Baha’i
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Baha’u’llah
The world is, in truth, moving on towards its destiny. … The welfare of the part means the welfare of the whole, and the distress of the part brings distress to the whole… Shoghi Effendi
Buddhism in the Tibetan Tradition
No matter how strong we feel, our survival depends on others.
I sometimes wish that grown human beings were more like children, who are naturally open and accepting of others.
Instead, as we grow up, we fail to nurture our natural potential and our sense of fundamental human values.
None of us wants to face problems, and yet we create them by stressing our differences. If we see each other just as fellow human beings, there’ll be no basis for fighting or conflict between us.
Given the scale of life in the cosmos, one human life is no more than a tiny blip. Each one of us is a just visitor to this planet, a guest, who will only stay for a limited time. What greater folly could there be than to spend this short time alone, unhappy or in conflict with our companions? Far better, surely, to use our short time here in living a meaningful life, enriched by our sense of connection with others and being of service to them. – His Holiness the Dalai Lama
“A person who generates bodhichitta [loving kindess], or at least the motivation of bodhichitta, is most lucky. Even if you meditate on bochichitta, it covers all sentient beings. There is no nationality, no race, nothing like that. Friends, enemies, and strangers are included.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Christian
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
“Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shore, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles over racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today we have not permitted ourselves to reject or feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it. Our children are still taught to respect the violence which reduced a red-skinned people of an earlier culture into a few fragmented groups herded into impoverished reservations.” – Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Hinduism
“If you want peace, deserve it. Those only deserve it, who don’t disturb it.” – Nisargadatta Maharaj
“When a person responds to joy and sorrows of others as though they were his own, he or she has attained the highest spiritual union”. – Bhagvad Gita
“If you want to see the Brave, look to those who can love in return of hatred. If want to see Heroic, look to those who forgive” – Bhagvad Gita
Islam
Islam’s sacred scripture, the Quran, declares: “O humankind! We have made you…into nations and tribes, so that you may get to know one another. The noblest of you in God’s sight is the one who is most righteous.” – Holy Quran 49:13
“All mankind is from same source, A white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white; An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab; [none have superiority over another] except by piety and good action.” – Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) Farewell Sermon
An example of racial equality shown in Islamic narrative is in the story of a black slave called “Bilal”. In the seventh century: year 622, the Prophet appointed Bilal the first person to give the public call to prayer in recognition of his powerful, pleasing voice and personal piety. Bilal would later marry an Arab woman from a respectable tribe – unthinkable for an enslaved African in the pre-Islamic period.
For many modern Muslims, Bilal is the symbol of Islam’s egalitarian message, which in its ideal application recognizes no difference among humans on the basis of ethnicity or race but rather is more concerned with personal integrity. One of the United States’ leading Black Muslim newspaper, published between 1975 and 1981, was called The Bilalian News
Native American
“Kinship with all creatures of the earth, sky, and water was a real and active principle. In the animal and bird world there existed a brotherly feeling that kept us safe among them… The animals had rights – the right of man’s protection, the right to live, the right to multiply, the right to freedom, and the right to man’s indebtedness. This concept of life and its relations filled us with the joy and mystery of living; it gave us reverence for all life; it made a place for all things in the scheme of existence with equal importance to all.” ― Chief Luther Standing Bear
“Let us walk softly on the Earth with all living things great and small remembering as we go, that one God kind and wise created all.”
“We have all come from the One Great Spirit and this precious Earth is our common Mother. Let us walk in Harmony.”
Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Quotes on Racial Unity
Do not give room for differences based on language, religion, caste, race or nationality. Develop the feeling that all are the children of God. You may worship God in any form of your choice, but always bear in mind that God is one. Cultivate love and promote harmony among all.
Mind, senses, prejudices, discontent, distress – these are items of luggage, jettison them soon to make your travel lighter, safer and more comfortable.
Practice love, develop love, spread love and all the hatreds and jealousies of today will disappear.
Develop brotherly feelings for all. God is one. Love is one. Genuine love transcends caste, color and creed. Truth is one. The goal is one. For, all roads must lead to the one God. How then can you quarrel and fight with your brethren?