Former U.K. Prime Minister Blair Launches Faith Foundation To Tackle Malaria, Other Global Issues
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday launched a faith-based foundation in New York that will aim to bring major world religions together to tackle global issues, including the fight against malaria, the Press Association reports. His foundation will work with religious organizations to advance the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and malaria control will be one of its first priorities (Woodhouse, Press Association, 5/29).
Ruth Turner, who was an aide for Blair when he was prime minister, will run the foundation. It will attempt to work with leaders from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. Blair said the foundation will go beyond encouraging inter-faith dialogue and will promote practical work (Watt, Guardian, 5/30).
"If you got churches and mosques and those of the Jewish faith working together to provide the [insecticide-treated nets] that are necessary to eliminate malaria, what a fantastic thing that would be," Blair said. He added, "That would show faith in action, it would show the importance of cooperation between faiths, and it would show what faith can do for progress" (Elliott, Time, 5/28).
According to Blair, "Religious faith will be of the same significance to the 21st century as political ideology was to the 20th century" (Parsons, Reuters, 5/29).
