Interfaith Relations: Louise Richardson Attends Packed Conference

Richardson et al at the second annual Conflict and Coexistence Conference


On Saturday, the Coexistence Initiative gathered in Parliament Hall for their second annual Conflict and Coexistence Conference. Alongside our Principal Professor Louise Richardson, five other guests gave speeches. These included experienced and distinguished diplomatic journalist Shyam Bhatia, and Syrian interfaith activist Najib Bajali.

The aim of this conference, led by President of the St Andrews Jewish Society Joel Salmon and his like-minded colleagues, was to explain the fundamental causes of the fragmentation of interfaith relations around the globe. Lectures began at 10am and ran until 18:10, followed by a South-Asian themed dinner.

The audience was rewarded for their efforts in attending after a busy post-Spring Break week. Principal Professor Louise Richardson’s revealing speech put on show her broad understanding and world-renowned knowledge of terrorist movements, exploring the context of terrorism through the ages. By explaining specific examples of terrorist acts, Richardson clarified the muddy separation of political and religious motives.  Criticising the mass media, Richardson was not afraid to give examples of how to defeat organisations such as ISIS and other extremist movements.

When asked on how to deal with the Islamic State in the Middle East, she claimed that highly discriminative force against them was indeed legitimate. She speculated on a “nightmare scenario,” in which an organisation like ISIS could gain support from surrounding communities. Thankfully, most of the Middle East also hates ISIS

I managed to catch up with the Principal herself and she was very impressed with the overall seriousness of discussion and the manner in which the conference was conducted. She praised the turnout for a Saturday morning – especially the week after Spring Break!

The guests put on stimulating lectures to better understand the nature and importance of interfaith relations.

All in all, the organisers put on an impressive sequel to last year’s successful performance, and it was great to see the input of our Principal in such an important discussion.