15th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue Final Communique Highlights Importance of Preserving Family’s Role

Doha: The 15th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue emphasized the importance of preserving the structure of the family system, strengthening its foundations, and fortifying it against contemporary risks it faces, given that it is the fundamental cornerstone of society.

The concluding statement issued by the conference today, read by HE Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Naimi, stressed that preserving the family system can only be achieved by making religious teachings and values a guide for family life, elevating the importance of virtuous values and ethics, highlighting their role and impact in directing human behavior and maximizing family cohesion. The statement also emphasized the centrality of education as a vital path to achieving healthy upbringing for future generations who shape the future.

The conference called for activating the role of families in preventing their children from engaging in morally inco
rrect practices, and achieving self-awareness within the family unit by restructuring parental roles and responsibilities. This involves building emotional and social bonds between parents and their children to create a harmonious family environment, free from conflicts and negative interactions that distort the image of family in the minds of the young.

The statement also highlighted the importance of official institutional attention to social family services, particularly for vulnerable families, deepening the understanding of their role not only in providing financial support but also in equipping them with beneficial knowledge to confront the challenges they face.

Furthermore, the statement emphasized the adoption and support of civil and voluntary institutional initiatives aimed at protecting and strengthening the family structure, integrating family dialogues into educational programs and curricula, conducting independent studies and specialized research in various educational institutions to establis
h this role theoretically and practically by hosting families to develop a culture of dialogue among them.

The conference emphasized the role of educational institutions, especially universities, in supporting and fortifying families against ideologies and philosophies that undermine societies, civilizations, and humanity as a whole, whether through curriculum design that shapes student awareness or through scientific studies and research to address all family-related issues.

The conference stressed the importance of partnership among various entities related to family and society, and the need to find scientific methods to discuss issues concerning society and family. It also highlighted the activation of family roles through engaging programs designed to train parents to address contemporary challenges hindering the preservation of family identity and threatening its cohesion.

The conference’s closing statement called on official media institutions to enhance their role within the scope of social respons
ibility, adopting media campaigns to raise societal awareness about the importance of preserving family systems and familial bonds. It emphasized the dangers posed by destructive ideas to solid family structures and unity, urging the adherence to religious and moral values, showcasing the importance of family and the need to preserve its cohesion for the stability of communities and nations.

The statement strongly cautioned against the risks of wars and conflicts on families, especially affecting children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, highlighting the human rights violations they endure during such crises. This necessitates the international community to enforce international laws that criminalize and penalize perpetrators of these violations, and to take serious and prompt action to end armed conflicts and provide urgent humanitarian aid to affected families and civilians.

The conference also emphasized the need to dedicate objective study to the challenges faced by minority families,
whether related to identity, integration, coexistence with diverse cultures, or conscious integration into the societies in which they live.

Al Naimi announced Qatar’s hosting of an international conference to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. The conference, organized by the institute, will take place from Oct. 29-31 of the coming year.

Source: Qatar News Agency