In cooperation with the Qatari Forum for Authors DICID held a virtual symposium

15 Oct In cooperation with the Qatari Forum for Authors DICID held a virtual symposium

Within the umbrella of efforts by the Ministry of Culture and Sports to diversify and broaden views, especially views on the other, the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, in cooperation with the Qatari Forum for Authors, held a virtual symposium entitled ‘Understanding Religious Differences through Interfaith Dialogue’ on Tuesday evening, October 12, 2021.

The symposium hosted a group of academics, thinkers and writers to clarify the concept of interfaith dialogue and its relationship to the Alliance of Civilizations. It also covered the emergence of interfaith as a term, and discussed the reality and future of institutions and centers of interfaith dialogue that have made their presence in the Arab world in particular, and in the world as a whole. It also shed light on the reality of authorship, the role of writers and authors and their contributions in spreading the culture of religious dialogue, through two main themed sessions. The seminar was broadcasted live on the forum’s YouTube channel.

The symposium opened with a speech by Prof. Dr. Aisha Al-Mannai, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and Director of the Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani Center for Muslim Contributions to Civilization – College of Islamic Studies – Hamad bin Khalifa University, who said: “The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, since its establishment in 2007, has consistently raised many topics related to dialogue, its etiquettes, its types and outputs, and the experiences of dialogue around the world, whether in the field of religions or even cultures and civilizations. Sheikh Jassim, The founder of Qatar followed the same approach until His Highness Sheikh the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani came and developed a method for dialogue further. Then, His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, may God preserve him, followed through with the same vision. Conferences were held and issues, whether regional or international, were raised on the dialogue table in Qatar on several occasions. Perhaps the most important of them is the Doha International Conference for Interfaith Dialogue’s thirteen international conferences held so far noting that interfaith dialogue means, above all, clarification and not controversy, exchanges to know one another, not hostility but the true milestones to the road of life in its various fields is establishing a foundation of common values between religions.”

She added: “We – Muslims – believe that a person’s true strength lies in his faith, as it is the essence of his identity, his affiliation, and the source of his sense of existence and being. The other thing that contradicts him in religion and belief comes from the words of God Almighty: “There is no compulsion in religion” (Quran, 2:256)

Ms. Maryam Yassin Al Hammadi, Director General of the Qatari Forum for Authors, presented the forum’s speech, where she said: “The word “Peace be upon you” with which we begin every meeting. It is not just a word or words of greeting, but rather it is a cornerstone of our religion, the starting point of our thought and our supreme goal – peace in our homes and in our societies and in the world at large. The kind of peace that our noble Messenger had called us to from the beginning of the call to Islam – peace with those who differ from us in religion, belief, thought and direction. And this peace can only be achieved through dialogue and understanding differences when dealing with the other, agreed also by the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Such a peace requires that we focus on the individual’s view of the other, while preserving his own dignity, and to stress that we can differ in what we believe, but also see the importance of respecting the other, and we share efforts to reject all forms of religious extremism and to instead call for peaceful coexistence in the world and the development of our societies through dialogue and respect for the other, to bolster societal solidarity, wherever it is. An intellectual renaissance and community of peace cannot exist without dialogue between religions”.

The symposium’s themed sessions then began – the first was titled: ‘The Reality of Interfaith Dialogue’, moderated by Engineer Marwan Awad Al-Faouri, Secretary General of the Global Forum for Moderation in Jordan. Dr. Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shanqeeti, Professor of International Affairs at Qatar University, participated in a paper entitled Interfaith Dialogue, ‘The Concept. Origin and Purpose’, where he defined interfaith dialogue as the search for common ground between human beings, with each person retaining what he believes in from the total meaning of existence, the meaning of life, and the Creator’s intent for creation. He said, “It begins with the research journey based on the belief that every person can have his own belief he considers true, that all people believe in different ways, and that what is required is not a fusion between religions, but coexistence between different religious and philosophical beliefs. Emphasizing the need to search for common ground between the interlocutors, stressing as well that the concept of interfaith dialogue amongst Muslims appeared with the advent of Islam. Since Islam was associated with previous religions and did not come on the basis to destroy the past, but rather to complete and improve existing ways of life. Although the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, changed Arabia and history, he in essence was a building block of an edifice that all the messengers and prophets contributed to building before him”. Dr. Al-Shanqeeti also added that he has published many research works on this topic and that he was also a member of the Center for Interfaith Dialogue in Texas, USA. This enabled him to mix with a large group of thinkers from different religions, and he concluded that the best way for dialogue and coexistence with the other is to deal with the best and accept the beliefs of others that they think are right; That every person invites the adherents of other religions to his religion and that this invitation does not mean the interruption of dialogue.

