Nurlan Yermekbayev spoke on the topic of islamophobia

Minister of religious Affairs and civil society of Kazakhstan Nurlan Yermekbayev took part in the IV International forum on promoting peace in Muslim societies on the theme «Global peace and Islamophobia», held these days in Abu Dhabi.

The purpose of the Forum is to understand the causes and essence of Islamophobia and the ongoing processes in the field of religion, to overcome the distorted perception of the religion of Islam, as well as to promote a culture of tolerance, peace and justice.

«We Muslims are against Islamophobia, but we must have the courage to admit that some of the responsibility for this lies with ourselves. I am talking about the responsibility for allowing religious fanatics and provocateurs to pervert the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and spread radical views and approaches, instead of educating high spiritual values»,-  N. Yermekbayev said in his speech.

The Minister also spoke about the initiatives of the Head of Kazakhstan on the rapprochement of cultures and religions, the development of dialogue between East and West, ensuring stability and mutual understanding of peoples.

«Among the global initiatives of the President of Kazakhstan, a special place is occupied by the convening of Congresses of leaders of world and traditional religions, which is hosted by our capital, Astana, every three years since 2003. The purpose of this international Forum is to develop a dialogue of cultures and civilizations as one of the mechanisms for maintaining global and regional security. Over these years, Kazakhstan has hosted five Congresses, which resulted in the adoption of very important documents»,- Nurlan Yermekbayev said.

The Forum is attended by more than 500 prominent religious figures, best-known theologians, politicians and public figures from all over the world. The Forum delegates were received by the crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan.