On September 15, 2023, the experts of FODASUN met with Mr. Dr. Charles Graves, the founder of the Interfaith International Institute, at the office of this institute in Geneva.
At the beginning of this meeting, points were made about the activities and goals of FODASUN, as well as a brief presentation of the religious and belief aspects of the conflicts in West Asia and the efforts of FODASUN to reduce the scope of these conflicts with interfaith dialogues. In the following, the main purpose of this meeting, capacity measurement, and evaluation of the existing potential in the two institutions for possible cooperation in the future were mentioned by the experts of FODASUN.
Referring to his presence in Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan, Charles Graves talked about his long-standing relations with Iran and familiarity with the Shia religion. Emphasizing his and the Interfaith International Institute’s support for the Shia trend in Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s rule of that country, he evaluated this support as the reason for the interest of the Shiites of that country towards the institute. In the following, he spoke about the history of his communications with the Iranian Human Rights Representative Office in Geneva and Iran’s financial and political support for one of the Interfaith International Institute’s events related to the chemical weapons used by Saddam during the Iran-Iraq war.
The Interfaith International Institute is an independent organization providing information and discussion on various religions, faiths, and spiritual issues. This organization has consultative status in the United Nations and its headquarters is in Geneva. Dr. Charles Lee Graves is the founder and current representative of this institute at the Human Rights Council. He was born in the UK and studied history in London and Basel and has written works in the field of linguistics. He has been active in the field of human rights and issues in Iraq and South Asia.