Religious leaders call for culture of coexistence

Religious leaders and delegations from over 50 countries converged on Cairo for the "Freedom and Citizenship: Diversity and Integration"

Religious leaders from across the Middle East are calling on regional governments and societies to do more to create "a culture of co-existence" between religions and deny extremists the opportunity to prey on ignorance and lack of understanding.

On Tuesday, religious leaders and delegations from over 50 countries converged on Cairo for the "Freedom and Citizenship: Diversity and Integration" conference co-hosted by Al Azhar and the UAE-based Muslim Council of Elders. Among the participants are Dr Mohamed Matar Al Kaaby, President of the UAE's General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, as well as Minister of State for Tolerance Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi.
Addressing the crowd during his opening remarks, Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders Dr Ahmad Al Tayeb noted that the Middle East is currently experiencing a period in which extremists are twisting religion for their own political ends and fanning the flames of conflict.
"We have a lot of problems in this (region), such as wars without logical reasons," he said. "It is painful to have religion seen as being behind such wars. We have a lot of people who have lost their lives."
"The picture is getting more gloomy," he added. "Criminals are using false interpretations that have nothing to do with our religion or holy texts..(these problems) have nothing to do with Islam, but Islam is being used to shed blood."
Using Islam as an example of how intolerance builds upon itself, Shaikh Dr Tayeb noted that violent acts by extremist groups have led to global misconceptions about the religion.
"Spirits and souls have been lost, and there are rivers of blood. Right now, this is making a lot of people (turn) against our religion," he said. "Islamophobia has a very serious effect on Muslim citizens around the world. We need free people around the world to find a remedy for this disease."
Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, said that he believed that dialogue between religions is the only way to prevent misunderstandings.
"We cannot kill or imprison a viewpoint, but (these problems) can be solved through religious discourse," he said. "Dialogue leads to tolerance and co-existence within a nation. We need open minds."
Additionally, Pope Tawadros called on more to be done to "reinforce" the role of women in society, and to ensure cohesion within family units.
"We must pay attention to households and families," he said. "When (someone) is satisfied by the love of their family, the are protected against (being influenced by) fanaticism."
Another speaker, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, noted that disharmony between religions is not a natural state of affairs, and pointed to Islamic Spain as an example of a time when Islam and Christianity lived together peacefully.
"The Andalusian era experienced an optimal level of tolerance," he said. "It was an incomparable, amazing experience. But now we are living in an era of fanaticism. This is a recent phenomenon which is quite unfortunate and sad."
The future of the Arab World, he added, will largely depend on whether it can embrace its various cultures and religions and usher in "an era of pluralism".
I'm quite convinced that the Middle East will boom through diversity, or dry out and die if we lose it," he said.
bernd@khaleejtimes.com

• MENA