Scholars and clergymen to “Al-Ittihad”: The Emirates… the abode of peace, love and security

Ahmed Shaaban (Cairo)

Al-Azhar scholars and Christian clergy in Egypt praised the great efforts made by the UAE to establish peace and promote the values ​​of tolerance, coexistence and human brotherhood in the UAE as well as at the world level, through the implementation and activation of the provisions of the “Human Fraternity Document” on the ground.
They emphasized to Al-Ittihad – on the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity approved by the United Nations on February 4 of each year – that the “Human Fraternity Document” achieved local and global results and successes, and became a message of peace for the peoples of the world and protection for them from wars and terrorism, and helped to renounce fanaticism. extremism and hatred, and the adoption of a moderate religious discourse and the strengthening of dialogue with the other. It also created common ground among the peoples of the world, and opened many channels of communication between the various religious institutions.
The clerics valued the “Global Alliance for Tolerance” launched by the UAE at the “Expo 2020 Dubai”, which is a humanitarian message to the peoples of the world to spread the values ​​of tolerance, peace, acceptance of others, coexistence and the renunciation of violence and intolerance, and they stressed the need to activate this alliance, which comes from the initiatives it implements. The UAE aims to spread the values ​​of tolerance, dialogue and acceptance of the other.

Dr. Shaban Ismail, Professor of Fundamentals of Jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, praised the role played by the United Arab Emirates in spreading the values ​​of tolerance, coexistence, peace and human brotherhood, through the application of the provisions of the “Human Fraternity Document”, stressing that this is a consistent and historical approach since the foundation of the state at the hands of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul. He added: As we celebrate the International Day of Human Fraternity, we must circulate the principles of the “Human Fraternity Document” signed by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and His Holiness Pope Francis, Pope of the Catholic Church in Abu Dhabi in 2019, under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
He pointed out that the Human Fraternity Document calls for religious tolerance and coexistence among all human beings, pointing out that this is what all monotheistic religions “Islam, Christianity and Judaism” call for, and said that the “Corona” pandemic that the whole world suffered from was a practical example and an applied image. On human brotherhood through international solidarity, cohesion and efforts made to confront this pandemic.
He stressed the important and significant role of this document in strengthening international efforts for humanity aimed at bringing peace, tolerance and coexistence in the world.

UAE efforts
For his part, Rev. Rifaat Fikri, Head of the Dialogue Council of the Evangelical Church and Co-Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, affirmed that the “Human Fraternity Document” has achieved great success worldwide, noting that the importance of the document lies in its principles that call for acceptance of the other, diversity and pluralism, and the renunciation of violence. And terrorism, and the coexistence of all different religions as brotherhood in humanity, regardless of religion, color and gender.
He stressed the importance of the document’s role in efforts to spread peace, tolerance and coexistence in the world, praising the great role of the UAE in publishing the provisions of this document and making efforts to promote the values ​​of tolerance, coexistence, human brotherhood and peace locally and globally. He pointed to the importance of activating the role of the “Global Alliance for Tolerance” launched by the UAE at Expo 2020 Dubai, stressing the world’s need now to spread the values ​​of tolerance through this humanitarian call, and to intensify international efforts to promote a culture of tolerance among the peoples of the world, and to spread global peace.
For his part, Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Atrash, former head of the Fatwa Committee at Al-Azhar, praised the efforts made by the United Arab Emirates in spreading the values ​​of tolerance, peace, coexistence and human brotherhood, referring to the great humanitarian initiatives adopted by the UAE, including the “Human Fraternity Document,” and The Global Alliance for Tolerance, which it launched during the celebration of the International Day for Tolerance on November 16 last year.

He praised the positive results achieved by the document, especially in spreading world peace and human brotherhood.

The land of peace and security
Dr. Abdel-Fattah Al-Awari, the former dean of the Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion at Al-Azhar University, described the UAE as the land of humanity, stressing that the document of human brotherhood, which the world celebrates these days, came from a good land, and an oasis of security and peace, worthy of being a meeting place for humanity, noting that the document stemmed from The starting point for the common denominators of all humanity, regardless of colour, race or belief.
He stressed that human brotherhood has achieved good results inside and outside the Emirates during the past years, saying: “The moderate strength of the Emirates has made the Emirati society safe and secure, characterized by the presence of a strong structure that surpasses many countries in the region and the world at large,” stressing that this is at the heart of the teachings of Islam that call for security. Societal stability, construction, peaceful coexistence, and respect for the cultures and beliefs of the other, in compliance with the Almighty’s saying: “For you is your religion and for me is my religion.” Surah Al-Kafirun, verse 6.

Al-Awari pointed out that what was stated in this document is consistent with the principles approved by Islam, noting that the origins of this brotherhood are found in the Holy Qur’an and the honorable Sunnah of the Prophet.

bridges of trust
The spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, Archbishop Moussa Ibrahim, said that the document of human brotherhood created an important common ground between the peoples of the world, opened many channels of communication between religious institutions of different faiths, and paved the way for the exchange of dialogue, visions and openness between the Islamic and Christian sides in the world, as well as building bridges Trust and communication between the two sides supported the joint and continuous dialogue between them.
He valued the role played by the UAE in spreading the values ​​of tolerance, coexistence and acceptance of the other and rejecting violence, fanaticism, extremism and terrorism, stressing that the UAE is a pioneer in this field and is making great efforts to promote the values ​​of human brotherhood globally and not only at the local level.

He also valued the role of the Global Alliance for Tolerance, which was launched by the UAE on the International Day for Tolerance, stressing that every quest towards consolidating a culture of tolerance and peace is a commendable endeavor and must be supported because tolerance is a human value and a divine commandment, noting that man was found to live with his brother man and live with the other. And this is human instinct, stressing that the alliance is a global initiative and a fruit of the UAE’s vision and appreciation for the importance of shared living, and it must be activated on the ground so that the world can enjoy peace.