The UNESCO Chair participates in an international symposium in Oslo on “Human Coexistence and the Culture of Difference.”

In collaboration with the International Council for Religious and Humanitarian Dialogue in Norway and the Amir al-Mu’minin Center for Specialized Studies and Research in Najaf, the UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Dialogue at the University of Kufa held an intellectual symposium titled “Human Coexistence and the Culture of Difference” at the Central Library in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

The symposium aimed to discuss neutrality in discourse, strengthen social cohesion, and promote peaceful coexistence among different religions and cultures within a single society. Participants included Sayyid Ali Al-Jabri, General Supervisor of the Amir al-Mu’minin Center for Specialized Studies and Research in Najaf, Dr. Ammar Nassar, Professor of History at the College of Arts, University of Kufa, Dr. Tahseen Fadhil, representative of the UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Dialogue at the University of Kufa, as well as Sheikh Mahmoud Jaloul, Imam of the Al-Tawhid Mosque, Sheikh Abu Hani Al-Bahbahani, and Father Ronnie, Pastor of the Chaldean Church in Norway. The symposium also saw the participation of various religious representatives in Norway and cultural, intellectual, and humanitarian figures from different sects and religions. The event was moderated by Dr. Ali Mousa Al-Musawi.

The symposium aimed to activate common ground, spread the culture of approximation and coexistence, and sustain dialogue to dissolve differences, allowing people to live in peace and mutual respect, regardless of color, affiliation, or belief. The ultimate goal of diversity is to foster understanding through dialogue that unites rather than divides, and builds rather than destroys, as the culture of difference is the essence of the human message.