Respecting diversity is key to world peace: MWL chief

Arab News

February 27, 2018

Jeddah, Feb 27: Intolerance toward others and the wrong thinking which does not believe in diversity or freedom of choice is responsible for global conflicts, a conference of religious and cultural leaders in Vienna heard on Monday.

The event was organized by the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue.

Speaking at the opening session of the conference, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL), Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, stressed the importance of respecting cultural and religious diversity to ensure peace in the world. The MWL chief said: “The religious and cultural conflict is due to a wrong thinking which does not believe, to start with, in the Creator’s way of diversity or the right of choice.

“The values of justice and ethics are not subject to certain theories or contexts and they have many factors in common. In the context of our present diversity, we call for preserving the values of our common humanity, which do not reflect any specific religious, intellectual or cultural characteristic.”

The MWL official said: “The origin of religions has nothing to do with unjust wars and persecutions practiced in their name which have hindered the march of knowledge and enlightenment in the East and West.”

He said: “Islam (and we are speaking here on behalf of the Muslim peoples belonging to the MWL) preserved the dignity of human beings, guaranteed their freedom of choice, and guided them to morality.”

He also noted: “We don’t assume that all people should follow one religion, ideology or philosophy. Islam teaches us that it is impossible, and logic confirms this.

“We call for the preservation of our common human values which do not just articulate a religious, intellectual or cultural property; rather, it expresses our humanity.”

Al-Issa concluded his speech by saying that “only 10 percent of our common principles are sufficient to bring peace and harmony to our world.”

The MWL chief later told reporters: “We have found in this conference ¬— which includes high-level followers of various religions and cultures and a number of prominent intellectuals, politicians and media — international praise for the King Salman Center for Global Peace. Participants noted its importance in establishing peace criteria through moderation.”

Other participants included Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid, imam of the Grand Mosque.

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Israel killing Palestinian children in Gaza every day despite ceasefire: UNICEF

News Network

November 22,2025

The Israeli regime’s forces have killed two Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip every day since the ceasefire began in early October, UNICEF has warned.

The UN children’s agency said on Friday that Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinians in Gaza even though the agreement was meant to stop the killing.

“Since 11 October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said in Geneva, reminding that each number in the statistics represents a child whose life had ended violently.

“These are not statistics,” he said. “Each child had a story, a family, and a future that was stolen from them.”

Data from Palestinian factions, human rights groups, and government bodies recorded since the US-brokered ceasefire deal went into effect on October 10 show that Israeli forces have carried out numerous attacks, each constituting a separate ceasefire violation.

UNICEF teams say they repeatedly continue to witness heart-wrenching scenes of fearful Palestinian children sleeping outdoors with amputated limbs, while others live as orphans in flooded, makeshift shelters.

“I saw this myself in August. There is no safe place for them. The world cannot normalize their suffering,” Pires said, lamenting that the UN could “do a lot more if the aid that is really needed was entering faster.”

The UNICEF spokesperson warned that with the advent of winter, the risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced children will increase.

He warned, “The stakes are incredibly high” for children as winter acts as a threat multiplier, where children have no heating, no insulation, and few blankets. He said respiratory infections rise.

“Too many children have already paid the highest price,” Pires said. “Too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire. The world promised them it would stop and that we would protect them.”

“Now we must act like it,” the UNICEF spokesperson added.

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, it has killed nearly 70,000 people in the territory, most of them women and children, and injured over 170,000 more, while reducing most of the structures in the enclave to rubble.

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