Multi-faith team to climb Everest with the message of peace
A multi-faith team comprising members from seven different countries is to climb Everest this year in order to spread the message of peace and harmony among various faiths in the world, the organizers said.
Dubbed as the “Everest Climb for Peace,” the expedition has brought together people from five major faiths.
Addressing a press conference in Kathmandu on Wednesday, founder and executive director of the Everest Peace Project, Lance Trumbull, said, “The Everest climbing team consisted of nine experienced mountaineers representing seven different countries. They represent five major faith traditions namely Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.”
He said the expedition did not want to preach religion but to inspire the international community through their climb, sending a profound message of peace, teamwork, and cultural understanding from the top of the world.
Trumbull said the expedition members will be climbing Mt. Everest from the Tibetan side of the mountain and expected to summit the highest peak in the world in late May or early June this year.
When asked why the expedition had decided to climb from the Tibetan side, he said it was mainly due to high royalty charged by the Nepali authorities. He said the expedition was planned three years ago to coincide with the silver jubilee celebrations of the ascent of Mt. Everest but had to be postponed to due to financial reasons.
A multi-national company, Panasonic, is the main sponsor of the event.
The organizers said the expedition will also be making a world history by bringing together a Palestinian and Israelis together. Ali Bushnaq will be the first Palestinian man to climb Everest.
The expedition will be filmed and later a documentary will be made to spread the message of teamwork, inter-religious harmony and peace around the world.
The team members include Gautam Patil, a Hindu, who has already climbed six highest peaks in six continent, Namgyal Sherpa, Sirdar and Buddhist climber from Nepal.
Other climbers include Jamie McGuinness from New Zaland, David “Dudu” Yifrah and Micha Yaniv from Isreal, Tonya Riggs from the USA and Selebelo Selamolea from South Africa. High altitude cameraman Brad Clement will also accompany them.
Over twelve hundred people have climbed the highest peak in the world since its first ascent in 1953. Over 175 climbers have died on the slopes of the Everest. nepalnews.com by Apr 06 06
