NEWS

The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam met with the President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Dr. Ali Erbaş in Abu Dhabi, as part of the latter’s participation in the ‘World Muslim Communities Council Conference’ in the United Arab Emirates capital city. During the meeting, the pair discussed possible cooperation methods to combat extremism and anti-religious sentiments, which have plagued various countries around the world.

Professor Erbaş praised the Muslim Council of Elders for its efforts to counter anti-religious movements, while noting Turkey’s willingness to participate in future initiatives by the Council that aim to spread dialogue, coexistence and acceptance.

For his part, Judge Abdelsalam said, “The Muslim Council of Elders is currently confronting numerous negative phenomena around the world, namely Islamophobia, racism and any form of extremism. The Council has launched various initiatives in the past to promote coexistence and human fraternity, with an anticipated international religious conference by the end of the current year.”

The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam met with the Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs, His Excellency Senator Dato Idris bin Ahmad. The pair discussed potential cooperation to promote the values of human fraternity amongst people of different religious and cultural backgrounds.

Senator Idris bin Ahmad expressed Malaysia’s appreciation of the Muslim Council of Elders and its Chairman, His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and their continued efforts in promoting peace, coexistence and tolerance, which led to the 2019 signing of the historic Document on Human Fraternity by the Grand Imam and His Holiness Pope Francis. The Minister conveyed Malaysia’s willingness to cooperate with the Council to uphold the noble mutual values shared by both parties.

For his part, Judge Abdelsalam said, “Malaysia has long been a model of interreligious and inter-cultural coexistence, both regionally and internationally. The Council is proud to have Malaysian representation through the membership of former Minister of Religious Affairs Datuk Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who plays a key supportive role in promoting the Council’s vision and objectives.”

His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders has met Charles, Prince of Wales at Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt. The two discussed various matters related to interfaith dialogue, countering hate and climate change. Prince Charles was also presented with a copy of the ‘Human Fraternity Document’ which was signed by the Grand Imam and Pope Francis in 2019. 

During the meeting, the Grand Imam said, “Prince Charles’ courage and wisdom over the years have helped build bridges of dialogue between various cultures and religions. This culminated in the historic signing of the Human Fraternity Document along with Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church. We have also been in long dialogue with the Church of England, which led to the ‘Emerging Peacemakers Forum’, an initiative which trained young leaders from different backgrounds on dialogue and tolerance.”

For his part, Prince Charles expressed his admiration of the Grand Imam and his efforts to curb extremism and promote interfaith dialogue and tolerance. The Duke of Cornwall also indicated that the Grand Imam’s relationship with Pope Francis is very admirable and has helped cement their legacies as great proponents of peace and interfaith harmony.

The Indonesia International Book Fair opened its doors to visitors today with the Muslim Council of Elders among its most prominent participations. The Council is participating for the second time at the fair with a number of publications that promote tolerance and coexistence. The most notable of these publications being; ‘Al Qawl Al Tayeb’ by Council Chairman His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and ‘Love in the Holy Quran’ by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed as well as ‘Islam, the West and Tolerance: Conceiving Coexistence’ by Dr. Aaron Tyler.

The Council will also host a seminar at its stand titled ‘Tolerance and Coexistence in Nusantara’ by Dr. Mohammed Zainul Majd, President of the World Organization for Al-Azhar Graduates in Indonesia.

The Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders Dr. Sultan Al Remeithi has praised the Arab Republic of Egypt for its role in countering hate speech and extremism, during an online seminar titled ‘Combatting Extremism and Hate Speech: A New Dawn’ which was organized by the TRENDS Research and Advisory center. 

Al Remeithi also acknowledged the commendable role of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El Sisi in implementing a strategy to stem hate and extremism which would have plunged the entire region into a state of anarchy. He also praised Egypt’s current renaissance and the many development projects underway to enhance Egypt’s standing regionally and internationally.

Dr. Al Remeithi added, “Extremism has crossed international boundaries through its exploitation of social and economic changes in often-complex societal environments. There must be concerted intellectual efforts to address extremism by enlightening and educating people in order to avoid the disaster of creating societies that are incubators for extremism.”