Sectarianism is the main source of disunity and conflict among Muslims, particularly in the Middle East, experts have said. Speaking at a conference organized by Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University’s Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) Dr. Nader Hashemi from the University of Denver said that Muslims should think about how to “de-sectarianize” the Middle East. In the conference, religious pluralism, interreligious dialogue, democracy and a good functioning secular state are seen as the main tools to overcome sectarianism within the Muslim community. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been the two main actors of sectarian conflicts in the Middle East for some time.
The international conference was held by the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, in cooperation with the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha, Qatar.
(Extracted from dailysabah.com)
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