Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 53 ] — RELIGIOUS LEADERS’ PLATFORM — joint work to build bridges of mercy and peace and love in our countries is extremely necessary. Blessed is the work of those who remain faithful to their values. Blessed is this meeting under the patronage of this honourable Centre. Let us create one common mission in order to sow the seeds of positive religious beliefs in all com- munities and encourage moderation, which will redirect religious dialogue onto the right track and keep it far away from any form of fanaticism and extremism. Our religious practices should not be superficial, but work purposefully to enhance and promote the common values given by the heavenly messages. We do hope that all of these efforts will be complemented by those of officials, and religious and political leaders, in order to facilitate a real dialogue for hope and to create deep and meaningful initiatives that are not associated with par- ticular political platforms. Allowme to express my sorrow over this massacre taking place in Syria. Unfortunately, the entire world is just watch- ing and doing nothing. I hope that my voice will be heard so as to silence the voices of hatred and alienation. We need to return to the voice of wisdom and justice in order to preserve the freedom of discourse and the freedom of belief. In this way, we canmeet the call of our righteous Creator, who called us to work for good in order to abide by the words of God. HE Judge Sheikh Ghandi Makarem HE Judge Ghandi Makarem is the personal representative of HE Sheikh al-Aql Naim Hassan, Head of the Druze Council in Lebanon. Judge Makarem has a master’s degree in law. our Eminences, Excellencies, Highnesses, Holinesses, dear Ladies and Gentlemen — the Middle East Council of Churches, which I represent today, is grateful to KAICIID, its Secretary General, and staff for organizing this second high-level international conference and for conveying the invitation for my attendance. Please, allow me to give you a short overview of the work of the Middle East Council of Churches, which was estab- lished in 1974 and comprises the Evangelical Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches and Greek Orthodox Churches. Additionally, the Catholic family joined in 1990. The Council receives its mandate from these four church families, each of which provides representatives. We aim to deepen the spiritual and service partnerships among the member churches and work to unite them in word and deed, thus participating in the work of Christian unity and witness of the Bible, throughout the region and among its population. Furthermore, the Council encourages dialogue between churches at the local regional and global levels, partnering on joint initiatives that support development goals and inter- religious cooperation. Since its creation, the Council has championed interreligious and intercultural dialogue and is thus happy to be able to participate in KAICIID’s work. KAICIID concentrates its activity in three areas: Firstly, education, which is also a major area of focus for the Coun- cil. Together, we seek to educate children to look beyond differences and to raise them to treat the Other with respect. Dr. Souraya Bechealany Y I hope that my voice will be heard so as to silence the voices of hatred and alienation. We need to return to the voice of wisdom and justice in order to preserve the freedom of discourse