DICID Delegation Visits top UK Institutions

30 Nov DICID Delegation Visits top UK Institutions

A delegation from Doha International Center for Inter-Faith Dialogue (DICID) recently visited some of the well-known educational institutions in the UK, which encourage the studies based on Islam at different levels.

The team from Qatar visited Woolf Institute and St Edmund’s College, Cambridge University among other institutions during their visit.

Head of the Qatari delegation and director of the Centre for Muslim Contributions to the Civilisations in the faculty of Islamic Studies at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Ayesha al-Mannai addressed a gathering at St Edmund’s College where she deliberated on the initiatives made by Qatar in promoting universal peace and mutual understanding between people of different faiths and communities. The meeting was held to laud the selfless efforts made by al-Mannai to create a society which is attentive to the needs and requirements of the less fortunate.

Al-Mannai had received numerous awards in honour of her contributions in this aspect.

While highlighting Qatar’s as well as her own approach to the inter-faith dialogue, al-Mannai stressed the importance of dialogue for peaceful co-existence of people of different faiths in today’s world. Pointing out the obstacles for effective dialogue from different sides, the academic stressed on the important role to be played by women in the coming years.

While making an appeal to men to involve more women in dialogues at different levels, al-Mannai lamented the poor participation of women in dialogues held in the Middle East region.

The professor highlighted the necessity of men and women recognising each other’s abilities better and said the differences in opinions should not remain an obstacle to understanding and mutual respect.

Suggesting improvements in the current state of Islamic studies in both the West and Muslim countries, al-Mannai stressed the importance of balancing academic rigour with sincerity for truth and cited the example of Cambridge University, where a well-established centre is functioning to promote studies in this aspect.

Qatar ambassador to UK Khalid Rashid al-Mansouri who attended the meeting addressed the gathering and praised the initiatives of the Dicid to promote religious harmony, better understanding and universal peace through their annual inter-faith dialogues.

Dicid president Ibrahim Saleh al-Naimi explained the centre’s initiatives in dispelling the misconceptions about women in Islam. The meeting at St Edmund’s College, he said, has helped boost the confidence of young British Muslims at Cambridge.

The Qatari delegation also visited the Cambridge Muslim College.