Egypt’s Al-Azhar will participate in an intercultural and interreligious meeting of Mediterranean cultures and religions July 22-23 at the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in Barcelona, Spain, according to a Tuesday statement by Al-Azhar.
The dialogue is in partnership with the European Union, the anna Lindh Foundation, the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations and the Kind Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue.
The high-level meeting “responds to the growing importance assigned to intercultural and interreligious dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region as powerful tools for achieving stability and peace, fighting against intolerance and extremism while upholding values of peaceful coexistence.”
Established in 970, Al-Azhar is the most prestigious religious institution in the Islamic world. It has launched several initiatives to combat “extremist ideologies” in the past months.
The Barcelona meeting aims to raise awareness of the importance of such dialogue, map existing alliance of partners and set up an action plan for future activities, according to UfM website.
