KAICIID dialogue centre holding conference series on "The Image of the Other"
(Vatican Radio) The King Abdullah International Center for Inter-religious and Inter-cultural
Dialogue, KAICIID, of which the Holy See is a Founding Observer, is conducting a three-year
series of conferences aimed at combatting harmful stereotypes and removing common
misconceptions about various world religions. Under the title "The Image of The Other",
the signature programme is analysing perceptions of the Other in education, media
and the internet. The first workshop in connection with the conference series is being
held in Vienna this Wednesday, May 22nd. The Secretary of the Pontifical Council for
Inter-religious Dialogue, Fr Miguel Ayuso is participating. Below, please find the
official statment announcing the conference series.
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KAICIID
- The Image of The Other 20.11.2012
"The overall aim of this
project series is to help replace subjective interreligious or intercultural misperceptions
and stereotyping with more objective, appropriate and respectful ways of thinking
about and depicting followers of other religions and cultures." In 2013, KAICIID
will launch a series of Conferences that will highlight interreligious projects with
themes ranging from Education to the Media to the Internet, under the title “The Image
of The Other”.
Aim
The overall aim of this project series is
to help replace subjective interreligious or intercultural misperceptions and stereotyping
with more objective, appropriate and respectful ways of thinking about and depicting
followers of other religions and cultures i.e. “the Other”.
Conference Series
The
public, visible face of the initiative will comprise three International Conferences
over three years, each dedicated to a special theme. The background to each conference
will comprise research at grassroots level, coordination among stakeholders, engagement
of organisations already working in the field and strategic follow-through to implementation.
Selected
Conference Themes:
2013: Education – “Towards a more Enriching Interreligious
Education” 2014: Media – “Targeting Conscious and Unconscious Stereotyping by the
Media” 2015: Internet – “Strengthening Critical Attitudes towards Intolerance and
Biases on the Internet”
2013: First Conference, in Vienna
“Towards
a more Enriching Interreligious Education” will seek input from practitioners, from
experts and from other stakeholders to enable KAICIID to develop a framework for global
best practice interreligious education for both students and teachers; this forum
will also seek to assist others already engaged in this field to implement their projects.
Conference
Goals
Enable children and young adults to
recognize
bias become aware of the heterogeneity of the followers of religions be able
to autonomously access credible information sources about the Other overcome reactions
of fear and self-affirmation when meeting different beliefs become self-confident
but empathic to learn from interreligious experiences embrace values of dialogue,
of mutual respect and understanding in dealing with others
Conference
Modules
Our image of Self and our image of the Other; Empathy
Analysing and Improving Textbooks Education for Foreign Communities, Refugees
and Immigrants Teaching Critical Attitudes towards Internet and Media sources
Individualising and Humanising the Presentation of Religion
Implementation
Once
suitable and locally-adaptable educational tools have been developed, KAICIID will,
in its role as a hub, connect with particular governments, educational institutions
and interfaith initiatives to agree implementation steps.