about
US$186,000.
HRH Prince Hassan's leadership
in furthering the
Religions for Peace
work in the Middle East was
highlighted by the peace prize
committee. He served as
Moderator of
Religions for Peace
from 1999–2006.
"In his leadership roles at
Religions for Peace,
Prince Hassan has been a devoted
and steadfast advocate for peace
in the Middle East and
throughout the world," said Dr.
William F. Vendley, Secretary
General of
Religions for Peace.
"Prince Hassan epitomizes the
peace-loving voice of Islam,
placing himself at the center in
today's critical dialogue of
East-West relations."
The Very Rev. Leonid
Kishkovsky, the Moderator of
Religions for Peace,
said that HRH Prince Hassan
has been a champion of
multi-religious cooperation
throughout the world. "He
has worked tirelessly to
promote better relations
among religions and is a
passionate advocate for
harmony," Rev. Kishkovsky
said. "All his statements
and actions reflect his
devotion to the sanctity of
life, which is informed by
his faith and his creative
openness to the wisdom of
the world's religions and
humanist traditions."
Prince Hassan was born in Amman,
Jordan, in 1947 to a branch of
the Hashemite family. He studied
at Christ Church College,
Oxford, graduating with a degree
in Oriental studies. Until 1999,
he served as the closest
political adviser for his late
Majesty King Hussein. Prince
Hassan has devoted his life to
building peace with justice in
the Middle East based on his
understanding of human dignity
informed and inspired by his
faith. He has been a bridge
builder across existing
political and religious divides.
He is well known and respected
internationally as a man who
translates vision into actions.
In
selecting Prince Hassan as an
awardee, Mr. Doudou Diene,
United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms
of Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance, and a
member of the Peace Prize
Committee, said the prince
"highly deserves the prize for
three reasons: his firm
commitment to peace and
inter-religious dialogue, his
permanent message for the
understanding and practice of
Islam as a religion of peace,
and his high ethical
credibility."
The Niwano Peace Prize was
established in 1983 to honor and
encourage individuals and
organizations that have
contributed significantly to
inter-religious understanding
and cooperation, thereby
furthering the cause of world
peace. The Niwano Peace
Foundation was chartered in 1978
to contribute to the realization
of world peace and the
enhancement of a culture of
peace. The foundation promotes
research and other activities
based on a religious spirit and
serves the cause of peace in
such fields as education,
science, religion and
philosophy.
Religions for Peace
is the
world's largest and most
representative multi-religious
coalition advancing common
action for peace since 1970.
Headquartered in New York and
accredited to the United
Nations,
Religions for Peace
works through affiliated
inter-religious councils in 70
countries in six continents.
