41st Niwano Peace Prize Awarded to American University Professor Mohammed Abu-Nimer

TOKYO, Feb. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Niwano Peace Foundation will award the 41st Niwano Peace Prize to Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer of American University in Washington D.C., who is the founder of the D.C.-based Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, in recognition of his lifelong dedication to peace combining conflict resolution and interfaith dialogue.

An award presentation ceremony will take place in Tokyo on May 14. In addition to an award certificate, the Palestinian-American scholar will receive a medal and a cash prize of 20 million yen.

The Niwano Peace Prize Committee said that Prof. Abu-Nimer's holistic contribution to inter-religious dialogue for peace is impressive "because it combines a great deal of research and teaching," adding that "his thoughts on reconciliation, forgiveness, and justice demonstrate the depth of his spirituality and his great experience in peacebuilding practice."

He began his peacebuilding journey in 1982, working on Catholic-Protestant relations in Northern Ireland, Buddhist-Hindu relations in Sri Lanka, Muslim-Christian relations in Mindanao, the Philippines, and in many parts of Africa as well as extensively in the Arab region, according to the Committee.

Niwano Peace Prize:

The Niwano Peace Foundation established the Niwano Peace Prize to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace, and to make their achievements known as widely as possible. In this way, the Foundation hopes both to enhance inter-religious understanding and cooperation and to encourage the emergence of still more persons devoted to working for world peace. The prize is named in honor of Nikkyo Niwano, the founder and first president of the lay Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai.

Niwano Peace Foundation:

The Niwano Peace Foundation was chartered in 1978 to contribute to the realization of world peace and the enhancement of a culture of peace. The Foundation promotes research and other activities based on the spirit of religious principles and serves the cause of peace in such fields as education, science, religion and philosophy.