Dalai Lama to America: Don’t make same mistake after Orlando as 9/11
The Dalai Lama on Monday emphasized the importance of religious harmony in the wake of the mass shooting in Orlando.
“We cannot eliminate over 1 billion Muslims,” the Dalai Lama said at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. “We have to live together. That’s the reality.”
His Holiness addressed how societies could move forward despite religious differences in the wake of Sunday’s shooting, during which the gunman pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. Forty-nine people died and dozens were injured when Omar Mateen opened fire in Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando.
Investigations are ongoing as law enforcement work to learn more about the shooter and his potential motivation or connection with the terrorist organization.
Sunday’s tragedy has already been politicized by both Democrats and Republicans, including both presidential candidates. Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump repeated his call that the U.S. should institute a temporary ban on Muslim migration.
Mateen was born in New York but his family is of Afghani heritage.
The Dalai Lama warned against kneejerk responses to terror attacks like the Orlando shooting. He cited the U.S. invasion of Iraq following 9/11 as an example of a negative reaction that caused a lot of the problems in today’s Middle East.
“American military power cannot change others’ mind or emotion. Only through friendship and affection” can minds be changed, he said.
But he also said it was also up to Muslim countries to reach out to the rest of the world to increase understanding and dialogue.
“Shake hands. Meet. Talk.”
The Dalai Lama pointed to India as a country of immense diversity that has managed to live peacefully despite the presence of so many religious groups.
“Once you see such a big nation, India, still can maintain religious harmony, so why not the rest of the world?” the Dalai Lama said.
He said it was impossible for people of different religions not to interact on our “small planet” and it was must better to live “harmoniously, happily.”
“There is no other choice,” the Dalai Lama.
This story was originally published June 13, 2016 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Dalai Lama to America: Don’t make same mistake after Orlando as 9/11."