Kathmandu: Religious leaders and social advocates have emphasized the need to prioritize dialogue and cooperation to promote religious tolerance, mutual respect, and social harmony.

The remarks were made during an interreligious dialogue titled “Interreligious Dialogue with Religious Leaders on Peace, Unity, and Social Harmony,” organized by Nepal Unites. Religious leaders representing Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Jainism highlighted the importance of embracing religious diversity as a foundation for social unity.

The program featured discussions on strengthening mutual trust, addressing misunderstandings, and sustaining regular dialogue among different religious and social communities.
Chief Guest Acharyashree Mahendra Basistha emphasized that peace, compassion, love, and human welfare are among the core values shared by different religions. He noted that putting the spiritual and humanitarian values embedded in religious teachings into practice could contribute to positive social transformation.

Dr. Pitambar Aryal, Chair of the program, highlighted the challenges posed by rumors, misinformation, and hate speech to religious and social harmony. He stressed the importance of being vigilant against unverified information, particularly on social media, and strengthening dialogue and cooperation among diverse communities.
Mohammad Ayatulla Rahaman, National Director of Nepal Unites, clarified that the purpose of interreligious dialogue is not to portray one religion as superior to another, but to foster mutual understanding and respect among people of different faiths and beliefs.“Rather than trying to change one another, we need to develop a culture of understanding and respecting each other,” he said.
During the panel discussion, representatives of different religions shared perspectives on the common values of peace, tolerance, compassion, service, and humanity reflected in their respective religious teachings. The discussion also explored ways to address religious prejudice, social divisions, misinformation, and intolerance.
Participants highlighted the important role of young people in promoting social harmony and emphasized the need to engage them in constructive dialogue, responsible social media use, and community-level collaborative initiatives.
At the conclusion of the program, participating religious leaders and representatives expressed a shared commitment to promoting peace, reconciliation, religious tolerance, and peaceful coexistence. They also pledged to spread messages of religious and social harmony through their sermons, social activities, and community-level initiatives. Nepal Unites stated that it would continue to promote interreligious dialogue and cooperation in the coming days, while working to extend the program’s conclusions and shared commitments to communities.
The dialogue, organized to strengthen mutual respect and cooperation in Nepal’s religiously and culturally diverse society, conveyed a shared message: communities of different faiths can work together on the basis of common human values to build a more peaceful, inclusive, and harmonious society, according to the organizers.