Conference pushes Muslims, Christians to collaborate for peace

CAIRO - 27 April 2017: Muslims and Christians “must work together to achieve peace and equality of rights and duties for all human beings,” the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, said Wednesday.

Dr. Tveit said that in order to achieve this goal, “an interfaith institution has been set up” and that this is a focus of this week’s interfaith dialogue.

His statement came during the second session of the interfaith dialogue between the WCC and the Council of Muslim Sages (CMS), in the framework of the fifth round of dialogue between the sages of the East and West. The session took place at Al-Azhar Institute on Wednesday.

“In Iraq now, there is a tenth of the Christian presence that was once there,” Dr. Tveit said, adding that the world is changing in different ways and the foundations of justice and equality are the most important points to focus on.

This round of dialogue between the CMS and WWC is held under the title, "The Role of Religious Leaders in Activating Citizenship and Coexistence Initiatives."

The WCC is known for conducting many programs that encourage interreligious dialogue and holds continuous meetings to achieve this purpose. One of its initiatives is “interreligious trust and respect,” where it meets with different Muslim countries like Iran.

Another prominent program of the WCC is “Restored,” where the council aims to transform relationships, end violence against women and address domestic abuse within the Christian community and in society as a whole.