KAICIID dialogue centre holding conference series on "The Image of the Other"

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.

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.

Vatican Radio (May 22, 2013)

Source: news.va