Dr. Mahmoud Najah, Imam of His Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque at the Abrahamic Family House: Islam is a religion of reason and dialogue that acknowledges diversity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Counsellor Dr. Ahmed Abdel Zaher, Legal Counsellor at Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and Professor of Law at Cairo University: The UAE has been a pioneer in legislating against hate speech, intolerance, and discrimination<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professor Zikrur Rahman, Founder and Director of the Indian Arab Cultural Centre: Religious diversity in India fosters dialogue and peaceful coexistence<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Mohand Mechenene, Professor at Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities: Dialogue is rooted in human dignity and must be strengthened in the face of hate speech and discrimination<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of its cultural and intellectual program at the 34th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the Muslim Council of Elders\u2019 pavilion hosted a seminar titled \u201cDialogue and Coexistence in Islamic Heritage: Firm Foundations and Lasting Values.\u201d The seminar featured Counsellor Dr. Ahmed Abdel Zaher, Legal Counsellor at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and Professor of Law at Cairo University; Dr. Mahmoud Najah, Imam of His Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque at the Abrahamic Family House; Professor Zikrur Rahman, Founder and Director of the Indian Arab Cultural Centre; and Dr. Mohand Mechenene, Professor at Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opening the seminar, Dr. Mahmoud Najah affirmed that Islam, as the religion divinely chosen for His servants, speaks to reason and acknowledges diversity\u2014both of which are core principles of the Islamic faith. He pointed out that terms such as understanding, contemplation, and reasoning appear over 120 times in the Quran, underscoring Islam\u2019s nature as a faith grounded in dialogue and persuasion. He referenced historical examples such as the Constitution of Medina and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah to illustrate how the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) practiced dialogue throughout his mission. Dr. Najah expressed concern over certain platforms that unintentionally misrepresent Islam by promoting distorted messages that contradict its essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For his part, Professor Zikrur Rahman highlighted India\u2019s remarkable religious and linguistic diversity as a divine sign encouraging dialogue and mutual understanding. He noted that India is home to a wide array of religions\u2014including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Islam\u2014whose followers live together in harmony. He added that India has witnessed growing momentum in promoting peaceful coexistence based on security, well-being, and justice. Professor Zikrur Rahman also commended the Muslim Council of Elders\u2019 participation in the New Delhi International Book Fair, where the Council\u2019s publications attracted significant attention from India\u2019s diverse communities, who are eager to engage with works that reflect Islam\u2019s message of dialogue, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Counsellor Dr. Ahmed Abdel Zaher praised the UAE\u2019s issuance of a pioneering law to combat discrimination and hate speech, stating: \u201cThe UAE is the only Arab country that has criminalized takfir (excommunication), making it a punishable offense to label others as disbelievers.\u201d He revealed that a new legislative proposal is currently being developed, aiming to uphold the principles of human fraternity\u2014namely, equality among all people, respect for religious pluralism, righteousness and justice, the principle that one\u2019s faith is a personal responsibility, respect for other religions, and the rejection of mockery or insult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his remarks, Dr. Mohand Mechenene expressed deep appreciation for the efforts of the Muslim Council of Elders in promoting dialogue, coexistence, and peace. He emphasized that dialogue must be grounded in the principle of human dignity, which is a shared value across all religions and philosophies. He also stressed the importance of fostering a culture of tolerance, mutual respect, and acceptance\u2014especially in light of the growing prevalence of hate speech, extremism, and Islamophobia in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Muslim Council of Elders\u2019 pavilion at the 2025 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair features more than 250 diverse intellectual and cultural publications, including a selection of the latest releases from Al-Hokama Publishing. These works address some of the most pressing intellectual and cultural issues of our time and reflect the Council\u2019s mission to promote peace, foster dialogue, and instill the values of tolerance and human fraternity. The Council\u2019s pavilion is located in Hall 10, booth 10C35.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Mahmoud Najah, Imam of His Eminence Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque at the Abrahamic Family House: Islam is a religion of reason and dialogue that acknowledges diversity Counsellor Dr. Ahmed Abdel Zaher, Legal Counsellor at Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and Professor of Law at Cairo University: The UAE has been a pioneer in legislating against hate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n