Marathon Minister Participates in 10th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue in Qatar
Courtesy David Giuliano
Photos courtesy David Giuliano
Photos courtesy David Giuliano
David Giuliano, minister at St. John’s United Church, recently took part in the 10th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue, in Doha, Qatar. The conference is funded by the Qatari Ministry of Justice, representing the Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani who believes in the importance of interfaith dialogue as a path to peace and justice in the world. The theme of this year’s conference was “Best Practices in Interfaith Dialogue”. Four-hundred religious leaders from around the world shared successful interfaith projects. In addition to the plenary sessions, there were four seminars: academic; human rights; conflict; and media. “I took part in the sessions related to conflict because of my work on the Israeli and Palestinian conflict,” says Giuliano. The three seminars addressed the role that faith groups can play before, during and after conflict and included presentations on events like 9/11 and apartheid in South Africa. The speakers emphasized working together to lift of the contributions of faith communities, given the media focus on the actions of religious extremists. “Breaking down barriers and trying to understand one another is essential in our global context,” Giuliano argues, “especially when there are so many fears and negative stereotypes being created by extremists of every stripe.” Coming to understand, respect and celebrate our differences is key, according to Giuliano. “While it is self evident that people of different faith traditions have a lot in common, it is the differences that I enjoy and learn from the most. We’re a all the different creatures on the Noah’s ark; we share this one ship, planet earth, and our future depends on us getting along.” The “Best Practices in Interfaith Dialogue” prize was also awarded during the conference. More than one-hundred projects were considered for the $100,000 prize. The Canadian Council of Churches was one of five runners up. Giuliano participated in the three day conference at the invitation of the Qatari Ambassador to Canada. “I was a bit surprised to get the call from the Qatari embassy,” says Giuliano, “but as a past Moderator of the United Church of Canada, and as the chairperson of our task group on Israel and Palestine, I guess it wasn’t that big a stretch.” The United Church of Canada is well known for its interfaith work. For more information on the Doha Interfaith Conference visit: http://www.dicid.org/english
