Interfaith Dialogue for Spiritual Accord

October 18 is the Day of Spiritual Accord. This commemorative date dates back to 1992, when the first World Congress of Spiritual Accord was held in Kazakhstan.

To mark the Day of Spiritual Accord, Karaganda University of Kazpotrebsoyuz hosted a round-table discussion entitled “Interfaith and Interethnic Dialogue in the Information Society.” The event was organized by the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities.

The round-table discussion aimed to strengthen interethnic and interfaith harmony, foster respect for cultural and religious traditions, preserve spiritual and moral values, and promote open and constructive dialogue in today’s information society.

The round table was attended by Sultan Amanboldyuly Rymkulov, Head of the Rehabilitation Department of the Department for Religious Affairs of the Karaganda Region; Igor Vasilyevich Zhabyak, entrepreneur and public figure; Yestay Aituganuly Abdigali, Chief Imam of the Karaganda Region and representative of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan; Archpriest Vladimir Freigang, Dean of the Second Karaganda Church District of the Karaganda and Shakhtinsk Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and Rector of the Church of the “Quick to Hearken” Icon of the Mother of God in Shakhtinsk; Father Pavel Martyniuk, Rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Karaganda; Rustam Ravilyevich Buzyakov, Chairman of the public association “Umyrzaya Ethnocultural Association of Tatars and Bashkirs of the Karaganda Region”; and Yevgeniya Alexandrovna Puntus, Master’s degree holder and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities of Karaganda University of Kazpotrebsoyuz.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the importance of interfaith and interethnic dialogue in strengthening social harmony, the role of religious denominations and ethnocultural associations in preserving peace and mutual understanding, and the influence of the information society on the formation of spiritual values and social relations.

The round-table discussion once again emphasized that spiritual accord, mutual respect, and a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue are essential conditions for peaceful coexistence and the harmonious development of modern society.