The World Interfaith Harmony Week is marked every year during the first week of February, with the aim of promoting understanding and dialogue among religions so as to serve as a fundamental pillar of a culture of peace. The United Nations General Assembly adopted this week following a Jordanian initiative presented by King Abdullah II in 2010, designed to seeking strengthening harmony among people and rejecting violence, while encouraging governments, institutions, and civil society to launch initiatives that reflect the spirit of this global event,

King Abdullah said at the time, “It is also essential to resist forces of division that spread misunderstanding and mistrust especially among peoples of different religions. The fact is, humanity everywhere is bound together, not only by mutual interests, but by shared commandments to love God and neighbor.”

Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader affirmed that Jordan marks today 15 years of pioneering civilizational initiatives it launched, despite the waves of extremism and fanaticism the region has experienced. He emphasized that the Kingdom has continued to present an advanced model in dealing with religion in its capacity as a force for construction and peace, rather than an instrument of schism or conflict.

He also stressed the importance of the world’s commemoration last year of the 60th anniversary of the issuance of the document Nostra Aetate, noting that the CCSM organized a special symposium on this occasion at the American University of Madaba, given the document’s pivotal role in the history of interfaith dialogue.

It is worthy to note that the World Interfaith Harmony Week offers an important global moment to reflect on peaceful common living, mutual respect, and shared values across religious and belief traditions. The World Interfaith Harmony Week provides a platform, one week in a year, when all interfaith groups and other groups of goodwill can show the world what a powerful movement they are experiencing. This week will hopefully allow for these groups to become aware of each other and strengthen the movement by building ties of mutual respect, based building societies marked by peace and harmony. It is hoped that this initiative will provide a focal point from which all people of goodwill can recognize that the common values they hold far outweigh the differences they have, and thus provide a strong dosage of peace and harmony to their communities.