Cairo, February 01 (QNA) - The Arab League has underscored the pivotal role of educational and cultural institutions in fostering interfaith dialogue by promoting a culture of acceptance and raising awareness of the importance of religious and cultural diversity as a cornerstone for building stable, peacefully coexisting societies.
Marking World Interfaith Harmony Week, observed annually in the first week of February, the Arab League called for the adoption of international, regional, and national initiatives to strengthen interfaith harmony. It urged governments, religious institutions, and civil society organizations to work collectively to confront hate speech and extremism in all its forms.
The League emphasized the importance of integrating the principles of tolerance and mutual respect into educational curricula and public awareness programs, thereby helping raise generations capable of rejecting extremism and violence while promoting a culture of peace and constructive dialogue. It also stressed the need for coordinated international and regional efforts to enhance joint action toward building a world grounded in peace and justice, respect for human dignity, and peaceful coexistence among different religions and cultures, thereby ensuring a safer and more stable future for humanity.
The statement noted that interfaith harmony represents a vital step toward reinforcing values of tolerance and mutual respect and toward building a future marked by peace and concord. It is also a fundamental principle for achieving development and global peace. The League called for strengthening dialogue among religions and cultures, promoting religious tolerance, and building bridges of understanding to realize peaceful coexistence and uphold respect for cultural and religious diversity.
World Interfaith Harmony Week is observed globally during the first week of February each year, following its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly under Resolution 65/5 on October 20, 2010, to promote harmony and peaceful coexistence among people of all religions. (QNA)