Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar

:: The Secretary-General of the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muammar, affirmed the center’s commitment to enhancing the role of dialogue in combating violence in the name of religion.

Muammar was addressing an audience at the International Conference on “Tackling Violence in the Name of Religion” held in Rome on Saturday, in the presence of a number of religious, political and intellectual leaders from around the world to discuss best practices to activate the role of individuals, leaders and religious institutions in this field.

He pointed to the importance of the Vienna Conference, which was organized by the center under the title “United against violence in the name of religion,” explaining that the outcomes of that conference were the basis of the center’s future strategy and played an important role in the formulation of the United Nations Plan of Action for the year 2015 to combat violent extremism leading to genocide.

Mummar added that the center’s strategy of activating the role of religious individuals, leaders and institutions is based on making them key partners, working side by side with policy makers in effectively addressing the multiple threats to peaceful coexistence and tolerance that extremist groups are involved in.

“If we are to seek positive and sustainable change, I think we need to deal with individuals, leaders and religious institutions to support policy makers in this area, and religious institutions should contribute to the implementation of results on the ground in their local communities,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of promoting a culture of shared citizenship, regardless of religious or ethnic origins, pointing out that the center has spent a great deal of time and effort in combating extremism and terrorism.

At the same time, the world has not made the most from the silent majority among moderates who have huge capabilities in the fight against the discourse of violent extremism, under the umbrella of joint citizenship.

Mummar pointed out that the center has completed preparations to launch a permanent platform for dialogue between Muslims and Christians in the Arab world at the end of February.

He reviewed the center’s recent efforts and activities, noting that it is working intensively with Muslim and Christian religious leaders in Nigeria and the Central African Republic to establish platforms for dialogue to combat extremism and promote social cohesion.