Prof. Ibrahim Saleh Al-Naimi received the Ambassador of the Republic of Egypt at the DICID headquarters

31 May Prof. Ibrahim Saleh Al-Naimi received the Ambassador of the Republic of Egypt at the DICID headquarters

His Excellency Prof. Ibrahim Saleh Al-Naimi, Chairman of the Board of Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) Qatar, received H.E. Mr. Amr Kamal El-Din El-Sherbiny, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the State of Qatar, at the headquarters of DICID at Katara Cultural Village.

His Excellency Prof. Ibrahim Al-Naimi opened the meeting by welcoming the Ambassador, Mr. El-Sherbiny and thanking him for his visit. He wished him success in his office and appreciated his willingness to cooperate in promoting the culture of dialogue and improving relevant issues and activities between DICID and cultural activities in which the Embassy is interested.

His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim expressed his pleasure for the participation of the delegation of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the 14th Doha Conference for Interfaith Dialogue, entitled: “Religions and Hate Speech between Practice and Scriptures” organized by Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue on May 24-25, 2022 at the Sheraton Hotel. The participation of the delegation contributed to the success of the conference as various internationally and locally known official bodies were present: He stated, “We are pleased with the participation of the delegation of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the conference, which left a positive impression and made a scientific contribution to the success of the conference and its activities. Special thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Endowments, as well as Al-Azhar and the General Secretariat for Fatwas and Institutions in the World. The personal presence of Al-Azhar Undersecretary Dr. Muhammad Abdul Rahman Al-Dhawini and his contributions were a special feature of the event.” He wished for more scientific and interactive activities between the center and Egypt.

For his part, the Ambassador, Mr. El-Sherbiny, expressed his pleasure for this visit and his meeting with the Chairman of the Board of DICID, “which contributes in the field of dialogue, bridge building and education in the State of Qatar.” His Excellency the Ambassador praised the great success of the 14th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue held last week “as it was an important and effective event that left a wonderful impression, and it was an opportunity to meet with the Egyptian delegation and participants from Egypt, as well as many experts and leaders at the local, regional and global levels,” he said. He added that the conference was characterized by the diversity of participants at all levels, reflecting the good selection criteria of participants and the accuracy of scientific standards in the study of research papers and works presented.

Prof. Ibrahim Al-Naimi added that there have always been good scientific, cultural and cooperative relations between DICID and the Egyptian Embassy since the establishment of the Center and that the Center has become accustomed to the contributions of Egyptian participants in the Center’s activities and events. In addition, Prof. Ibrahim mentioned that DICID will pursue these scientific and cultural relations through the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Doha: “Organizing a “round table” is one of the activities we carry out at the Center, aiming to meet with expatriates living in the State of Qatar and discuss social issues that arouse the interest of the resident communities and touch their daily lives. In this roundtable program, a specific topic is discussed by listening to the expatriates in the presence of a prominent personality who has responsibilities in the State of Qatar and works in an office relevant to the chosen topic, in order to discuss some points that the participants would like to know more about and to work on the recommendations that the program produces.

One of the most important issues Dr. Ibrahim addressed was the importance of dialogue and the need to find appropriate partners. He said, “Anyone who follows what is happening in the world today, especially in the West, realizes that there is a challenge that threatens people, and it is in the form of the spread of the extreme right. There are Western countries that were not known for the exclusion of minorities and Muslims in particular, but we are now hearing and seeing discrimination against Muslims in these countries. This confirms the important role we have to play in combating such phenomena.” He added, “It is true that our countries on the ground do not see much of this kind of problems and challenges, but the truth is that this kind of phenomena is increasing in some Western countries and in the world where people live almost as if in a society within a society.

The Ambassador, Mr. El-Sherbiny, presented the award of the “General Secretariat of Fatwa Bodies in the World” to His Excellency the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi, on behalf of Dr. Ibrahim Najm, Advisor to the Mufti of the Republic and Secretary-General of the “General Secretariat of Fatwa Bodies in the World”, as an expression of the great success and outstanding efforts of DICID and in appreciation of its contributions in the field of dialogue, tolerance and spreading the culture of coexistence, pluralism, and acceptance of the other, which are among the most important principles of Islam in dealing with the other.