QU’s CSIS leads efforts to promote a culture of dialogue and coexistence

OBSERVED during the first week of February, the World Interfaith Harmony Week is an annual event which seeks to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith, as mutual understanding and inter-religious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace.

Qatar University (QU), through the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies(CSIS), has been keen to promote the meanings of dialogue and coexistence among religions and civilisations, to focus on joint initiatives, activities, events, workshops, seminars, visits and meetings, which aim to replace misconceptions among followers of religions and cultures with a more objective, credible and respectful view that distances from fanaticism and rejects the idea of clash, and establishes the values of coexistence, understanding, tolerance and harmony.

One of the most important initiatives being the establishment of the ISESCO Chair in Alliance of Civilisations, housed at the university’s College of Sharia and Islamic Studies in 2016. This agreement paved the way for QU and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) to collaborate on developing studies and databases in areas of the alliance of civilisations specialisation, and in providing scholarships for graduate students involved in relevant research activities, and awards of appreciation for distinguished research projects. The establishment of the ISESCO Chair in Alliance of Civilisations also serves to implement a course on alliance of civilisations within QU academic curriculum.

The College of Sharia and Islamic Studies also launched the first-ever Encyclopedia of Occidentalism. Executive Director of the Encyclopedia of Occidentalism, Dr. Azzeddine Mamiche shed some light on the project, which is the first such large intellectual project in the Arab and Islamic world saying, “The encyclopedia highlights the important role of Qatar in promoting the spirit of dialogue and alliance between civilisations at the regional and the international level.