Dr. Aisha Al-Mannai, Director of the Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani Center for Muslim Contributions to Civilization – College of Islamic Studies – Hamad bin Khalifa University and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, presented the contributions of the State of Qatar in the field of interfaith dialogue and the alliance of civilizations. She said, “One’s religion is a true religion, and dialogue should not revolve around the issue of truth, and I cited the words of the Messenger, the prophets are brothers and sisters; Their mothers are different and their religion is one, stressing the State of Qatar’s great ambition and vision of its leaders which is no longer unknown to the world thanks to its support for the weak and oppressed and its cooperation with countries that believe in human freedom and dignity and due to the State’s openness to nearly two million residents from all parts of the world. It has become a meeting place for different beliefs, cultures and languages, and it is a rich diversified society. The State has been keen to enrich its society and considers it an important feature of modern Qatar and a manifestation of cultural and civilizational openness which has made issues of dialogue so natural, while also it being a consistent application withiin Islam, not only in calling for the religion itself, but also in dealing with people of different religions and cultures.”

She said: “Islam believes in dialogue and calls for it. Likewise, the interest in dialogue comes also from the policy of Qatar hosting different cultures, and out of the natural human tendency to foster pluralism. It calls for an eye of mercy and love for the other, regardless of his religion. The State of Qatar calls for the liaison of religions and cultures in order to overcome problems of modern man; Because in the absence of dialogue, there will be conflict”, and she added: “The State of Qatar paid attention to international conventions relating to human rights, and these efforts were manifested in the establishment of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue in 2007, and the International Conference on Interfaith Dialogue before the establishment of the center, in addition to the establishment of the International Committee for the Alliance Civilizations affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2010 that cooperate with the United Nations Secretariat. Furthermore, the introduction of university curricula related to interfaith dialogue and the introduction of the concepts of tolerance and peace in school curricula at various levels of education and the establishment of the Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani Center for Muslims Contributions to Civilizations at the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University, concerned with translating the most important civilizational works created by Islamic scholars in the service of humanity, as well as hosting the American and Islamic World Forum annually, considered to be dialogue festival, as well as its keenness to resolve regional and global conflicts; these are the numerous efforts sponsored by the State with determination and blessings of the Qatari people.

Dr. Fadi Daou, Co-Founder and Consultant at Adyan Foundation (Lebanon) and Research Professor at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, gave the third talk for the session entitled ‘Interfaith Dialogue Centers and their Role between Reality and Hope’. He said: “Interfaith Dialogue Centers around the world are institutions and initiatives that differ greatly in their nature and objectives. There are governmental, religious, civic, academic or international centers, which affects their goals and agenda”. He added: “In recent years, many interfaith dialogue centers have emerged, and a large part of their activities have focused on changing false images of Islam and confronting Islamophobia, while the goals of some centers are interactive research that brings together people with scientific and academic ability, and some of the goals may be practical or political; to promote peace and communication between societies and countries, explaining that the role of these centers at the present time is to change and grow. There is no point in these meetings and dialogues if they end as they began and do not affect reality in a real sense. Change is required on three levels. The first level concerns the interlocutors. The second level concerns religious discourse and the third level concern societies and coexistence within them, noting that the outcomes of the dialogue should be through the form of expanding a network of inter-religious relations, building alliances to confront extremism, fanaticism and abusive practices of some religious thinking and expanding ideas associated with other religions from their sources. At the level of discourse the centers play a role in liberating religious discourse from hate speech that have a negative impact on societies and religions, recognizing freedom of religion and belief and making it an essential principle in building societies and developing the ability for critical self-review. He concluded his speech by saying that these centers are expected to contribute to the agenda of sustainable development and justice, and called on all centers to maintain a safe distance with the political authority, thus making the centers the voice of humanity and conscience.

