March 09, 2006
Rome's chief rabbi Riccardo Di Segni will visit the main mosque of the Italian capital next Monday, a move that has drawn praise from Jewish and Muslim leaders. Rabbi Di Segni will be the first chief rabbi in Rome to pay a visit to a mosque, and is meant to promote inter-religious dialogue. The Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera" reported that the rabbi would meet with Abdellah Redouane, secretary-general of the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy, and with Mario Scialoja, the president of the Muslim World League in Italy. "Any gesture that brings religions closer is appreciated," the imam of another Rome mosque, Samir Khaldi, told the ANSA news agency. "I think it's important that Jews, Muslims, Catholics and other confessions that are in Italy find some agreement for the good of the society they live in."
Meanwhile, it was announced that the second "World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace” will be held in Seville from 19 to 22 March. It is to consider the role the religious leaders in conflict resolution and in the fight against violence through education, according to a press release from the Permanent Committee for Jewish-Muslim Dialogue. Around 100 imams and rabbis “among the most influential Jewish and Muslim leaders in the world” are to take part in the conference. Religious leaders today had to reclaim their legitimate authority to bring an essential ingredient to the solution of international conflicts. The congress will focus on family and modernity, technology and modernity, the tension between individualism and social responsibility and faith in secular societies, and is to conclude with the adoption of an action plan.
