Doha: HE Chairman of the Board of Directors of Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Naimi, announced that the Center will host the 16th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue from April 21 to 23, 2026, focusing on "Religious Dialogue in the Digital Age: New Horizons for Peacebuilding."
According to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Al Naimi emphasized the pressing need to comprehend digital transformations and utilize them for societal peace. The conference aims to serve as a platform for exchanging expertise and developing strategies that leverage digital tools to promote dialogue, coexistence, and peace.
Dr. Al Naimi explained that digitalization has become an integrated environment impacting human, cultural, and religious interactions. While it offers unprecedented opportunities for interfaith dialogue, it also presents challenges like hate speech, misinformation, and online extremism.
He highlighted that the DICID conferences aim to address societal issues, considering perspectives from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Past conferences have tackled themes like hate speech and human rights.
The 16th conference will analyze digitalization's impact on interfaith dialogue, examine digital challenges, and create solutions to address them. It will also focus on safeguarding religious diversity, empowering youth, and engaging digital influencers as peacebuilders.
Dr. Al Naimi outlined five key themes for the conference. The first theme, "The Impact of Digitalization on Interfaith Dialogue," will explore digital technology's effects on interfaith communication, highlighting challenges and opportunities for peacebuilding.
The second theme, "Building New Knowledge Systems for Peace," will focus on aligning religious knowledge with digital communication, promoting tolerance, and integrating AI to support dialogue.
The third theme, "Interfaith Dialogue as a Pillar of Sustainable Peace," will address sustaining religious values in a digital world and protecting religious diversity in cyberspace.
The fourth theme, "Digital Media and Shaping Institutional Awareness," will discuss how digital media shapes perceptions of religions and the role of institutions in fostering dialogue.
The final theme, "Youth and the Digital Age," will explore engaging youth in dialogue, integrating values into education, and the role of digital influencers in promoting interfaith values.