Religious leaders, academics, diplomats, and students from diverse faiths gathered on Monday at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) for an international seminar on inter-religious dialogue and harmony, calling for deeper understanding, respect, and cooperation among different religions to build a peaceful and pluralistic society.
The event, organisd by the Episcopal Commission on Christian Unity and Inter-religious Dialogue, was held in conjunction with the visit of a high-level Vatican delegation led by Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Inter-religious Dialogue.
Diplomats stationed in Dhaka, educators, and students from Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and other religious communities attended the seminar, underscoring a shared commitment to coexistence.
In his keynote address, Cardinal Koovakad emphasized that interreligious dialogue is not about conversion or changing beliefs, but about “listening, understanding, respecting, and building trust.” He described it as a process of “mutual enrichment” that fosters peace and human solidarity.
He highlighted the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, jointly signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar, as a landmark call for global unity. The document, he said, urges believers of all faiths to work together as brothers and sisters, cultivate mutual respect, end cycles of violence, and protect the Earth as a shared home. It also warns against the dangers of declining empathy, corruption, extremism, and religious fanaticism — forces that fuel conflict and destruction.
“The call is clear: dialogue, cooperation, peace, and coexistence,” the Cardinal said. “We must choose compassion over hatred, and unity over division.”
Dr. Muhammad Elius, a professor in the Department of World Religion and Culture at Dhaka University, stressed that religious and cultural diversity is a natural and enduring reality. Citing the Quranic verse — “If your Lord had willed, He would have made you one community” — he noted that Muslim scholars have long recognized religious pluralism as divinely ordained.
“Muslims must accept these differences positively — with love, cooperation, and mutual understanding,” Dr. Elius said. He pointed to the Constitution of Medina, established by the Prophet Muhammad, as the world’s earliest example of formal recognition of religious and ethnic diversity, ensuring rights and protections for Jews, Muslims, and other communities.
He added that the Quran teaches that all human beings originate from the same source, making everyone brothers and sisters. “Knowing one another is the first step toward dialogue,” he said, emphasizing that both Quranic verses and prophetic traditions encourage Muslims to engage constructively with people of other faiths.
On behalf of the Hindu community, Professor Milton Kumar Dev from the Department of History at Dhaka University, said all major religions preach love, peace, and human brotherhood — yet the world today faces rising conflicts, enmity, and religious hatred.
“Hatred leads to violence, and in its extreme form, becomes terrorism,” he warned. “Hatred is the opposite of human brotherhood — and human brotherhood is the only antidote to this deadly disease.”
Professor Dev stressed that lasting peace is impossible without genuine efforts to understand one another and appreciate different faiths in their proper context.
The seminar was moderated by Father Tapan D’ Rozario and featured addresses by prominent religious figures, including Cardinal Patrick D’ Rozario, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Kevin Randall, Archbishop Bejoy N. D’ Cruz of Dhaka, Archbishop Lawrence Subrato Howlader of Chattogram, Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, along with theologians Father Victor Edwin, Father Patrick Gomes, and Dr. Shantu Barua of Dhaka University.
Participants concluded that interfaith dialogue is not a luxury, but a necessity — essential for social harmony, national stability, and global peace in an increasingly interconnected world.
Source: UNB