Al-Khush joins Sheikh Zayed Book Award session

Dr. Mohamed El Khshout, the recipient of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2026 in the category of "Manuscripts, Encyclopedias, and Dictionaries," participated in a dialogue session titled "From the Encyclopedia of Religions to Beyond the Stereotype." He explained that interfaith dialogue must acknowledge differences and highlight common ground, and that artificially unifying religions is equally dangerous as marginalizing them, since it does not respect others as they are. He emphasized that diversity is an inherent universal rule that must be managed, not eliminated, and that studying minor religions reveals the deep structures of religious consciousness. He also pointed out the necessity of distinguishing between sacred religious texts and their interpretations, noting that religions are living entities that change over history due to effort and conflicts. He underscored that extremism is not limited to a particular religion, and that closed-minded thinking is similar across all faiths through literal reading and claiming to possess the ultimate truth. He clarified that the encyclopedia was created to meet informational and methodological needs, fostering the management of pluralism and renewing religious discourse, with the aim of building a new era based on critical thinking and freeing religion from rigidity. Finally, he questioned how faith can be transformed into a driving force for moral and urban progress instead of becoming an obstacle.

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