Iman launched in the British Parliament
Miércoles, 16 Marzo 2011
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Ribal Al-Assad, the Chairman of the Iman Foundation, has called for dialogue across faiths and cultures to bring about reconciliation, understanding and mutual acceptance, at the launch of the Foundation in the British Parliament. The event was hosted by senior Conservative MP, Andrew Rosindell, who is a member of the UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
The reception was attended by a distinguished audience of diplomats, civic leaders, business leaders and political figures including, Lord Hamilton, Lord Janner, Lord Judd, Lord Hylton, David Amess MP, Brian Binley MP, Jim Dobbin MP, Chris Kelly MP, Daniel Kawczynski MP and James Wharton MP.
In his opening remarks, Mr Rosindell said he was delighted to host the event and was proud to be associated with Iman. He added that there has never has been a better time than now, to promote dialogue, challenge extremism and bring change.
The event was a huge success with everyone welcoming the launch of the Foundation and its aims.
In his keynote address, Ribal Al-Assad said:
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to be here with you this afternoon. I would like to thank Andrew Rosindell for hosting this event. Stepping foot inside this magnificent building never fails to inspire me. It embodies the kind of open and plural democracy that I hope to one day see in my native Syria.
None of us could have predicted the speed with which the political situation in North Africa and the Middle East would change. And none of us can now predict with any certainty what shape the political landscape will take in the months ahead.
What is certain though, is that there is much misunderstanding, hatred, extremism and conflict across the world. There has never been a greater need than now, for dialogue across faiths and cultures to bring about reconciliation, understanding and mutual acceptance.
At the Iman Foundation, our aim is to promote dialogue to strengthen international understanding through the exchange of ideas, people, culture and religion.
We want to encourage greater understanding between the East and West, between the Arab world and Europe, particularly among the younger generations.
We work to promote inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue. We try to do this through a range of methods; recently we have arranged for inter-faith meetings in Lebanon and also Egypt, where we had talks with Pope Shenouda, the head of the Coptic Church and the Grand Mufti Dr Ali Gomaa. In Berlin, we had talks with the authorised representatives of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) to the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union. Also we visited a synagogue and held talks with the President of the Jewish community in Berlin.
We must combat the extremist mantra that the West is evil, and we must show the children of the West just how much they have in common with young Muslims in the Middle East, where one of the most common flags is that of Manchester United.
We are not seeking to hold meetings simply for their own sake. Each time that Iman brings together people of different faiths or cultures, we add an extra fibre of strength to the great web of pluralism.
I spoke recently to the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy, in Berlin. It was a fascinating gathering of academics, diplomats and politicians and it was a great honour for me to address them. I spoke on the theme of pluralism, stressing the importance of open debate, the sharing of ideas and the growth of civil society in countries too often defined by divisions. Countries such as those now facing upheaval in North Africa and the Middle East.
Violence in the name of Islam repulses me in a way that I cannot describe. But we will commit ourselves to a terrible mistake if we label such acts as a clash of civilisations.
Instead, I believe that we must seize this moment to forge greater friendships and relationships between the peoples of this world who do not hide behind terror and violence. This work is vital, and much neded all over the world. A resurgence of moderate, peaceful Muslim leaders is needed to combat extremism around the world.
Western governments must continue to support the great majority of mainstream Muslim writers, entrepreneurs, philosophers, human rights activists, journalists, publishers, editors and civil society leaders.
I have called on Egyptian authorities to protect Christians in that country. I discussed this very issue with Pope Shenouda in Cairo, just two months before the new year’s day suicide bombing of a Coptic church in Alexandria, which killed 21 people.
Sadly the violence continues. Last week thirteen people were killed and 140 others injured in violence between Egyptian Christians and Muslims, as sectarian tensions that appeared to evaporate in the country's revolution resurfaced.
My friends, the divisions and tensions in the Middle East are difficult enough without this new form of violence. Moderate voices from both sides, and indeed the voices of all who deplore violence, must speak up now to prevent this ugliness from rearing its head any further.
I have witnessed firsthand what violence and division can do to a country. Today, I am trying to build a coalition of support for some basic yet vital aims; pluralism in the Middle East, greater friendships between cultures and religions, and democratic reform in my native Syria.
I hope that on these issues and more, I will have the pleasure of working with some of you in the future.
Thank you.
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