Vienna, Austria a historic city for dialogue was the venue of an International conference with the theme -‘United Against Violence in the Name of Religion- Supporting Religious and Cultural Diversity in Iraq and Syria’ held on November 18 and 19. This conference which brought together in an unprecedented manner top religious leaders from across world religions under the auspices of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) created a unique forum for both religious leaders and secular authorities in countries and international organizations to deliberate on increasing violence in the name of religion, and concrete peace building initiatives and measures for checking this growing incidence of violence under the guise of defending religion.
Just as this conference was coming to an end, the Global Terrorism Index Report of 2014 was released, stating that five countries – Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria are sources of eighty per cent of deaths from terrorism in 2013. And rather than a decreasing trend in violence and terror, the Report captured a sixty-one per cent increase in terror related deaths from 2012 to 2013.
According to this Terror Report, four major terrorist groups were responsible for sixty-six per cent of deaths from terrorism in 2013. These terrorist groups are Boko Haram responsible for continual bombings and kidnap in Nigeria’s northern region, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the Islamic state, (ISIS) posing risks to life and property in Syria and Iraq.
Top religious leaders, and diplomats in attendance at the Conference’ United against violence in the name of Religion- Supporting religious and Cultural diversity in Syria and Iraq’ in Vienna under the auspices of KAICIID.
The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) is a terrorism watch index generated by the Institute for Economics and Peace. In this Index, countries are ranked according to impact of terrorist activities within their territories ‘‘as well as analysing the economic and social dimension associated with terrorism”.
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Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muaammar, the secretary general of KAICIID, in a release on the conference, notes that ”the violence committed in the name of religion … threatens the heart of of the diverse social and religious fabrics” in Iraq and Syria and ”brutalizes the image of religion…in the world”.
KAICIID is an international organisation borne out of the desire of King Abudullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia to create a channel and forum for dialogue across religions and cultures. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, KAICIID was founded in October 2011 following the signing of a treaty by three founding nations Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Spain and Austria, with The Holy See as a founding Observer.
Following intensive deliberations by conference participants on the violent eruptions in Syria and Iraq and other parts of the world in the name of religion, they were unanimous in condemning the prosecution of violence by terror gangs anywhere in the world in the name of defence of any religion.
But beyond condemnations, specific measures were recommended to reverse these violent eruptions. Notable among these measures are the pursuit of peace building projects in communities with diverse cultures and religions; a re-work of educational content and curricula to allow valuable education on diversity, inter-religious tolerance, and citizenship; using the social media platform where many youths converge to counter the ill-purposed deceptive messages of terror gangs; confronting the issues of deprivation, economic exclusion and poverty that usually make youths susceptible to the warped philosophies of terror groups.
It is noteworthy and heartening that the implementation of these measures will be supervised by a permanent interreligious committee and working groups from various dialogue and interreligious institutions.
The conference was impressively well attended, just as participants expressed optimism on the new path of dialogue and peace building being pursued by KAICIID. Participants at the conference include the Grand Muftis of Egypt (Sheikh Shawqi Ibrahim Alam), Jordan (Sheikh Abdul al Karim Al Khasawneh) and Lebanon (Sheikh Abd Al Latif Derian); the Mufti of Tripoli and North Lebanon, Malek Al Shaar; Patriarch Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Alexandria and Jerusalem; Patriarch Ignatius Youssef Younan of Antioch and All the East for the Syriac Catholic Church; Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon and the Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church; Anba Marcos Bishop of Shobra El Khema, representative of His Holiness Pope Tawadoros II, Pope of the Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt; and Metropolitan of Germany Isaac Barakat, representing Patriarch Yohanna X (Yazigi) the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.
Also in attendance were high level representatives from the Armenian Orthodox Church; the Council of Senior Scholars from Saudi Arabia; the Evangelical Community of Lebanon; the Iraqi Muslim Association; the Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East, Alexandria and Jerusalem; the Mandaean Community in Iraq; the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, the Middle East Council of Churches, the Protestant Community of Egypt. Among the organizations represented at the International Conference were: the Office of the UN’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide UN Genocide Prevention, UNDP Iraq, UNDPA, European Commission, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Adyan Foundation, Arab Group for Muslim-Christian Dialogue, the Iraqi Interfaith Council, Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, and the Iraqi Institute for Human Rights, Khoei
While these dialogue and peace building initiatives pursued by an emerging international organization – KAICIID remains historic, path breaking and worthy of emulation, the continued bombings, senseless killings and displacements following from the nefarious activities of terror gangs basking on religious ideologies across the globe are reminders that humanity and the values of a prosperous human civilization are in danger.
Beyond dialogue across religions, the growing menace of violence in the name religion across the globe calls for a deliberate house cleaning exercise within religions and religious sects. Religious leaders need to call their followers to order through proper education and interpretation of doctrines and belief systems.
IKENNA OBI
