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鈥榃hy it matters to be intolerant of intolerance鈥� was the title of a conference held at Rome鈥檚 Gregorian University this week, highlighting the need for closer cooperation in the fight against violent extremism.

Key speakers at the event were Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, head of the Congregation for Oriental Churches and Tariq Ahmad, a British government minister of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, tasked with issues of counter-terrorism and freedom of religion.

Lord Ahmad, who also serves as the Prime Minister鈥檚 special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, focused on the efforts of the British government to combat religious intolerance, through education, advocacy or interfaith engagement.

During his visit to Rome Lord Ahmad also held talks with top Vatican officials, including the Holy See鈥檚 foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. As a Muslim, whose children attend Catholic schools, Ahmad believes that inclusivity and mutual respect are the hallmarks of a stable society. But he told Susy Hodges he is concerned that intolerance and religious persecution are on the rise worldwide.

Lord Ahmad says religion is being used as a weapon by extremist groups therefore 鈥渋t is important that like-minded organisations, countries and communities come together to raise voices, to ensure the protection of minority faiths wherever they find persecution occurring in the world鈥�.

The British government minister praises 杏MAP导航 Francis as 鈥渁 trailblazer in terms of his advocacy for the rights of all faith communities鈥�, welcoming in particular his recent words  on behalf of the Rohinga minority in Myanmar who are victims of religious and ethnic persecution.

Rich tapestry of religious diversity

Britain today, Ahmad says, is stronger and more stable because of its 鈥渞ich tapestry鈥� of religious diversity. While extremist groups still manage to infiltrate and influence vulnerable young minds through social media, he says the response to recent terror attacks showcased how 鈥減eople of all faiths and none came together鈥� in defiance of those who seek to divide and sow fear in society.

He highlights efforts taken by the UK, France and Italy to persuade social media providers to take responsibility for the content of their sites and notes that in the year leading up to August 2017 Twitter removed almost a million accounts because they were 鈥渆spousing unacceptable views鈥�.