Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 52 ] — INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE FOR PEACE — n the name of the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Your Holinesses, Eminences, Excel- lencies, dear Ladies and Gentleman — it is my pleasure to participate in this conference with you, representing His Excellency Sheikh al-Aql Naim Hassan, the highest religious leader of the Druze com- munity. I wish you and KAICIID full success in this very important endeavour to enhance dialogue. I hope that this regional dialogue and cooperation platform will become an important tool to enhance and promote peaceful coexistence and common citizenship for all religions and for the religious actors in the Middle East. We acknowledge all of the pain and destruction that Arab communities have endured over the last few years, hence the vital role of dialogue to create common ground and provide a clear plan towards strengthening common citizenship, peace- ful coexistence and the respect for diversity and pluralism. We hold strong convictions about the importance of dia- logue in enhancing peace and putting an end to the conflicts in the Arab world. Dialogue is also key in overcoming the threats and risks from terrorist groups and any attempt to convert our Arab Spring into an Arab Fall. Therefore our HE Judge Sheikh Ghandi Makarem I