Doctrinal differences between the two religions will always be there and, of course, these need to be known and acknowledged so as not to cause inadvertent offence. However, by discovering and affirming shared basic human values – such as the facts that everyone wishes to be happy and not to suffer, and that all of us are interconnected – members of all communities, not only the Buddhist and Muslim ones, can pool their resources and focus their efforts on trying to solve pressing issues of global concern.