Alexander C. Rieger

PKUB Kemenag sambut Delegasi Austria (Interfaith Scholarship) di Katedral-Istiqlal. Momen perlihatkan model kerukunan Indonesia berbasis dialog, toleransi, dan kolaborasi. Indonesia: Laboratorium sosial keberagaman. 🇮🇩 #KemenagRI #PKUB #Kerukunan #InterfaithDialogue

Menag Nasaruddin Umar terima 10 delegasi Indonesian Austria Interfaith Scholarship (IIS) 2025. Delegasi Austria terpukau dengan harmoni keberagaman di Indonesia. Menag tegaskan komitmen Indonesia untuk terus suarakan dialog antariman demi perdamaian dunia.#IIS2025 #Interfaith

Austria & Indonesia share a longstanding partnership in strengthening intercultural & interreligious dialogue. The last edition took place in 2024 in Bandung and the next dialogue will be held in Austria in spring 2026. 🇦🇹🤝🇮🇩

Through this initiative, participants gained firsthand insight into Indonesia’s vibrant religious life—witnessing how diverse communities coexist, collaborate, and uphold mutual respect in everyday practice.

From 12 to 20 Nov 2025, an Austrian Delegation led by Minister Plenipotentiary Alexander Rieger, participated in the Indonesian Interfaith Scholarship 2025 (IIS), themed “Harmonizing Culture and Religion in Indonesia.” The program was jointly organized by @Kemenag_RI & @Kemlu_RI.

Heute ist der Gedenktag an die Opfer von religiös motivierter Gewalt. Es ist eine traurige Tatsache: Weltweit nehmen Gewalttaten zu, die im Namen der Religion verübt werden. Die Liste ist erschreckend lang: Die Ermordung und Vertreibung der muslimischen Rohingya in Myanmar im Namen des Buddhismus, in Indien die Verfolgung anderer Religionen im Namen des Hinduismus. Antijüdische Gewalttaten häufen sich. Anschläge auf christliche Kirchen in Syrien, in Nigeria, im Kongo. Laut „Open doors“ sind mehr als 380 Millionen Christinnen und Christen weltweit von Verfolgung und Diskriminierung betroffen. Ich bin dankbar, dass wir in einem Land leben, in dem der Staat die Religionsfreiheit sichert. Jeder darf selber entscheiden, ob und welcher Religion er angehören möchte, darf sie frei ausüben oder auch wechseln. In immer mehr Ländern wird der Religionswechsel verboten und bestraft.   Warum all die Gewalt? Gehört sie zur Religion? Wäre eine Welt ohne Religion friedlicher? Extremismus und Fanatismus verzerren das Gesicht der Religionen, aber auch der Politik, die die Religionen missbraucht. „Friede“ ist die Botschaft Jesu. Frieden gibt es nur, wenn die Liebe der Kern der Religion ist.

The heart of the Church is torn by the cries rising from places at war, especially from Ukraine, Iran, Israel, and Gaza. We must not grow accustomed to war! Let us instead reject as a temptation the allure of weapons. #Peace

With great joy, I have learned of the election of His Holiness and wish Pope Leo XIV a long, fulfilling, and blessed pontificate, as well as much strength for this new responsibility.

I would like us to renew our hope that #peace is possible! From the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of the Resurrection, where this year #Easter is being celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox on the same day, may the light of peace radiate throughout the Holy Land and the entire world.

Great day for our #Kalba excavations in #UAE to welcome a @MFA_Austria delegation & present our new results in the field w/ @ShjArchaeology @oeai_oeaw Special thanks to @ebphilipp for support 🙏

It was a very timely and important initiative to hold today an intercultural & interreligious dialogue forum between Austria and the United Arab Emirates at the @abrahamicfh @AlexRiegerAT @MFA_Austria @uaetolerance wam.ae/en/article/b66…

MBZUAI welcomed an Austrian delegation led by H.E. Ambassador Christian Thun-Hohenstein, Vice Minister for Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; with H.E. Dr. Etienne Berchtold, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the UAE; and Mr. Alexander Rieger, Head of Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hosted by MBZUAI’s Lily Burns, VP of Global Engagement; Sultan Al Hajji, VP of Public Affairs and Alumni Relations; and Professor Elizabeth Churchill, Department Chair and Professor of Human-Computer Interaction, the delegation discussed #AIEthics, governance and responsible innovation. #MBZUAI

Successful launch of the 1st Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Forum between the United Arab Emirates and Austria in the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. UAE important partner to share best practices that promote peaceful coexistence and learn from each other.

In 30 min we will be announcing the Intercultural Achievement Award Winners 2024. You can join our livestream on porgy.at/events/12346/

Great start of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Berlin with Keynote Speech of Frans van Daele, Special Envoy of the EU for FORB outside of the EU.

@ek_wilson Congratulations, it‘s an excellent book!!!

A very interesting and inspiring visit!

Interfaith Dialogue through Sacred Music. Today we had the honor of organising a Concert at the Jakarta Cathedral in honor of our 8th Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue with Indonesia. Wonderful performance by Ines Schüttengruber. Stream here: youtube.com/live/HHOpzRREZ…

🎉Celebrate 70 years of Austrian-Indonesian bilateral relations, the 8th Indonesian-Austrian Interfaith Dialogue, & 200 years of Anton Bruckner with us! Join us for a Sacred Music-Organ Concert "Celebrating Interreligious Dialogue for Intercultural Harmony" in Jakarta & Bandung.

Thank you ⁦@AlexRiegerAT⁩ & ⁦@MFA_Austria⁩ for hosting a well-supported in person #IRFBA Article 18 Alliance Working Group on Interfaith Dialogue & FoRB in Vienna last week. Many constructive contributions & a plan for compilation of open access resources to follow