Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 18 ] our Excellencies, Eminences, and Distin- guished Assembly — I am very happy to participate in this highly distinguished assem- bly and meeting. This gathering encompasses an elite group of intellectuals and important personalities from different religions and cultures, united here in the city of Vienna, the capital of beauty. We all need to support peaceful coexistence with soft power so as to contribute towards a civilized society and fill the gaps in humanity. Our dear brothers and sisters are still suffering from these gaps today. The consequences of gaps in peaceful coexistence and social cohesion are costly, affecting cooperation and even the security of future gen- erations. This is why we have an ethical duty to act, because the further we are from such engagement the more we lose our rights and values. When we observe and review the history of interreli- gious and intercultural conflicts we notice that everything is related to misunderstanding, ungrasped concepts, or a non-belief in the divine call to respect diversity and the free- dom to choose. This explains why some violent extremists did not, or do not, even believe in the right to exist. Therefore we have to have a comprehensive approach so as to promote diversity and tolerance as forms of richness and creativity. HE Dr. Mohammad bin Abdul Karim Alissa Y — INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE FOR PEACE —