Cairo: Leaders of Ebrahamic religions on Thursday voiced support for a call by Al Azhar, Sunni Islam’s influential institution, to promote culture of tolerance in order to help global peace prevail.
Addressing a conference on global peace in Cairo, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Shaikh Ahmad Al Tayyib said that Islam advocates freedom of faith and openness to others.
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“The Holy Quran establishes the realty of differences among people in terms of religion, belief and language,” the prominent Muslim scholar told the opening session of the two-day meeting co-organised by Al Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders.
He explained that freedom of faith in Islam is grounded on “gentle dialogue” and cooperation with others on the basis of “understanding, cooperation and mutual interaction”.
The gathering, officially titled “Al Azhar International Peace Conference” comes amid a surge in Islamist militancy.
Al Azhar Peace Conference opens in Cairo with calls for cooperation among religions to combat extremism and promote tolerance. @MuslimElders pic.twitter.com/gOk1joxhyI
— Mohammed Almezel (@Almezel) April 27, 2017
“If Islamic texts clearly state openness of this religion to others and respect for their beliefs, how come that this religion is branded as the religion of terrorism?” Shaikh Al Tayyib said.
He urged participants to make use of this “rare” conference to absolve heavenly religions of terrorism.
“If Islam is said to be a religion of terrorism just because some Muslims practise terrorism, can it also be said that Christianity is a religion of terrorism because terrorism was practised in its name? Can Judaism be called a religion of terrorism because atrocities were perpetrated in its name?”
Jim Winkler, the general-secretary of the National Council of Churches in the US, described the conference as an important forum for “creating understanding and continuing coexistence” among people of the world.
Winkler praised Al Azhar’s efforts for advocating rights of minority Christians in Egypt and the Middle East.
The conference is tackling a range of issues including obstacles to peace in the present-day world and misinterpretation of religious texts and its impact on global peace.
Other topics on the agenda include effects of poverty and diseases on peace as well as peace culture in religions: realities and hopes.
The conference comes weeks after suicide bombings, claimed by terrorist group Daesh, hit two Coptic churches in Egypt, killing 46 people.
“There is no way to win over terrorism, which has spread in some parts of the world, other than by disseminating culture of peace and affinity,” head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church Tawadros II told the conference.
He accused countries, which he did not name, of supporting terrorist groups for political gains.
“The world has to move swiftly to dry up all military and financial sources of terrorism,” the Coptic pope added in an address read on his behalf by Bishop Pola.
Daesh has recently vowed a war on Egypt’s Christians, who make up around 10 per cent of Egypt’s predominantly Muslim population of 92 million.
Speaker of the UAE’s Federal National Council Amal Al Qubaisi stressed the importance of dialogue for establishing global peace.
“The Emirates has an established experience in coexistence and peace,” she told the gathering.
“It [UAE] has issued a law forbidding hate and violence, which is an example deserving to be followed.”
Al Qubaisi called for prioritising culture and education as well as engagement of young people to bring about changes in societies.
Pope Francis of the Vatican is scheduled to address the closing session of the conference on Friday.
The head of the Catholic Church is due to arrive in Egypt for a two-day trip, marking the second ever visit by a pontiff to the predominantly Muslim country.
Pope John Paul II visited Egypt in February 2000.
In May last year, Shaikh Al Tayyib made a landmark visit to the Vatican and met Pope Francis. That visit signalled rapprochement between both institutions after years of strained relations.
