Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 35 ] — RELIGIOUS LEADERS’ PLATFORM — of coherent diversity by initiating joint programmes and people-oriented action projects. We can also do this by remaining faithful to our God-given message and moving people from isolation to integration, from exclusion to par- ticipation and from reaction to interaction. Lebanon, where I come from, is an excellent example of what it means to live together. We don’t practice dialogue in Lebanon, we live dialogue. It is part of the quality of life. We cannot imagine Lebanon, and our togetherness, without this quality of life that unites us and preserves our diversity. In conclusion, if this platform initiated by KAICIID is based on and driven by shared values and common citizenship; if plurality and diversity are perceived as com- plementing and enriching, rather than polarizing; if our reflections and actions are not determined by geopolitical considerations; then, with this strategy and objective, we can make a significant contribution to conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding efforts in our part of the world. Our dialogue must be, in my humble opinion, existen- tial in nature — that is to say grassroots oriented, realistic in approach and contextual in its agenda. We must avoid absolutism, and affirm those points of convergence that are part of our religions. We must respect the specificities, strengths and com- monalities. We must reject the culture of fear, mistrust, alienation and confrontation, and promote a culture of hope, mutual understanding and peaceful and coherent coexistence. Here is the challenge before us, let’s face this challenge with a profound sense of common responsibility. HH Catholicos Aram I Keshishian Head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia His Holiness Catholicos Aram I studied at the Armenian Theological Seminary, Antelias, Lebanon and the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Geneva, Switzerland. He received his M.Div. from the Near East School of Theology, his S.T.M. jointly from the American University of Beirut and Near East School of Theology, and his PhD from Fordham University in New York. He also holds several honorary degrees. His major areas of specialization are philosophy, systematic theology, and Near Eastern church history. n the name of God, the most gracious, most merciful. Praise be to God the Cherisher and Sustainer of the World. May God send blessings and peace upon all his prophets, messengers, and righteous servants. First of all, I would like to thank my dear friend and brother, HE Secretary General Muaammar, for his kind invitation to this honourable and distinguished meeting, which has such noble objectives. Our meeting today has been preceded by other successful meetings, and we are con- fident that success will be the outcome of this gathering, too. I welcome you to this international assembly which has a very important focus — promoting peaceful coexistence and respecting diversity, which is part of the responsibil- ity of common citizenship. This meeting aims to achieve important objectives in order to shed light on the value of common religious principles such as tolerance, mercy, for- giveness, respect for diversity, and the rejection of racism and fanaticism. Our prophet, may the peace of God be upon him, has always confirmed, through concrete examples, that our religion of Islam guarantees rights to both Muslims and non-Muslims. All individuals have rights and duties, and this was made clear in the Prophet’s message in Medina. During this trip, the Prophet said some of the most beautiful words I have heard, also pertinent to this meeting, which declare that one of the aims of the Hijra of the Prophet is to create unity and establish the state. Unity, therefore, has always been one of themain objectives. We know that, following migration, migrant groups become HE Sheikh Saleh bin Abdullah bin Hamid I