Cairo: A top Muslim cleric Tuesday called on institutions of divine religions around the world to join hands and stand firm against Islamophobia.
Addressing a Muslim-Christian conference in Cairo on coexistence, Grand Shaikh of Al Azhar Ahmad Al Tayyeb warned that without such joint action, Christianity and Judaism will suffer too.
“Foes of religion such as atheists and abortionists, and those striving to replace state nations with globalism proclaim that religion is the first thing they want to sweep away as they believe that the solution to the world woes is to eliminate religions,” Al Tayyeb told the conference.
The two-day event is co-organised by Al Azhar, Egypt’s prestigious Islamic seat of learning, and the Muslim Council of Elders based in the UAE.
More than 600 religious, political and cultural figures from over 50 countries are attending the conference entitled “Freedom, Citizenship, Diversity and Integrity”.
Al Tayyeb, who chairs the Muslim Council of Elders, noted that the conference is convened under “exceptional” circumstances in the Arab region where violent militancy has surged in recent years.
“It is painful that religion [Islam] is portrayed as the fuel of these wars and the catastrophic attacks in different areas of the world,” he added.
“The mere clearance of religions [from responsibility for violent extremism] is no longer enough in the face of uphill challenges that require eliminating premonitions among leaders of religions,” Al Tayyeb said. “Unless peace is achieved among them, they will not be capable of confronting these challenges.”
Addressing the same event, Coptic Pope Tawadros II argued that spreading tolerant religious value holds the key to curbing violent radicalism.
“Religion is the solution, not part of the problem,” the pontiff said. “Diversity enriches humanity by promoting dialogue that leads to tolerance and coexistence.”
The pre-eminent cleric recalled a spate of torchings of churches in Egypt in the wake of the army’s 2013 overthrow of Islamist President Mohammad Mursi. Egypt’s Christian minority backed Mursi’s removal following mass protests against his one-year rule.
“Christians reacted to these attacks by writing on the walls of the burnt and destroyed churches, ‘We love you, we forgive you’. Love is the origin of Christianity.”
Dozens of Egypt’s Christians have over the past few days fled the Sinai Peninsula following a series of deadly attacks against their co-religionists.
Egyptian Christians make up the majority of Christianity in the Arab region.
Head of the Arab League Ahmad Abu Al Geit condemned at the conference what he called a “plot” to uproot Eastern Christians from their homelands.
“Worryingly, groups of darkness have spread fear and hatred among people,” the diplomat said. “I am confident that the Middle East thrives on diversity, but it withers and dies if it loses this diversity.”
Over the past years, Daesh terrorists have committed massive abuses against minority Christians in Syria and Iraq, forcing an exodus among the survivors.
‘Citizenship is based on religious tolerance that means in its simple terms acceptance of the other and recognition of its rights,” Abu Al Geit concluded.
