In a statement on the occasion of the fourth interfaith conference, which opens in Geneva on Sept. 30 with the participation of religious leaders and intellectuals from several countries, Al-Turki said the Geneva meet is a continuation of efforts that began in Makkah to promote interfaith dialogue.
“King Abdullah’s interfaith dialogue initiative aims at disseminating human values, promoting coexistence of the people of different faiths, spreading the values of peace and security, fighting evil in the world and promoting cooperation between communities,” Al-Turki said.
The MWL chief, who left here on Thursday for Geneva at the head of a high-level Saudi delegation to organize the conference, said the two-day event at Geneva InterContinental would discuss a number of papers under the banner “The Impact of King Abdullah’s Initiative in Disseminating Human Values.”
As many as 166 religious leaders, academics and other prominent personalities from around the world, including the US, the UK, China, Italy, India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Japan and the Philippines, will take part in the event, which is scheduled to be opened by the president of Switzerland.
In addition to the MWL secretary-general, Bandar Al-Aiban, president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, and Abdul Rahman Al-Zaid, MWL’s assistant secretary-general, will address the opening session.
The research papers will include titles such as “King Abdullah’s Initiative and the Scope of Coexistence Among the Various Civilizations”; “The Role of Religion and Culture in Promoting Dialogue”; “The Impact of Religious Values in Reforming Societies”; and “The Role of Media in Strengthening Dialogue and Human Values”.
