ABOUT a year ago, I wrote an article in Arab News titled “A Muslim in a Church and a Jew in a Mosque.” In the article I gave three real life examples of how people from different faiths can easily communicate and put hands together. And there are many examples that we see and hear about every day where many people from different faiths and religions have lived side by side and helped each other in time of need. At the same time, there are places where prejudice still exists and there is no respect for the human beings based on judgment of your faith. The price for this was catastrophic.
And many of these catastrophic events could have been avoided if transparent dialogues were conducted. Many of the conflicts are the result of misunderstanding and mistrust between various parties. There were many leaders and intellectuals who tried to bring people from different faiths together far away from the influence of politics, but with little success.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah had for a long time called for the need for open dialogue between people from different faiths. King Abdullah is one of the most respected and most influential figures in the world. And his call is welcomed by many people around the world. This call came to reality when on Nov. 26, 2012, a center for dialogue was inaugurated in Vienna. It was named King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID). Initiated by three countries — Saudi Arabia, Spain and Austria — the center is an independent, autonomous and international organization. It has directors who are high level representatives of the major world religions, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism with advisers of about 100 members of other religions, cultural institutions and international organizations. This combination of members will provide a further interreligious and intercultural perspective.
The KAICIID is located in Vienna. It was chosen for its unique location and it is a city, which is known for its tolerance in regard to the different faiths and it is a city where many international organizations are present. The secretary general of the Center is Faisal Bin Abdulrahman Bin Muammar.
Currently, the world is going through many turbulences and mistrust between the different faiths. So, a center like King Abdullah's in Vienna can bring people together and weave a thread of understanding between them. The project was in the mind of King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The idea was born five years ago, during the king's audience with Pope Benedict XVI to discuss interreligious and intercultural dialogue as a means to a peaceful and fruitful coexistence between peoples.
We live in the 21st century and we still see big vacuum between many people living on the same planet. With modern day communication, one would only wonder why the big gap between the many different faiths still persists. The world population is increasing dramatically and it is very important to solve many of today's problems through civilized and transparent approaches and open dialogue in the safest approach to solving and understanding the challenges. The Center will be shedding light on human rights around the world. Today we see unfortunate events when humans are mistreated and abused just because they are different. And religions are always emphasizing on human equality, but we see many wars and abuses are committed in the name of religion.
At this moment, it is very important to have a center when things are discussed in a place that is not influenced by politics or interest. The KAICIID will aim at preventing potential conflicts through the establishment of peace, social cohesion, mutual respect and understanding between people of different religions.
After seeing what this Center can do, the Saudis are very proud to see this center bring all people from all different faiths and religions without any influence from any political or economical parties. Planet earth has enough resources for everyone, but if there is mistrust between different people, then the resources will not be enough.
And the world needs a center, which is open to all and a center, which has no strings attached to the dialogues between the different parties. We all know that people are different and come from many cultures and faiths and it is easy from different faiths to live together in peace and harmony. The different faiths can learn and educate each other. The world tried to solve conflicts using many different methods including armed conflicts, but, this only resulted in losing many innocent lives and the destructions of valuable infrastructures. The establishment of this Center is a small step toward making the world safer for future generations, but long journeys start with small steps. And I appreciate all the parties who were able to bring this Center to reality. And hope to see its achievements as a foundation for more centers that will bring people together. It is easier to see what we have in common between different people rather than seeing the differences.
