Dialogue and Power Essential for Lasting Peace, Iranian Cleric Tells World Peace Forum

IQNA – Hojat-ol-Islam Hamid Shahriari, head of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, has said that genuine peace cannot survive without power and must be built through continuous dialogue and moral commitment.

Speaking at the 9th World Peace Forum held in Jakarta from November 9–11, Shahriari addressed participants from more than 20 countries, including religious leaders, academics, and peace advocates. The annual gathering discussed global conflicts and the role of dialogue in promoting justice and coexistence.

“We live in a world where everyone speaks of peace, yet what we see on the ground is war,” Shahriari said, noting that international organizations established to safeguard peace had become ineffective.

He added that “imperialist powers and aggressors pursue their own interests and shed the blood of innocents for their gain.”

Referring to current conflicts, he said civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Sudan continue to suffer amid global silence. He cited the deaths of “over 67,000 people, including women and children” in Gaza and questioned why those who claim to defend human rights “stand beside the aggressors and even arm them.”

In a section of his speech, Shahriari emphasized that dialogue remains the first and most essential step toward peace. “Dialogue is the first step toward peace. Peace is a process, not a single event. We must engage in dialogue, find common ground, reach agreements, honor our commitments, and monitor their implementation to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he said.

He argued that changing global politics begins with reshaping global discourse, replacing “narratives of hatred and exclusion” with compassion, pluralism, and multilateralism. Ignorance and prejudice, he said, remain “the enemies of enduring peace.”

Shahriari outlined two key principles for sustainable peace: first, that “peace without power will not last,” and second, that both hard and soft power must be ethically restrained. “The goal of power is service, not domination,” he said, stressing that power divorced from morality leads to conflict.

He noted that “a just and lasting peace requires two essential elements: dialogue for understanding and reconciliation, and resistance against oppressive power through balanced moral strength to counter false narratives.”

4316119