Guidelines Or National Policy On Inter-Religious Dialogue Needed - Iais Ceo

KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 (Bernama) -- The government need to provide guidelines or effective national policies on inter-religious dialogue culture to ensure a healthy and productive dialogue, a scholar said Wednesday. "The government can also open up spaces and provide facilities for inter-religious dialogue and projecting the virtues of dialogue through various channels, from school textbooks to the mainstream media," said International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) deputy chief executive officer (CEO) Prof Emeritus Dr Osman Bakar Wednesday. He said the only sensible alternative against the threat of religious extremism, conflicts and even war was to pursue inter-religious understanding and peace. "Many types of dialogues have been held in this country but not inter-religious dialogue, maybe because it is very sensitive and can easily get out of hand," he said at a public lecture on the "Role of Islam in the Foundation of a New Inter-religious Dialogue Culture in the Contemporary World" at IAIS here. However, he said this would only be possible if a healthy dialogue culture was put in place. "The followers of each religion should strive to secure from their own religious tradition, the kind of ideas and practices that would help to contribute to the realisation of this dialogue culture," he added. -- BERNAMA