Vienna to Host Conference on Religious Identity and Global Dialogue
Vienna to Host Conference on Religious Identity and Global Dialogue
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Vienna will host an international conference on October 16, 2026, exploring how religious and cultural identities can be preserved while promoting interfaith dialogue, coexistence and global cooperation.
Titled Religious Identity and Global Identity: Perspectives for Interreligious Dialogue, the event will take place at the Iranian House of Wisdom, part of Iran’s cultural mission in Austria. It will bring together academics, religious scholars, Muslim and Christian thinkers, and representatives of international dialogue organizations.
Discussions will address religious identity, migration, globalization, digital media, technological change and relations between religious traditions and contemporary society. Organizers emphasize that interfaith dialogue does not require abandoning differences in belief, but encourages communities to retain their distinct identities while building mutual understanding and cooperation.
Participants will include researchers and representatives from Austrian universities and international organizations. An Iranian cultural relations official is also scheduled to address the conference online, while an Austrian peace organization representative will moderate the discussions.
The event will also feature the inaugural presentation of the “Lotus of Dialogue Honor,” an award established by the Iranian House of Wisdom to recognize contributions to interfaith and intercultural understanding. Organizers say the initiative aims to encourage intellectual exchange and strengthen cooperation among religious and cultural communities.
The conference will examine how individuals can preserve their distinct religious beliefs, cultural values and practices while sharing responsibility for humanity’s future. Organizers stress that genuine interfaith dialogue does not require reducing religions to a common set of beliefs, but rather encourages mutual understanding and cooperation across differences. The event will also highlight the symbolic meaning of the newly established Lotus of Dialogue Honor, whose lotus emblem represents knowledge, growth and goodwill. The Iranian House of Wisdom, which has organized philosophical, scientific, religious and cultural activities in Vienna for two and a half years, aims to strengthen intellectual exchange and intercultural understanding among researchers and communities from Iran, Austria and other European countries.
