As part of a series of cultural orientation visits, the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) welcomed 50 asylum seekers to Vienna. The visit of the asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, was organized together with MenschenRechteReligion, an interreligious initiative from Voitsberg, Austria, where the asylum seekers currently reside.

Upon arrival in Vienna, they were welcomed to the KAICIID headquarters by Waseem Haddad introducing the asylum seekers to KAICIID’s work and to the importance of interreligious dialogue. Thereafter, they received a guided tour of the Austrian Parliament in Arabic and Farsi and engaged in a lively discussion with SPÖ Integration-spokesperson and Member of Parliament, Nurten Yilmaz.

Yilmaz elaborated on Austria’s asylum policy and the associated tasks of a politician to foster civic courage. “As politician I am responsible for bringing together those who are willing to help,” she said.

In the afternoon, MenschenRechteReligionen and KAICIID organized an Arabic- and Farsi-language city tour to give the asylum seekers an understanding of Vienna’s rich history and culture. The asylum seekers were sent off with the hope that they would become ambassadors of dialogue, both here in Austria and in their home countries, where the need for dialogue has never been more strongly felt.