Sheikha Moza underlines importance of culture of dialogue

HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, participated in a panel discussion of the Fourth World Conference on Oratory, Debate and Dialogue on 'Argumentation and Rhetoric, Debates and the Pedagogy of Empowerment'. The discussion focused on 'Engaging Youth in Constructive Dialogue to Promote Peace, Understanding and Mutual Respect'. The session, moderator: Jassim Al-Azzawi, Al Jazeera English, was addressed by Professor Ibrahim Al Naimi, The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), Qatar; Dr Aisha Al Mannai, College of Sharia and Islamic Studies (CSIS), Qatar University, Qatar; Professor Alfred C. Snider, University of Vermont, USA; Dr David Cratis Williams, Florida Atlantic University, USA; and Dana Al Ansari, Carnegie Mellon University. The participants discussed the importance of the role of dialogue, rhetoric and debate in building a common understanding among peoples, regardless of their religious and ethnic  and cultural differences. They stressed that dialogue was the only way to renounce violence and intolerance of opinion. They stressed the importance of educating young people through family, school and even places of worship on the tactics of purposeful and constructive dialogue and listening to the dissenting opinion as well as debating as proper way to create understanding. The participants also noted that the constructive dialogue and debate that use all the tools and means can change peoples and clarify wrong concepts for others, for without dialogue there will be violence. In this regard HH Sheikha Moza stressed the importance of dialogue and acquiring its methods from within the family itself, stressing that the change towards fostering a culture of dialogue and accept the opinions of others must first start with ourselves. Her Highness added that teaching young people the culture of dialogue is a tool that can bring a change in the future. The three-day conference unites scholars of argumentation and rhetoric, teachers, and organizers of local, national and international debating networks to discuss critical thinking and advocacy discourse through pedagogy. Three previous conferences have been held, one in Koper, Slovenia, one in Ljubljana, Slovenia and the third in Maribor, Slovenia. The fourth conference is being held in Doha.