The second session was entitled: ‘The Future of Interfaith Dialogue’, which was moderated by Dr. Ahmed Abdel Malik, Associate Professor of Media at the Community College Qatar. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Khalifa Hassan, Professor of History of Religions and Dialogue of Civilizations, Department of Creed, College of Sharia, Qatar University, participated addressing the topic of ‘Interfaith Dialogue in the balance between authors and writers’. He emphasized that dialogue requires a set of stages, and there are no immediate and direct results, and it is going through stages of prosperity and stages of stagnation, despite the efforts made, and that Islam has established its jurisprudence for dialogue between religions. This jurisprudence is evident through many principles, including the need to understand the difference and rely on reason and logic in a fundamental way, which mitigates the differences between religions and a return to humanity beyond religion. Among the other principles on which Islam is based on is moderation which refers to the convergence of divergent and discordant parties. Dr. Muhammad pointed out that these ideas were mentioned by a number of authors and writers, and many projects have been implemented in relation to the understanding of differences, such as: the Islamization of Knowledge project and the Maqasid al-Shariah project. He concluded by emphasizing that the word Islam in itself has a direct relationship to the jurisprudence of difference, a word related to all religions, which means the submission of the human will to the will of the one God, and it is a common point amongst all religions.

Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Abu Muhammad, the Grand Mufti of Australia reviewed the importance of strengthening the role of religious institutions in spreading the culture of religious dialogue, and opened his speech by talking about the dark period in which the world lived; Where it went through periods of open war due to the spread of terrorism and religious extremism, and there was even theorizing about the end of history due to the clash of civilizations, and humanity is still swallowing the bitterness of this period. Humanity, its ideals and morals were in peril. The wise had to search for solutions to the terrifying situation, so the term “dialogue of civilizations and religions” was frequently used, and specialized research centers were established for it. The strengthening of these efforts were carried out in two ways: The first is awareness, and Islam presented a mature vision in displaying the common denominators and stock of knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah, which was not just theorizing but a realistic vision at the level of proposing a set of principles that transcend the boundaries of history and geography, and gather people in a unit aimed at promoting community peace, and drew everyone to the origin, Al-Jami’, reminding them of a set of principles such as togetherness and participation, stressing the absence of racial discrimination, the absence of slaves and followers, and that difference is intended to enrich human experiences. The basis for all this is freedom from the constraints of social environment and prejudices; Thus, Islam adhered to the conditions of scientific research, and indicated that Islam took into account human nature, which considers trying to change ideas a kind of infringement on dignity.”

In the following address, Dr. Andriy Yurash, Chief of the Department for Religious Affairs of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, raised the topic of “Religious Dialogue Centers and Approaches in the Christian Tradition: Impact and Obstacles”. He said that he had previously visited Qatar to participate in interfaith conferences, and that he was surprised by the capabilities and capacity of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and its leaders. especially Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi; where many important issues were discussed that will have a significant impact in the future, noting that despite the great differences in cultures and religions, there is a unified ground, and a lot of commonalities between religions that allow for the establishment of a constructive and effective communication process, and pointed out that the establishment of dialogue is not a luxury, but is rather an urgent necessity because shared visions and principles are not enough. The responsibility today rests with thinkers and preachers who must set an example through their religious discourse and daily actions, which must be a role model in dealing with difference”. He also stated that as societies have different beliefs and divergent visions about what is considered right, the only way to coexist is through tolerance, noting that religious identity is very important for groups and societies, and stressing that there are many specialized dialogue centers in Ukraine, but there is no council that unifies these efforts and it is what makes difficulties and challenges renewed and continuous.

While Dr. Mustafa Lahkim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Center for Educational and Family Strategies and President of the International Manarat Al Fikr Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences – Morocco, spoke about the impact and obstacles of Islamic religious dialogue centers in the fourth address, and stressed the importance of dialogue research centers that have a significant impact on building policies and public perceptions of societies and solving problems. Especially in the present time, whose fields of life have overlapped; he said, “Therefore, scientific research is necessary, especially in the long haul, stressing the need to establish dialogue centers that establish a culture of diversity and difference, to avoid extremism, conflict and hatred, and to encourage acceptance of the other and respect for his existence and belief, and to ensure his right and independence in thought and behavior without guardianship or restrictions”. He further added: “The general context encourages disharmony and clash, most of the conflicts in the world today stem from the rejection of difference and diversity, and he emphasized the existence of two obstacles to the culture of peace and dialogue which are the fragmentary vision of any religion, sect and thought, which interpret some verses out of their contexts and away from their intended purposes. The second obstacle is the tendency to fixate on rigidity. Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider the jurisprudence of difference and the literature of dialogue, and to draw inspiration from the prophetic model in taking care of people’s rights”.

The symposium concluded with a set of recommendations from the participants and attendees, the most important of which were: the need to change stereotypes, bridge the gap with political decision-makers, conduct studies to link religious leaders and political leaders, and open a new chapter of interfaith dialogue. They also called for changing the concept of dialogue and making it a practice, and to get it out of the corridors of lectures to practical application in the realities of life.