June 29, 2022 (Washington DC) – During the 2022 International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington DC, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi from Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) and Greg Mitchell from the International Religious Freedom Secretariat and the leadership of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (Rabbi David Saperstein Imam Mohamed Magid and Pastor Bob Roberts), signed a Framework Agreement outlining a partnership to continue to expand the collective efforts to convene and connect pastors, imams, rabbis and other clerics of all faiths to build bridges of cooperation and understanding, and encourage harmony among religious communities.
This Agreement details that they will partner to hold an event in Doha in 2023 to promote religious freedom and tolerance, building especially on principles of top-down rule of law and bottom-up pastor/imam/rabbi relationship-building. They also note that they will also explore convening the first Global International Religious Freedom Conference in Doha in May 2024 together.
In working together, they will establish a Center of Excellence under the auspices of DICID to serve the Middle East North Africa Region, providing tools and resources in developing religious literacy and pluralism that will advance best practices to protect and encourage religious freedom, tolerance and understanding among faiths.
Multi-Faith Neighbors Network is honored and excited about this agreement and will strive to continue to build mutual trust and respect among faith leaders through civic engagement, authentic relationships, and honest dialogue leading to resilient, compassionate, and flourishing communities — communities that are more interconnected and resilient to hate, violence, and polarization.