UNESCO CHAIR For Inter-Religious Dialogue Studies in The Islamic World
With the participation of the UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Dialogue as a supporting entity, the Fifth International Conference titled “Critical Studies in Doctrinal and Sectarian Writings” was launched under the auspices of the National Forum for Thought and Culture Research and with the participation of several institutions and more than 25 researchers from Iraq and other Arab and Islamic countries.
The opening ceremony took place in the hall of the College of Jurisprudence at the University of Kufa on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
The research presented addressed issues related to Islamic documentation of beliefs, jurisprudence, sects, and the history of religions, as well as the impact of certain writings on the creation of contemporary extremism.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Alaa Shatnan, Director of the UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Dialogue, stated that research into the historical writings of beliefs, jurisprudence, sects, and the history of religions is no longer just a scholarly or academic pursuit for analyzing texts and conducting jurisprudential and historical comparisons, but has become a pressing need related to preserving societal security and maintaining civil peace in the Islamic world and beyond.
He emphasized that combating religious and sectarian extremism fundamentally relies on promoting the spirit of tolerance and rejecting extremism, as advocated by the heavenly religions and human-made laws. The founding charter of UNESCO, adopted on November 16, 1945, states in its preamble that peace must be established on the basis of intellectual and moral solidarity among humanity.
