Qatar has always been a strong advocate of peaceful coexistence and interfaith and intercultural tolerance and harmony. It has actively engaged at the multilateral and bilateral levels to promote global peace and end conflicts around the world. Given the recent anti-Islam protests in some European countries, Qatar has called on the global community to work towards checking all acts of hate speech based on religion or race, and dragging sanctities into political disputes.
World Interfaith Harmony Week was observed earlier this month. Qatar participated in the eighth Geneva Interfaith Dialogue, stressing the need for issues related to international and multilateral affairs, human rights, development and sustainable development goals to go hand in hand with the principle of mutual respect. Qatar’s representative at the meeting said the international community needs continuous dialogue, cooperation and solidarity more than ever before to face the enormous and growing challenges facing the world today.
Qatar National Vision 2030 supports the dialogue of civilizations and promotes intercultural and interfaith coexistence. Qatar is also home to a large number of people of different faiths and religions from more than 100 nationalities, who live together in peace and harmony.
The Shura Council, while taking part in international parliamentary meetings, has also called for the need to promote tolerance and curb hate speech. The Council has also discussed a proposal to take the initiative to request the inclusion of an emergency clause on criminalising contempt for religions and spreading hatred among peoples, and calling for the promotion of the values of coexistence, tolerance, international peace and security, on the agenda of the 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which will be held next month.
Out of its keenness to establish the principles of international peace and security through dialogue and understanding, Qatar has instituted Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue. The center aims to promote peaceful coexistence and tolerance and activate religious values to address issues and problems that concern humanity.
Earlier this week, Qatar hosted the three-day Global Youth Interfaith and Intercultural Forum, which stressed the pivotal role of the youth in promoting coexistence, stimulating dialogue and confronting extremism, intolerance and hatred towards others. The forum’s participants stressed the need to involve young people in all international events and activities related to interfaith dialogue, and to find the incentives that would encourage them to do so, hoping to prepare a new generation that believes in the culture of dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
