CSIME Plays Host to Interfaith Dialogue With Ayatollah Sayed Ali al-Hakim Interfaith dialogue between Abrahamic Faiths ‘can overcome negative misconceptions of Islam in the West,’ said Ayatollah Sayad Ali el- Hakim of Iraq. WASHINGTON- CSIME hosted an annual seminar at Catholic University with renowned professor and writer, Ayatollah Sayed Ali el-Hakim where he gave a lecture discussing the role of human rights in Islam. “Islam protects man’s right to believe or not to believe and many verses of the Quran proves this,” said Ayatollah Sayad Ali el-Hakim, who has been the General Secretary of the Imam al-Hakim Foundation since its establishment in 2008. He explained that “the Medina Constitution given by the Prophet Muhammad established a free state for everyone including, Muslims, Jews and pagans.” Held January 31 at the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University along with the efforts of Professor Ahmad Iravani and Professor Robert A. Destro, the seminar on human rights in Islam along with others are held in hopes of opening further doors for interfaith dialogue between Abrahamic faiths. It included in depth discussions, Q&A with Ayatollah al-Hakim, and interfaith dialogue. The seminar drew law students studying at Catholic University and young adults of the Catholic and Muslim religions. Emphasizing the need for deeper interfaith dialogue among Abrahamic faiths, participants discussed how to foster cooperation and understanding between followers of these religions. Ayatollah Ali al-Hakim, who is now based out of Lebanon, explained how Imam Ali, whom Shiites believe is the first rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad, said it best when he proclaimed ‘mankind is either your brother in faith, or your equal in humanity.’ Since the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, Muslims continue to have tremendous issues with political groups or governments who commit unjust crimes in the name of Islam, he said. These sins and crimes, however, have never had anything to do with real Islam and unfortunately have had a negative impact on Western perception of Islam. “Many who came after the Prophet Muhammad, gone against what made him sacred and have confiscated Islam themselves for political and personal reasons, the reality of this is that this has resulted in being a very dangerous thing for Muslims ,” Ayatollah Ali al-Hakim said.