By NNN-KUNA
United Nations : Kuwait warned late Friday that religious strife and cultural conflicts witnessed around the world threatened global peace and security.
This came during a speech by Kuwait’s Permanent Ambassador to the UN Abdullah Al-Murad at a UN dialogue session for the “promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation” called for by the 62nd UN General Assembly in implementation of a resolution passed last year on promoting religious and cultural understanding in the interest of global peace.
The dialogue session, in its second day, is being held for the first time.
“We must understand that inter-faith dialogue builds understand and good relations amongst peoples and plays a leading role in boosting peace and security around the world. Today, dialogue and cooperation between the different faiths have become an inseparable aspect of the political arena,” Al-Murad said.
The Kuwaiti ambassador noted that “religious strife always holds a destructive capacity, and a look back at the history of man will show that religious conflicts were often the cause of wars.” Al-Murad noted the General Assembly’s informal session Thursday on the best means for cultural and religious peace, which he chaired, saying that the “discussion was beneficial and positive, and encouraged mutual understanding and trust, which help achieve permanent peace.” Moreover, he said all religions called for good global morality and spirituality “as a meeting point” in their teachings, and thus there was a “common factor” for peace and cooperation, pointing out that Islam acknowledged diversity in the sense of gender and ethnic race.
Al-Murad also noted that dialogue must not be held at the international level alone, but also at the national level, adding that it had to be implemented and not remain theoretical.
He called on all parties to acknowledge multi-culturalism and religions and to develop a culture of peace that respected the religions, cultures and traditions of others, while developing internal mechanisms that denounced violence and intolerance.
Within this framework, the ambassador said Kuwait’s Ministry of Awqaf (endowment) and Islamic Affairs, upon directives from the government, held a series of conferences that promoted moderation, including the conference held in Washington in November 2006 in which over a hundred Muslim and non-Muslim people of religion discussed the dangers of extremism and the importance of moderation and tolerance.
He also noted that the GCC International Relations Council issued on Thursday “a letter of peace and love” to all countries, in which it called for religious tolerance and denouncing extremism.
The letter, he said, “indicates that we must work for religious tolerance, as it is the key to peace and harmony in our world. We must strive forward toward accepting others based on principles of mutual understanding and respect.” Al-Murad warned that bias against Muslims was a source of concern because it distorted the image of Islam and limited relations with people of other faiths, noting reports of Islamophobia and crimes of hate.
The increasing negative political and media address targeting Islam and Muslims in the West is making the situation more difficult and complicated, he said.
“Linking terrorism and extremism to Islam is totally rejected, as this instigates greater feelings of hate for Muslims in the West. Due to Islamophobia, millions of Muslims in the Western world – the majority of which are lesser off in their societies for many reasons – have now been marginalized and are targets for hate and discrimination,” he said.
There are no restrictions on the freedom of expression, he stressed, but “this freedom must be used wisely in a way that does not instigate friction, especially in multi-cultural societies … any insult of the other in the name of freedom is considered an irresponsible act and provokes negative sentiments and reactions.” The Kuwaiti ambassador called on participants in the meeting to promote common values through which to guide their societies toward peace, tolerance, and mutual understanding.
In this respect, Al-Murad noted the Islamic Cultural Centre in New York, of which he was Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and the leading role it played in this field.
This centre, he said, was the largest Islamic institution working in the city and held a series of dialogue sessions that brought together Jews, Christians and Muslims.
To conclude his speech, Al-Murad said, “I reiterate my country’s commitment to promoting dialogue among the peoples of the world, with all their religions and cultures, in order for global peace to prevail.”