خبریں

The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, emphasizes that Islam places great importance on protecting and preserving the environment and that Almighty Allah created the universe and everything in it with meticulous care and precision, appointing humanity to be responsible for earth’s care and protection.

In a statement marking World Environment Day on June 5, the Council notes that humanity today faces severe environmental challenges that threaten the future of life on Earth, our shared home. Global warming, climate change, pollution, and resource scarcity are causing destructive impacts on ecosystems and communities, accelerating conflicts and hindering global efforts to establish peace and promote values of tolerance and coexistence. The Council calls for cooperation and unity among individuals, institutions, and governments to change daily behaviors, enhance sustainability concepts, and reduce environmental risks, aiming to build a better and sustainable future for the coming generations.

The statement also highlights that the Muslim Council of Elders is dedicated to raising awareness about climate and environmental issues and enhancing the role of religious leaders in addressing them. Significant efforts include organizing the Global Summit of Religious Leaders for Climate, which culminated in His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and His Holiness Pope Francis, alongside 28 other religious leaders, co-signing the “Call of Conscience: Abu Dhabi Joint Statement for Climate.” Additionally, the Council organized the first-ever Faith Pavilion at COP28, which provided a global platform for interfaith dialogue to adopt ambitious and effective measures that promote environmental justice and encourage the sustainable use of natural resources.

His Excellency Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq, Senate Speaker of the Arab Republic of Egypt, accompanied by Her Excellency Ibtisam Rakha, Egypt’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, and several officials, visited the Muslim Council of Elders’ regional office for Central Asia, located in the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. The visiting delegation were received by Dr. Darkhan Kydyrali, the General Supervisor of the Council’s central Asian office.

During the visit, His Excellency Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq emphasized the importance of the role of religious leaders in promoting a culture of acceptance and mutual respect among followers of different faiths, combating racism, intolerance, and violence, and establishing peace and harmony in societies. He noted that the close friendship and fraternity between His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and His Holiness Pope Francis of the Catholic Church which serves as an inspiring model of joint efforts among religious leaders to promote global peace and peaceful coexistence among peoples. He also praised the Grand Imam’s efforts in promoting moderate thought and combating extremism and terrorism.

The Egyptian Senate Speaker and accompanying delegation were also briefed on the key efforts and initiatives undertaken by the Muslim Council of Elders in Central Asia. He commended the pioneering role of the Council and its regional branch in spreading and promoting the values of tolerance and coexistence among different peoples and cultures, and expanding its geographical engagement with Muslim communities around the world. He also expressed his best wishes for the Council’s continued progress and success in its efforts to establish and enhance the values of peace and build bridges of communication and peaceful coexistence among all people, regardless of their differences.

The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam has met with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Justin Welby. During their meeting, the pair discussed the importance of enhancing the role of religious leaders in peacebuilding, especially in light of the various challenges facing the world today. The Archbishop of Canterbury praised the wisdom of the Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and the Council’s initiatives in promoting and strengthening the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence.

The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam has received His Excellency Ramin Mammadov, the Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations in the Republic of Azerbaijan, at the Council’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The meeting focused on ways to enhance cooperation in interfaith and intercultural dialogue and mechanisms to empower religious leaders in addressing global challenges.

During the meeting, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam emphasized that the Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence  Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, places great importance on activating the role of religious leaders in addressing global challenges which include promoting peace and fostering coexistence among followers of different religions and sects. He also praised Azerbaijan’s pioneering experience in establishing values of communication and understanding between religions as well as enhancing Islamic solidarity, and striving for peace in Asia and the world.

For his part, His Excellency Ramin Mammadov commended the effective role of the Muslim Council of Elders in promoting and enhancing the values of human fraternity, tolerance, and building bridges of dialogue and cultural communication. He further highlighted the Council’s prominent role in involving religious leaders in tackling climate change and affirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to implementing a leading approach that fosters coexistence among various cultural and religious components in the country. He also expressed his desire for further fruitful cooperation with the Muslim Council of Elders to support efforts aimed at enhancing and achieving stability and development for different communities and peoples.

The Muslim Council of Elders, chaired by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, praises the Arab quintet statement issued by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt. This statement supports the mediation efforts led by Cairo, Doha, and Washington to achieve a prisoner exchange deal that would lead to a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and detainees, and adequate entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.

The Muslim Council of Elders fully endorses these mediation efforts, aimed at stopping the aggression on the Gaza Strip, ending the resulting humanitarian catastrophe, ensuring the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the strip, and launching a reconstruction process as part of a comprehensive plan to implement the two-state solution in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, with specific timelines and binding guarantees.

