KAICIID Dialogue Centre

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue: KAICIID
Founded October 2011
Founder King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Austria and Kingdom of Spain
Type International UN-recognised Organization, Not-for-Profit, Non-Governmental Organization
Focus Peace, interfaith and cultural dialogue, justice, human rights, reconciliation, human dignity, environmental preservation, ethics, religious education, poverty alleviation
Location
Area served
 Global
Method Forum, Acting as a hub, empowering other organisations already working in the field of dialogue cooperation, communication, partnership, information exchange
Key people
 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia: founder
Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muaammar: Secretary-General
Claudia Bandion-Ortner: Deputy Secretary-General
Employees
 25, when fully staffed, in Vienna
Website www.kaiciid.org

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, globally known by its abbreviation: KAICIID, is a controversial but uniquely empathic[1] governmental, not-for-profit worldwide organization founded in October 2011 by King Abdullah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Accordingly, the Republic of Austria and the Kingdom of Spain are also backing the Centre with the aim of keeping KAICIID free from all political interference and influence.[2][3][4] The Holy See is a founding observer.[5]

Mission and objectives

This new international organization, KAICIID, is headquartered in Vienna, Austria; and has major objectives of facilitating intercultural and interreligious dialogue as a humanely strategic forum for cooperation, communication, partnership and information exchange - thereby building understanding and mutual benefit among peoples of the world.

Crucially, KAICIID has further goals of promoting human rights, justice, peace and reconciliation plus acting against the abuse of religion as a means to justify oppression, violence and conflict; promoting abiding societal cherishment for the preservation and sacredness of holy sites, as well as respect for religious symbols; including focusing on compassionate issues pertaining to: the dignity of human life, preservation of the environment, ethical matters, poverty alleviation and religious education.[6]

Guiding principles

Recalling that the founding document of KAICIID cites principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, especially, "the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion" - with emphasis on "human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,"[7] International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue is, therefore, motivated by the following principles: <incomplete citation>

History

Notably, on 13 October 2011 an agreement for the establishment of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna was signed by the governments of Austria, Spain and Saudi Arabia.[8][9][10]

The center was inaugurated on 27 November 2012 in Vienna, in a ceremony attended by representatives of the world's major religions.[11] The inauguration-ceremony was overshadowed, though, by protest expressed by the Austrian Green Party as well as a variety of Austrian NGOs concerned with Saudi Arabia’s poor human-rights record and fears that the KAICIID would in fact be misused by founding member and chief financier Saudi Arabia as a bridge-head for spreading Wahhabism in Europe.[12]

References

External links

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