In her speech during the Forum of “Engaging Faith Communities: G20 Agendas and Beyond,” held in Abu Dhabi, director of Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism confirms:
- Facing contempt of religions necessitates including respecting religions as a main article on the agenda of the G20 countries
- Enhancing awareness through education is the way to promote respect for religions
On December 12, activities of the Forum of “Engaging Faith Communities: G20 Agendas and Beyond,” kicked off in Abu Dhabi, as it was jointly hosted by the G20 Interfaith Forum Association and the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities.
During her speech, director of the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, Dr. Reham Salama, noted that some people consider that difference with the other, in terms of faith, color, race, language, etc., as a reason to spread hatred against others. However, this behavior must be strongly combated through the enactment of laws that criminalize discrimination and racism. She added, “Respecting religions through laws requires including this value as a main item on the agenda of the G20 countries.”
Salama pointed out that the way to respect religions and prevent contempt for them lies in promoting community awareness through education, culture, arts, and other mechanisms that enhance this awareness and immunize minds against hate speech and feelings of hatred, racism, and discrimination.
The forum, hosted by the UAE, aims to enhance communication between world civilizations and cultures and build bridges of trust among them in order to consolidate security and societal stability and bring about the goals of comprehensive development.