Doha, Qatar: The Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) participated virtually in the Beirut International Conference on Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue for Sustainability (BICIDS 2025).
The Centre’s participation came at the invitation of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) as part of its ongoing commitment to promoting a culture of dialogue and strengthening the State of Qatar’s role in supporting efforts aimed at establishing a culture of peace and fostering intellectual and spiritual security awareness.
In his keynote speech, Chairman of DICID’s Board of Directors H E Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi emphasised the importance of interfaith dialogue in peacebuilding and sustainability. He highlighted its pivotal role in breaking down psychological barriers that restrict the will and choices of others, and in establishing solid foundations of communication and dialogue that build bridges of trust.
Al Nuaimi also underlined the major role and responsibility of religious leaders and institutions as they are the key actors in promoting a culture of dialogue and encouraging coexistence, especially in multicultural and multi-faith societies.
He noted that this can only be achieved through the activation of religious and moral values agreed upon by divine laws in order to foster coexistence and good relations among people—built upon security, justice, and fairness—thereby laying the foundation for a deeper and more inclusive human culture based on accepting diversity, and believing in dialogue and cooperation among people.
Regarding the importance of interfaith dialogue in peacebuilding, Dr. Al Nuaimi said that it is one of the most essential foundations for building peace, especially under the difficult and tragic circumstances the world has gone through and continues to face, most notably the conflicts and wars, the most prominent of which was the war on Gaza and its subsequent catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
In another interactive discussion with Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at USEK and chair of the opening session Fr. Farid El Moujabber, Dr. Al Nuaimi responded to questions about practical mechanisms to activate interfaith dialogue as a basis for peacebuilding and achieving sustainable development goals.
He stressed the need to recognise religious diversity as a source of richness, not a threat, explaining that diversity enriches interfaith dialogue and deepens mutual understanding. In this context, he referred to a symposium the Centre organised in Beirut in 2009 in cooperation with the Syriac Church on religious, ethnic, and sectarian diversity in Arab world.
He noted that the most important mechanisms to activate interfaith dialogue is to focus on shared human values rather than differences, by emphasising common values, as well as developing permanent frameworks for both individual and institutional interfaith dialogue so that it is not limited to temporary events.
He also highlighted the importance of measuring the impact of interfaith dialogue activities to ensure continuity, improvement, and the development of forward-looking visions.
