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His Eminence set to chair 16th meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders set to meet King of Bahrain and Pope Francis along with other religious leaders

His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders is set to depart to the Kingdom of Bahrain on Thursday following an invitation from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain to participate in the upcoming ‘Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence’ which runs on the 3rd and 4th of November. The forum is set to be hosted under the patronage of the His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and will be attended by His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church alongside 200 religious leaders and prominent academic and media figures from around the world.

The Grand Imam is also scheduled to hold a number of high-profile meetings during his visit, namely with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain and His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church along with other religious leaders who will be participating in the Forum, who will meet with His Eminence on his first day in the Kingdom.

On the second day of the visit, the Grand Imam alongside His Majesty the King of Bahrain and His Holiness Pope Francis will jointly plant a palm tree to symbolize joint determination in the face of climate change. This will then be followed by the closing session of the Bahrain Dialogue Forum, which will feature participation from the Grand Imam, His Majesty the King of Bahrain and His Holiness Pope Francis. 

The Grand Imam is also set to chair the 16th meeting of the Muslim Council of Elders which will include a joint meeting with His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church alongside senior figures from the Holy See. 

On the third day, His Eminence is set to hold a number of important meetings with prominent Islamic and Christian organizations such as the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain alongside university and youth leaders from Bahrain and members of the Emerging Peacemakers Forum. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders is then scheduled to return to Cairo on Sunday morning.

The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam has met Ambassador Jean-Christophe Peaucelle, Advisor for Religious Affairs in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, both sides discussed potential cooperation in the fields of interreligious dialogue and countering extremism and hate. 

Judge Abdelsalam praised the President of France Emmanuel Macron for his inspiring speech at the 8th International Meeting of Dialogue and Prayer for Peace among World Religions which was held in Rome. He also expressed the Muslim Council of Elders’ plan of action to countering religio-phobia as well as promoting interreligious dialogue and communication with Muslim communities in Europe, primarily through youth initiatives. 

For his part, Ambassador Peaucelle praised the efforts and initiatives of the Muslim Council of Elders, which he noted as greatly important with regard to correcting misconceptions and promoting true religious teachings. He also noted the positive relationship between His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church.

His Eminence Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Amine, a member of the Muslim Council of Elders has praised the Kingdom of Bahrain for being a model of coexistence and human fraternity amongst the various sects and religious groups living within the country. 

His Eminence reaffirmed that the ‘Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Fraternity’ is a continuation of the noble values outlined in the Document on Human Fraternity which was co-signed by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders alongside His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church in Abu Dhabi in 2019. The Document, he added, represents a universal charter that paints a picture of coexistence and mutual respect for all mankind. 

He added, “The Bahrain Dialogue Forum and its recommendations will no doubt further promote tolerance and coexistence amongst people in order to avoid further conflict and warfare, whilst also encouraging cooperation and seeking solutions for humanity by helping the poor while combatting ignorance and pandemics. With that, we can look to maintain progress and security for the people of the world.”

The ‘Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence’ is set to take place on the 3rd and 4th of November under the patronage of the His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain and will be attended by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders and His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church alongside 200 religious leaders, academic and media figures from around the world.

The Muslim Council of Elders has hosted a seminar at its stand in the Frankfurt Book Fair 2022. Titled ‘Countering Racism – A Deeper Look’, the seminar was conducted by the Secretary-General of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Abdul Samad Al Yazidi and Dr. Jürgen Miksch, Director of the Abrahamic Forum in Germany.

The seminar explored the role of various German institutions in countering hate-speech, racism and xenophobia, particularly against Muslims. It also reviewed statistics from a number of Germany cities which saw acts of racism take place, with results being largely mixed and different between cities.

Dr. Jürgen Miksch remarked that racist practices have increased over the last ten years with the increase in racist viewpoints and ideologies, largely attributed to the far-right. This, he points out, has increased attacks against Muslims in particular which has in turn forced Islamic and civil organizations to increase support to victims of such attacks as well as raising awareness against extremist ideologies and their negative impact on society. This has largely been achieved through continuous workshops and seminars and by encouraging media groups to adopt a positive approach against racism.

For his part, Abdul Samad Al Yazidi referenced the positive impact of some Islamic organizations in Germany in supporting victims of racist attacks. Likewise, he along with Miksch, pointed to initiatives such as ‘The Open Mosque’ which began by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, and encourages mosques to open their doors to the general public on the 3rd of October of each year as a celebration of German unity. 

This is set to be the Council’s fourth participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair which run from 19 to 23 October 2022. The participation comes as part of His Eminence the Gran Imam’s vision of promoting dialogue and spreading tolerance and peace globally.  

The Council’s stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair can be found in Hall 4.0, stand J22 at the Frankfurt Exhibition Grounds.

The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam has taken part in the 8th ‘International Meeting of Dialogue and Prayer for Peace among World Religions’ in the Italian capital, Rome. 

During his speech at the event, Judge Abdelsalam stressed that religions are faultless and shouldn’t be associated with wars or conflicts since they were sent to be a mercy for humanity and to provide safety and peace for all. He also pointed to the important need to spread dialogue while also searching for joint human values between people through noble instilled religious values while also keeping them away from fanaticism, hate and extremism. 

Judge Abdelsalam added, “Some are attempting to distort religious teachings for political purposes in order to create division, conflict and war while spreading hate, extremism and discrimination against others. His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders alongside His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church strongly opposed this danger with their historic co-signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi which also represented a joint urgent appeal to humanity.”

Abdelsalam concluded that the Grand Imam and Pope Francis publicly declared that religions are innocent from any form of extremism, hate or discrimination while calling on the international community to stop using religions to fuel hate, extremism and blind fanaticism. This call he added, “must be used to further revive human fraternity and to promote a culture of mutual respect amongst all people”.