The Council also emphasizes the urgent need to de-escalate tensions across all occupied Palestinian territories, to end the suffering of the Palestinian people that has persisted for over seven decades, and to affirm the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Muslim Council of Elders, chaired by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, expresses deep concern over the dire humanitarian conditions in Sudan, including forced displacement, food and medicine shortages, and the spread of epidemics. The Council urges the international community and global humanitarian organizations to take serious and concrete actions to resolve the crisis and ensure that relief aid reaches the affected areas, especially the most vulnerable groups such as the sick, children, women, and the elderly.

The Muslim Council of Elders also calls for an immediate ceasefire and emphasizes the need to prioritize dialogue over conflict, end internal fighting, and promote reconciliation and solidarity among the Sudanese people. The Council reaffirms its unwavering support for all efforts aimed at facilitating serious and fruitful dialogue to resolve the Sudanese crisis peacefully, prioritizing national interests. This dialogue should lead to a final agreement that ensures the unity of Sudan and meets the Sudanese people’s aspirations for safety, peace, and stability.

The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, emphasizes that caring for and honoring parents are among the most beloved and significant acts of worship in the eyes of Allah Almighty and that honoring parents is a profound form of devotion, often mentioned alongside the oneness of Allah in the Holy Quran, underscoring their esteemed status and crucial role in an individual’s life.

In a statement issued on the Global Day of Parents, which falls on June 1 of each year, the Council asserts that Islam firmly underscores the obligation to respect and care for parents, recognizing their immense contributions to their children’s lives. It is considered one of the greatest acts of obedience and worship, directly linked to Allah’s pleasure. The Holy Quran says: (And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you be kind to your parents. Whether one or both of them reach old age while with you, say not to them [so much as], ‘uff,’ and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, ‘My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.) (Al-Isra: 23-24).

Islam also urges children to respect their parents, treat them with humility and kindness, bring joy to their hearts, acknowledge their sacrifices, and treat them with mercy and affection. Fulfilling their needs and caring for them is not only a religious duty but also an expression of gratitude and loyalty for their immense efforts and sacrifices in raising their children and maintaining the family. This commitment fosters cohesive societies that uphold the values of compassion, love, and respect.

The Muslim Council of Elders concluded the second edition of the Azadi Fellowship Programme in Islamabad, Pakistan, graduating 25 young men and women from various religious sects and beliefs. Participants completed a specialized training plan that included a series of discussion and dialogue sessions led by a distinguished group of speakers from around the world, including the United States of America, France, the United Kingdom, Al-Azhar University in Egypt, Romania, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Sessions focused on empowering and equipping the participants to play an active and influential role in their communities and globally, to promote values of dialogue and communication between different religions and cultures, spread the values of tolerance and human fraternity, address global peacebuilding challenges, and counter hate speech, extremism, and discrimination.

The program, organized by the council over a period of two weeks and was held in collaboration with the International Research Council for Religious Affairs (IRCRA), the Islamic Research Institute at the International Islamic University, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism (KPCECVE), and the Resala organization in Pakistan. It also included 100 religious leaders and figures, alongside numerous officials, politicians, thinkers, intellectuals, academics, and peacebuilding experts from 15 different regions within Pakistan, representing various religions and speaking five different languages.

Participants praised the pioneering efforts of the Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in promoting the values of human fraternity, tolerance, and coexistence, and in building bridges of communication and dialogue between different religions. They expressed their commitment to enhancing the national narrative of social harmony, acting as ambassadors of coexistence and peace, and spreading the message of the Document on Human Fraternity within their communities.

The Azadi Fellowship Programme also included a series of important visits to several prominent research centers and cultural and heritage sites in Islamabad, Pakistan. Such visits aimed to introduce program participants to the best practices in the field of peacebuilding and to promote tolerance, coexistence, and religious and cultural pluralism.

The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, condemns the Israeli occupation’s targeting of Palestinian refugee camps in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, which resulted in many civilian casualties and injuries.

The Council calls on the international community and the UN Security Council to take urgent and serious action as well as assume their responsibilities in order to put an end to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip. It also calls for the re-opening of the Rafah border crossing to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. 

The Muslim Council of Elders reiterates its stance that establishing a just and comprehensive peace can only be achieved by ending the suffering of the Palestinian people, which has persisted for over seven decades, and by recognizing the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, welcomes the International Court of Justice’s ruling ordering Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, which has exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe in the region.

The Muslim Council of Elders reiterates its call for an immediate end to the aggression on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. It also emphasizes the urgent need for the sustained and unobstructed delivery of humanitarian and relief aid to Gaza, and urges Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s ruling to keep the Rafah border crossing open for humanitarian assistance.

Furthermore, the Muslim Council of Elders calls on the international community to take responsibility and end the suffering of the Palestinian people, which has persisted for over seven decades, and to recognize their legitimate right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.