DICID holds a virtual symposium in cooperation with the Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation entitled, Dialogue of Religions and Conflict Transformation – Towards a Model for Change

29 Oct DICID holds a virtual symposium in cooperation with the Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation entitled, Dialogue of Religions and Conflict Transformation – Towards a Model for Change

The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue hosted an international symposium entitled “Interfaith Dialogue and Conflict Transformation: Towards a Model for Change” in cooperation with the Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation in Stockholm, with the participation of researchers and specialists in the fields of religious dialogue and conflict resolution, from the State of Qatar and abroad on Wednesday evening, October 27, 2021.

The participants of the symposium, via video communication technology, discussed three main themes, the first entitled, “The Changing Landscape of Conflicts and the Role of Interfaith Dialogue”, and the second, “Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities for Interfaith Dialogue as a Means for Sustainable Peace”, while the third theme was devoted to presenting scientific recommendations and practical methodologies to enhance the role of Interfaith dialogue in the prevention of violence.

The interventions of the speakers in the three themes focused on emphasizing the necessity of activating interfaith dialogue in the field of conflict resolution, developing mechanisms and means for activation, and continuous evaluation of them through sustainable scientific methodologies to enhance strengths and minimize negatives in this regard.

In his speech during the opening session, His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Naimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, stressed the role of religions in resolving conflicts and settling them, but also cautioned that religious intolerance sometimes leads to extremism and fueling conflict between civilizations.

In this context, he stressed the urgent importance of religious dialogue to confront conflicts. He said, “If we look at our contemporary world now and our societies, we will find that dialogue is what we need most in managing conflicts and facing the intense waves of hatred that lead to them.”

He added, “Turning to religion in the face of conflicts is due to the position of religion itself in the peace making process, and the profound impact of religious beliefs on building personal, societal as well as international relations, and the strong influence of religious scholars and leaders on those who follow and trust them, which can be invested in managing disputes and their resolutions.”

Dr. Al-Naimi called for changing the common mental image that interfaith dialogue is a task undertaken only by men and religious scholars. He said, “The time has come to confirm the role of religions in addressing major humanitarian issues, and to work together to address conflicts that arise from religious differences, and the need for such an approach is increasing at a time when turmoil and conflicts beset all of us in our world today.”

He pointed out that today’s symposium with the Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation is a physical manifestation of this approach. He added, “Today we put on the table the issue of conflicts and how to find a model for conscious change that might change them, and put them in their framework to understand their causes and how to deal with them, even if it does not eliminate them.”

He stressed that “the real strategy towards this desired model of change in the issue of conflicts, such as the religious-sectarian conflict, begins with the correct belief that establishes that all children of Adam are brothers in humanity, and this requires them to cooperate, coexist and reconcile, exchange ideas, opinions, experiences and cultures to reach what is good, for all people in tolerance and peace.”

He pointed out that activating the role of religion in confronting conflicts requires a great effort to bring the reality of humanity due to wrong interpretations of religious texts, and the lack of independence of many religious institutions from political sway, and therefore their inability to confront extremist ideas on the one hand and on the other hand, their inability to counter attempts to spoil the dialogue process.

He also referred, in the context of talking about the difficulties, to the lack of clarity, transparency and accountability from religious leaders… Noting in this context that “the concept of peace cannot be established among religions unless the religious leaders themselves are a model and role model because of religion’s integrity, credibility and influence on souls.”

In turn, Mr. Abboud Noufal, Executive Director of the Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation, valued the cooperation with the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue in holding this international symposium, praising at the same time the role of the Doha Center in the field of interfaith dialogue.

Mr. Noufal emphasized that religions are innocent of the accusations that they incite conflicts. “Religions and civilizations do not fight, but people struggle for various reasons, and it is important to activate the role of religions in confronting conflicts.”

From the first speaker panel, Dr. Paul Heck, professor at Georgetown University – in the United States, presented a working paper entitled “Changing the Landscape through Scholarly Companionship”, indicating in this proposal the role of education in spreading a culture of respect for the other, those different in religion and culture while Dr. Abdalhadi Alijla, researcher at the German Institute of Oriental Studies in Beirut, presented a working paper on the role of religions in integration and the dangers of using it in conflicts.

Dr. Michael Driessen, a specialist in political and international affairs at John Cabot University in Italy, spoke about interfaith convergence and citizenship. To conclude the first session Dr. Muhammad Abu Nimer, a specialist in peace and conflict resolution at the American University in Washington DC outlined a vision for the development of evaluation frameworks in the field of peacebuilding and dialogue between followers of religions.

In the second panel, Dr. Evren Tok, Associate Professor at the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, presented a project on religious dialogue and sustainable development, while the second panellist, Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director of the Asia Center in Thailand highlighted the laws of peaceful coexistence in Southeast Asia. The third paper was presented by Dr. Muhammad Shafiq, Executive Director of the Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue, Nazareth College in the United States, after which Dr. Bakhodir Pasilov at Tashkent State University in Uzbekistan delivered his talk on the constructive interfaith relations in daily Uzbek life.

In the third panel, Dr. Carol Foucher, an expert in physical education at the University of Edinburgh, presented a working paper entitled “Moving Beyond Tolerance in a Multi-Religious World: Co-Production of Educational Knowledge towards Sustainable Peace”, along with Dr. Youssef Al-Siddiqi, Board Member of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, who put forward practical and methodological recommendations to enhance interfaith dialogue to prevent violence.

Dr. Mitri Bechara El-Raheb, founder and president of Dar Al-Kalima University in Palestine, also participated in this panel with a paper on the development of a new course for interfaith dialogue in Middle Eastern universities, as well as Dr. Kamal Al-Hachoumy, a researcher in political science at the Hassan II University in the Kingdom of Morocco, whose paper was titled, “Common Outcomes for Interfaith Peace Building”.