Dhaka, Bangladesh—Asian people, irrespective of their religion, have a lot to contribute to spirituality in the world, believes the Rev. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, who has just completed a three-day visit to predominantly-Muslim Bangladesh.

“Their spirituality is informed by their centuries-old ways ... and we want to learn from that - as Christians and as people of other parts of the world,” said Kobia in an interview at the end of the 26-28 March visit during which he met President Iajuddin Ahmed.

It was the first visit by Kobia to the south Asian nation where only a tiny fraction of the country’s 141 million people is Christian.

Among the periodic incidents of violence against minorities that have occurred in recent years, a few hit some Christian communities and churches, and Kobia raised the issue of violence by “extreme Muslims” at his meeting with the country’s president.

“What pleased me is that the president said it’s a very tiny group who are extremists, and there is no room for extremism in Bangladesh,” said Kobia. “And the government promises to ensure security and respect of places of worship for everybody regardless and in spite of their size.”

Kobia however pointed out that religious extremism is present in all the major religions, and he has been a strong proponent of inter-faith dialogue since becoming the first African to head the Geneva-based WCC at the beginning of 2004. “We have to work together with all faiths, in order to deal with the extremism and fundamentalism in our religions,” Kobia told Ecumenical News International. He said he hoped that leaders of Islam and representatives of other faiths from Bangladesh would take part in an international conference on inter-faith cooperation scheduled by the WCC for June in Geneva. “We would like to promote unity of all who possess the good will of promoting humanity so that humanity can live in peace and harmony,” Kobia noted.

One purpose of Kobia’s visit had been to inaugurate a training centre of the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh, which is linked to the WCC, the world’s largest grouping of churches that includes most Protestant and Orthodox churches.

He said he was pleased to see that the churches in the south Asian country have contributed to development and “they are working for all the people of Bangladesh, not just for the Christians.”

Kobia visited only the capital city of Dhaka but what he saw strengthened his resolve. “One of the things that strike you when you come to Dhaka is the levels of poverty,” he said. “I would now want us to double our efforts in assisting the churches and the people of Bangladesh in fighting poverty.”