Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 124 ] — INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE FOR PEACE — During the conference, participants broke into working groups to discuss the main session topics. Results were pre- sented before the plenary in the closing session, with the following recommendations made. Social media as a space for dialogue v When seeking to promote dialogue on social media, we need to focus on building bridges through compassion and peaceful communication. v Information, media literacy, ethics and critical thinking are prerequisites for responsible social media use. v Social media is just one tool in the communications toolbox. Therefore it is also important to network with other institutions with common areas of interest, including traditional media and education. v We should work to develop strategies to pressure online platforms to act in socially responsible ways. v Ignorance is the main cause of hate speech. It is caused by a lack of information, misinformation/ disinformation, and cognitive dissonance — It is important to know the who, what, where and how of communication, including the issues at stake, the narratives addressing them, the influencers involved, and the channels and tools available for use. v We need to build credibility as voices of peace. One should listen before engaging, piggyback on multipliers, and then finally contribute with one’s own message. v It is important to build capacity through the use of marketing skills, analytical tools, the engagement of creative communities, and the involvement of schools and universities. Interreligious education and common citizenship v Many religious leaders have not met followers of other religions, and education for religious leaders sometimes lacks good, or any, instruction on other faiths. For instance, one participant noted that his institution spent only 0.6 per cent of the course programme on the history of other Abrahamic religions. v Education materials and approaches need to be based on diversity and coexistence, and free of hatred and stereotypes. This can be achieved through collaboration between civil society organizations, faith-based organizations and government bodies. v Alienation and non-integration are important factors in the emergence of extremism and terrorism. Integration does not mean abandoning identity and religion, but rather contributing successfully as a positively participating member of society. v All theological institutions either encourage or show interest in interreligious education and common citizenship. Therefore it is important to develop a formal religious discourse based on peace, coexistence and social cohesion. v Religious groups should proactively make efforts to include interreligious education in school curricula, aiming to: — Enable learners of all ages to have an authentic and reliable source of knowledge, spiritual orientation and familiarity with their own religion — Educate about other faiths from the perspective of those faiths — Foster an attitude of acceptance towards other religions, taking into account the society in which the students are living — Lessen tensions arising between conflicting identities, and help youth take a place in pluralistic society — Provide a safe space for dialogue, where young people’s concerns can be heard in order to prevent feelings of ostracization and potential extremism. Conference Recommendations Our quest today should be about how relevant organizations play an optimal role in implementing curricula to help us live together in peace. We need to build institutional capacity to put common citizenship and coexistence into education