Mrs. Samira Louka, Senior Director of the Dialogue Sector at CEOSS, member of the National Council for Human Rights, participated in “Combating Hate and Spreading a Culture of Tolerance in Religious Discourse between Expectations and Reality” session during the “Tolerance, Peace and Sustainable Development in the Arab World” conference that was organized by the League of Arab States in cooperation with the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, on October 17-18, 2022, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Cairo. The session was chaired by Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Juma, Minister of Endowments, Dr. Muhammad Matar Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Endowment Authority in the United Arab Emirates, and Dr. Nazir Ayyad, Secretary General of the Islamic Research Academy.
At the beginning of her speech, “Luqa” said: “I express my thanks and appreciation for the kind invitation from Reverend Doctor Andre Zaki, President of the Protestant Churches of Egypt and General Director of CEOSS, who invited me to attend on his behalf. I also extend my sincere thanks for this kind invitation to Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector, and to Mr. Ahmed bin Muhammad Al-Jarwan, President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace. At the beginning of my speech, I would like to commend the great role of the Ministry of Endowments, and the efforts of Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Jumaa, Minister of Endowments, in supporting Tolerance issues, who participated with the Forum for Intercultural Dialogue in the CEOSS in many conferences on issues of livelihood.
She added: “Dialogue is the main gateway to awareness, insight and understanding, and it is a main pillar in building the concept of tolerance and coexistence. Dialogue also contributes to getting to know the other, building bridges with him, increasing mutual respect between the dialogue parties, and respecting each other’s point of view. Since dialogue is one of the most important manifestations of tolerance and its pillars, Egypt is making tremendous efforts, playing a clear and effective role in supporting issues of coexistence and rooting the values of dialogue.”
The conference also discussed issues of combating hatred in national legislation and its role in consolidating the principles of tolerance in society, the role of media and its impact on spreading the values of tolerance and sustaining peace in society, and the role of international governmental and non-governmental organizations in combating hate and spreading a culture of tolerance, sustainable development at the global and regional levels. I also discussed the responsibility of educational and research institutions to address issues of hatred and spreading the values of tolerance, and the role of national and international institutions and civil society in combating hatred and spreading a culture of tolerance and reconstruction in societies in post-conflict countries.
