World Interfaith Harmony Week falls during the first week of February and encourages people of different religious faiths to come together and start a discussion. Its goal is to foster communication and, hopefully, improve harmony among all people, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Organizations from all over the world are encouraged to establish events that promote harmony between different faiths. There is even an incentive program where annual prizes are given by the King of Jordan to those who do the best job of organizing an interfaith harmony event. This prize has been awarded annually since 2013.

The History of World Interfaith Harmony Week

King Abdullah II of Jordan proposed this holiday week on September 23, 2010, at the 65th United Nations General Assembly in New York City. On October 20 of that year, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan presented the proposal for a World Interfaith Harmony Week during the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. This week recognizes the moral imperatives of every religion and religious belief to call for a culture of peace and tolerance.

Some Quick & Interesting Facts About Religion

In the interest of religious harmony, we’ve included some of the following facts about religion for our readers’ consideration.

• Christians account for 31% of the global population.
• Muslims account for 24% of the global population.
• Hindus account for 15%, while Buddhists account for 7% of the global population.
• It’s projected that between 2010 and 2050, about 40 million people will convert to Christianity.

Observing World Interfaith Harmony Week

This week is observed with special events that emphasize the importance of interfaith cooperation and harmony. These events include exhibitions, special services, and many other types of events. People also use the hashtag #WorldInterfaithHarmonyWeek on social media to spread the word about this week.