Dinner for American religious leaders at Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington

On February 2, 2011 the Embassy organized a meeting for the leaders of various currents of Christianity, Islam and Judaism who represent almost the whole range of American religious diversity. In a warm atmosphere of interreligious harmony the meeting participants discussed the urgent issues of international inter-faith dialogue. U.S. President's Special Envoy for the Organization of Islamic Conference Rashad Hussain and U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith attended the meeting which focused on Kazakhstan and its policy aimed at rapprochement of civilizations within the country's chairmanship in the OSCE in 2010 and presidency in the OIC in 2011.

The meeting was opened by Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the U.S.A. Yerlan Idrissov. In his welcoming speech Mr. Idrissov outlined Kazakhstan's priorities in inter-civilization dialogue which mostly complied with the priorities of President B. Obama regarding the Islamic world. Author of the well-known project on construction of an Islamic cultural centre at the site of September 11, 2001 attacks Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf expressed his support to the topic of the meeting. He stressed that September 11 events divided not only America but also the entire world and became a turning point in the history of the U.S.-Islamic world relations development. "We need to hear voices of moderate Muslim leaders - those who believe in the opportunity of successful coexistence of several cultural and religious civilizations", the Imam noted. "Kazakhstan is a young and dynamically developing state the positive energy of which charges important international processes and can stop growth of radical rhetoric", Feisal Abdul Rauf said.

Rabbi Marc Schneier, founder of the Ethnic Understanding Foundation, backed the Imam's opinion. Having told about the growing number of the platforms suggested by the countries for holding the inter-faith dialogues, the Rabbi highlighted Kazakhstan as an example of sincere and true aspiration for breaking the wall of misunderstanding among various religions and cultures. In this view he called on Kazakhstan to give a new breath to the OIC, to bring its mechanisms into action and direct its energy to strengthening moderate ideas among the Muslim population of the world.

Rashad Hussain and Farah Pandith underscored Kazakhstan's role as the U.S. partner in the Islamic world and urged our country to focus its efforts on development of education and socio-economic reforms in the Islamic countries during its chairmanship in the OIC.