Interfaith coexistence in a time of war: MEMO in Conversation with Dr Amineh Hoti

Middle East Monitor Conversations

Peoples, communities and faith groups are being utilised to kill one another, but while different communities can clash this is not the only possibility, we can learn a lot about religious and cultural harmony from the Islamic rule of Spain, the leading conflict mediation expert says.

The world is riddled with conflict, warfare and discord between nations, people and communities. Whether it's the killing fields of Gaza, civil war in Sudan, fighting in Ukraine or elsewhere. Peoples, communities and faith groups are being utilised to kill one another, but while different communities can clash this is not the only possibility. There is also a rich tradition of coexistence between religions, communities and nationalities, drawing up the history of La Convivencia (religious tolerance) that was the norm in Spain during Islamic rule, where Christians, Jews and Muslims lived together in harmony, we can learn to live together again without conflict. MEMO is joined by Dr Amineh Hoti who runs a project that adapts La Convivencia to current conflicts, peace building and community projects.
Hoti, from University of Cambridge, has over 20 years of experience leading interfaith dialogue, conflict mediation and community engagement throughout the world. She has served as a peace studies director, professor and researcher for more than two decades and has extensive leadership experience on several continents. She was the Executive Director of the Centre for Dialogue and Action and co-founding Director of the first Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations in Cambridge and of the Centre for Dialogue and Action at Lucy Cavendish College at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. She completed her PhD in Social Anthropology at Lucy and is an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham.