Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and His Excellency the British Ambassador to the State of Qatar visit DICID

25 Jan Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and His Excellency the British Ambassador to the State of Qatar visit DICID

In the context of strengthening international relations, His Excellency Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State (Minister for South and Central Asia, United Nations and the Commonwealth and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict) and His Excellency Jon Wilks CMG, the British Ambassador to the State of Qatar visited the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue at its headquarters in Katara Cultural Village with an accompanying delegation from the British Embassy, on the morning of Monday, January 17, 2022 AD.

They were received by Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Naimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Center, and a number of officials and researchers in the center.

At the outset, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi welcomed his honorable guests, expressing his happiness with their visit, especially since the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue is distinguished with various British entities concerned with interfaith dialogue, as well as issues of concern for Muslims in Britain, who represent the bridge to dialogue between Britain and the Islamic world. Dr. Al-Naimi stressed that the center works hard to promote interfaith dialogue, and works toward a clear strategy to spread the values of love and peace throughout the world.

For his part, Lord Ahmad praised the role of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and its efforts in promoting a culture of interfaith dialogue in order to achieve peaceful coexistence among its adherents, and to renounce intolerance.

In the context of Dr. Al-Naimi’s talk on the Center, he stated that since its inception, he has sought to create a platform for dialogue and convergence between followers of different religions and cultures in order to unify efforts to confront the challenges that threaten the security and peaceful coexistence among us. Dr. Al-Naimi also touched on the various activities of the center that it carries out, at the local and international levels. At the local level, he mentioned that the center regularly organizes training courses for students and teachers in schools; With the aim of training students in dialogue and communication skills when engaging with followers of different religions and cultures. The center also organizes educational lectures and round tables for the communities residing in Qatar, in addition to the “Adyan” journal, which is published in both Arabic and English, periodical newsletters, translated books, selected articles, and publications related to the Center’s activities. This is in addition to the center’s library specialized in comparative religions and dialogue. Dr. Al-Naimi also touched on the situation of religious freedom in Qatar and stated that it is guaranteed to followers of all religions present in Qatar, and that they practice their religious rituals with ease.

For his part, Lord Ahmad pointed out the importance of the application element of the principles of interfaith dialogue, and the great impact this can have on multi-ethnic societies, especially in the recent period in which tension has begun to escalate between different ethnic and religious groups around the world.

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