DICID receives Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, the United Nations, and the Commonwealth at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office

25 Oct DICID receives Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, the United Nations, and the Commonwealth at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office

In the framework of strengthening relations and cooperation between Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue; His Excellency Professor Prof. Ibrahim Al Naimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue received His Excellency Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict and Minister of State (Minister for South and Central Asia and the United Nations and Commonwealth) at the headquarters of DICID in the Katara Cultural Village.

The meeting was attended by His Excellency Jon Wilks CMG, the British Ambassador to the State of Qatar, and an accompanying delegation from the British Embassy.

Prof. Al-Naimi greeted his honorable guest with a warm welcome at the beginning of the meeting and thanked him for his interest in making the visit to DICID one of his priorities during his visit to Qatar, and expressed his pleasure at this visit, since Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue has been concerned with the issue of interfaith dialogue, as well as by the Muslims in Britain, who are the bridge of dialogue between Britain and the Islamic world, and stressed that DICID is deeply committed to promoting interfaith dialogue and works according to a clear strategy to spread the values of love and peace in the world.

On the other side, His Excellency Lord Ahmad praised the role of Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and its efforts to promote a culture of interfaith dialogue to achieve peaceful coexistence among religious adherents and to renounce violence, extremism, and intolerance.
In the context of Prof. Al-Naimi’s talk about DICID, he said that since its commencement, DICID has been trying to create a platform for dialogue to converge on the common goals of different religions and cultures in order to unite efforts to address the challenges that threaten human security and peaceful coexistence. Prof. Al-Naimi also elaborated on the various activities carried out by DICID at the local and international levels, including the annual conference, roundtable discussions, training courses and cultural forums for the communities living in Qatar and abroad. He also mentioned the various publications of DICID, including books, periodic newsletters and selected papers, the peer-reviewed journals of religions, which include topics dealing not only with dialogue between the followers of religions, but also studies and research that discuss the relationship of religions to various humanitarian and realist issues, such as (Physical and Mental Health from religious perspective ), the title of the latest issue chosen to coincide with the hosting of the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022.

Prof. Al-Naimi also addressed the issue of religious freedom in Qatar, stressing that it is guaranteed to the followers of all religions represented in Qatar and that they can practice their religious rites without problems and difficulties.

On the other hand, Lord Ahmad pointed out the importance of the practical aspects of the principles of interfaith dialogue and the great impact it has on multi-ethnic societies, especially in recent times when tensions between different ethnic groups have begun to escalate, as well as the religious conflicts that the world is witnessing.

Prof. Al-Naimi pointed to the cooperation with the British Embassy in Doha: “We have already held a joint seminar, and there is constant communication with the dialogue institutions in the UK through the regular participation of representatives of academics and religious leaders – Islamic, Christian and Jewish – in the activities of DICID and in its annual conferences, since the beginning of the interfaith conferences in Doha.” He also presented His Excellency with an invitation to nominate a number of young people to participate in the 2023 World Youth Forum for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, which will be held in Doha in February 2023.

It is worth noting that Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue is considered one of the leading Arab centers in the field of interfaith dialogue and is active in this field in cooperation with all relevant institutions at the local, regional and international levels.