A Saudi-sponsored organization promotes religious dialogue to build regional stability
Daesh’s depredations in Iraq and Syria have provoked a military response from a coalition of partners in the region and beyond. Less known, but ultimately just as important, is the ideological battle pitting the forces of extremism against the forces of tolerance.
The King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), formed in November 2012 with the financial and political support of Saudi Arabia, is playing an increasingly important role in the ideological fight against Daesh and its collaborators.
KAICIID has spent its first couple of years hosting multinational conferences and educational programs at its headquarters in Vienna, but its experts are now pairing with governments and nongovernmental organizations to hold events on the ground in conflict zones, including Iraq, Nigeria and the Central African Republic. When several cities, such as Baghdad, Medina and Istanbul, were hit by terrorist attacks in 2016, the organization formally issued condolences in the names of the variety of religious leaders on its board.
“Wherever we go, the principle remains the same. We build a space where different religious groups can come together, like an island or oasis amid the fire,” said Prof. Mohammed Abu Nimr, a senior advisor at KAICIID who specializes in conflict resolution and peace building.
“All of our relations depend upon trust. Trust results from inclusive dialogue, bringing together religious leaders, governments, teachers and civil society toward strengthening common citizenship for Muslims and Christians in the Arab world based on equality and respect for human rights,” KAICIID Secretary-General Faisal Bin Muaammar of Saudi Arabia said.
In April 2016, KAICIID for the first time convened its Advisory Forum, a body consisting of representatives of the world’s major religions. The attendees denounced extremist movements that misinterpret religion for nefarious ends and pressed for increased news coverage of positive developments in religious tolerance. As the organization noted at the conclusion of the conference:
“In a time of increasing conflict and violence in the name of religion, practitioners will need to engage the media and relate the stories of the hundreds of acts of interreligious kindness that occur for every act of violence in the name of religion. In times of extremist violence, it is clear that dialogue must be pursued vigorously, proactively and continuously to engage the young and actively prevent their recruitment to violent actions.”
It’s a theme KAICIID has repeated since its founding. In late 2014, Abu Nimr invited a coalition of mostly Arab religious leaders to issue a joint declaration against religious-inspired terrorist violence. The 24 leaders in attendance included seven muftis from places such as Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon and patriarchs and bishops from various Christian sects across the Middle East.
“You rarely get these groups to agree on a joint agenda,” the professor said. “They were all united against violence in the name of religion.”
Abu Nimr understands the process will take time. Certain parts of the Middle East, South Asia and Africa suffer from absent or weak governing institutions that are unable to regulate society and provide the rule of law, he said. Even in Europe, building stable, tolerant societies took centuries. But KAICIID hopes to accelerate change by strengthening religious institutions to serve as stabilizing forces.
“For us to accomplish anything in conflict zones, we have to constructively engage religious leaders and institutions to immunize the public from being manipulated by religious radicals and political radicals to justify violence,” he said.
KAICIID also recognizes the importance militaries can play in bringing stability to the Middle East, Afghanistan and South Asia.
“The military is very important as a stabilizing force when it wants to play that role. Without the military, Egypt would descend into chaos,” Abu Nimr said. “But the constructive role the military plays should be transitional, transitioning to a system that is more civilian based.”
KAICIID has provided another helpful service by designing an online “peace map” that notes 400 organizations around the world devoted to interreligious dialogue. Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Central Asia and the Arabian Gulf states all provided entries.
“There is disease right now called manipulation of religious identity,” the professor said. “And many people are using it to build their political power.”