OXFORD Interfaith Forum

 Rabbi David Rosen, KSG, CBE, Special Advisor in Interfaith and Jewish Affairs at the Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi, UAE, will lead the Peacebuilding in Interfaith Contexts Reading Group session.

Abstract: While the modern interfaith movement is some one hundred and thirty years old, there had hardly been any interfaith initiatives from the Arab Muslim world until very recently. This presentation will review the history of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s remarkable call to the Muslim world to support his interfaith initiative, commencing with the pan-Islamic gathering in Mecca in 2005 that culminated in the establishment of KAICIID (the King Abdullah International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue), and the motives and purposes that drove it.  These were significantly impacted by the bombing of the Twin Towers in 2001, but reflected broad geopolitical concerns. Above all, it was part of a wider strategy for Saudi society manifest in many additional groundbreaking initiatives. This also impacted a number of internal developments that have been dramatically taken forward under King Salman, not least of all the remarkable changes in the educational system and textbooks. The concerns and strategic vision of King Abdullah were also those of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayyed, long before he assumed the presidency of the UAE. This presentation will review the steps he took to counter radical Islamist extremism, particularly through the engagement of enlightened Muslim religious leadership and the institutions that were established to advance this goal. Specific focus will be on the year 2019, declared the Year of Tolerance by the UAE and the historic visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi, the Declaration of Human Fraternity, and the establishment of the Abrahamic Family House, containing three autonomous houses of worship for the three main Abrahamic religions,  and whose design and operation will be described in detail.

We are pleased to announce the launch of an International Interfaith Reading Group on Peacebuilding in Interfaith Contexts which will explore this diverse issue from intercultural and interdisciplinary perspectives in interfaith contexts.

All the religions of the world contain narratives, symbols, and metaphors of violence and aggression. Every religious tradition has either fallen victim to or sanctioned violence. How is it that religions – which supposedly espouse peace, love, and harmony – are so commonly connected with intolerance and violent aggression? Is violence inherent to religion or there is something unique to religion that leads to aggression and violence? Social scientists are divided on the issue. Violence inspired by religious intolerance is more easily described than defined. Yet, in this era of turbulence and uncertainty, interfaith collaboration offers an important antidote to various forms of violence, including religious ones. It is not always acknowledged that the world’s most successful peace efforts are the fruits of interfaith dialogue.

The aim of this Reading Group is to explore the interaction between religion and violence, including armed conflict, terrorism, and genocide, as well as the role of religion and interfaith collaboration in promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation.

We will meet once a month via Zoom, for an hour, to discuss a specific topic related to peacebuilding and violence. An invited speaker will introduce and read a short text, followed by an open discussion. 

The Reading Group in open to anyone and we invite you to register your initial interest below.
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