What is Dialogue?

Dialogue, in general, is a process that involves mutual consultation in pursuit of common understanding through active and compassionate listening in order to discover similarities and understand differences in diverse perspectives and points of view.

Dialogue is not a simple conversation, nor a debate. It is not about convincing others to agree with one’s perspective or convert them. The aim of dialogue is to overcome misunderstandings and dispel stereotypes in order to promote mutual understanding.

Dialogue is about developing mutual respect in order to build sustainable relationships. Dialogue focuses on clarifying both the similarities and the differences on any topic between two persons or groups of people. It builds bridges among those who are different to each other. It transforms human relationships from a state of ignorance or intolerance to a state of deeper understanding and respect for what is shared and what is not.

What is Interreligious/Interfaith Dialogue?

Interreligious (also sometimes called interfaith) dialogue follows the same definition as above, but with one difference: this dialogue takes place between people of different religious backgrounds who seek to learn more about one another.

Interreligious dialogue is not about winning converts or theological discussion. It concerns the discovery of similarities and differences between diverse religious/faith standpoints as a means of establishing trust and building a community of common purpose across religious boundaries.

Through interreligious dialogue, religious communities can overcome perceived and real differences to collectively address challenges in their local, national, regional, or global contexts, such as hate speech, injustice, or environmental degradation.

The 10 Principles of Dialogue

1/10

Establish a safe space

A safe space is an inclusive environment where participants are able to share without fear of judgement or discrimination.

2 / 10

Agree that the main purpose of dialogue is learning

The participants should approach dialogue with the intention of learning about the others as well as about their own perceptions.

3/10

Use appropriate communication skills

Skills such as listening and sharing with respect and asking questions constructively are essential for building a safe environment for dialogue.

4/10

Set appropriate ground rules

Ground rules developed and agreed upon among the participants ensure a safe and constructive environment.

5 / 10

Take risks, articulate feelings and confront perceptions with honesty

Participants share a responsibility to listen with an open mind as others express their thoughts and feelings and should be willing to share their own.

6 / 10

Place the human relationship first

Dialogue is based on building relationships and trust to address common challenges. The more we invest in building the relationship, the easier it will become to address hard questions.

7 / 10

Address gradually difficult questions and slowly establish distance from them

Addressing hard questions often makes the participants emotional. Therefore, we need to descend slowly from these ‘deeper’ topics, by addressing lighter ones at both the beginning and towards the end of a dialogue.

8 / 10

Do not try to skirt around difficult issues

It is normal for the dialogue to go through difficult stages. It is vital to let the differences and disagreements emerge so that deeper understanding can happen and eventually even help.

9 / 10

Expect to be transformed

If we hope that the dialogue will yield a sustainable transformative relationship, then we need to expect to be transformed. What will be transformed is not our values or our principles, but rather how we perceive others and the issues being discussed.

10 / 10

Bring transformation to others

Dialogue needs to be sustained. Participants should together think about how to bring newly discovered perspectives to their communities and daily lives.

KAICIID and Dialogue

Capacity-Building

Teaching people to dialogue is at the forefront of many of our programmes. Through our Dialogue Knowledge Hub, Fellows Programme, and partnership with the World Organization of the Scouting Movement, we work together with dialogue experts around the world to give people the tools to mainstream dialogue in their communities.

For Effective Policymaking

As a convener, KAICIID brings together religious leaders and policymakers to promote dialogue as a fundamental aspect of policymaking aimed at tackling global problems such as COVID-19, climate change, inequality and poverty. Through our role in initiatives such as the G20 Interfaith Forum and United Against Violence in the Name of Religion, and through our efforts to counter hate speech, we aim to recognise and promote the invaluable contributions of religious communities to peace and development, and to work with them to solve global challenges.

To Promote Social Cohesion

Whether it is due to religious differences or conflict over land or resources, dialogue is essential in bringing people together to overcome common challenges. Our global programmes promote social cohesion through dialogue in communities around the world by building platforms where sustained dialogue can take place in conflict-prone situations and societies such as in Nigeria, Myanmar and the Arab Region.