Qatar through a number of initiatives and efforts made at national, regional and global levels has promoted the cause of peace, tolerance and interfaith harmony to defeat the growing threat of extremism worldwide.
Qatar has always supported international efforts to uphold values of tolerance. A number of Qatari institutions, especially the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, are continuously promoting the culture of peace, dialogue and tolerance.
The 14th edition of Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue will be held next month to play its effective role in spreading the message of peace. The Conference aims to address the issue of hate speech, its dimensions and the religions’ attitudes towards it. The Conference, which will be held in March 2020 under the theme ‘Religions and Hate Speech Scriptures and Practice’, will host over 500 participants from outside Qatar, representing more than 200 institutions, universities, religious, intellectual and academic center, from about 75 countries around the world.
According to Chairman of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), H E Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, the Conference has achieved, over the past years, several benefits and contributed to creating a positive image of the State of Qatar as a platform for tolerance. Dr. Al Nuaimi pointed out that the Conference will focus on commonalities among the divine religions, to find a basis for mutual coexistence in the interest of humanity in general, away from debating religious thoughts. “Respecting people of other religions requires us to invite them to dialogue whose results will positively reflect on the reality of Muslims outside Islamic countries, which will lead to a retreat of hatred against Islam and Muslims, and provide more sympathy for the Ummah’s issues in non-Muslim countries, and these are goals we seek to achieve,” he added.
Last year, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the UN, H E Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif alThani while addressing a “High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace” at UN General Assembly had pointed out that the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) had been holding annual international interfaith conferences with the participation of religious leaders from different religions. “The outcomes of these conferences, which have actively contributed to promoting a culture of peace, providing a platform for constructive dialogue in order to understand and accept differences, to focus on shared noble human values, to advance efforts to combat extremism and hatred, and to build bridges of cooperation and understanding among peoples,” she had said.
