His Eminence Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders has given a speech at the closing ceremony of the ‘Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities: Child Dignity in the Digital World’ forum which was held in the United Arab Emirates under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

From His Eminence’s speech at the ‘Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities: Child Dignity in the Digital World’ forum:

• Children are the youth of tomorrow and the leaders of the future. They are also the bearers of responsibility for every nation looking to prosper and progress
• Islam enacted the most comprehensive set of rights and legislations for children, which are unmatched by any other system
• Islam cares for children, from when they are embryos inside their mothers until they become grown men and women
• Modern legislation requires further guidance from Islam and other religions on the issue of children’s rights
• Those calling for the permissible abortion of deformed foetuses in order to avoid future psychological agony are passing through a deceptive mirage
• Abortion of deformed foetuses is not a solution. We must instead look to build modern institutions to help those born with disabilities and provide them with care and a better quality of life
• Islamic law affords the custody of children to Christian or Jewish mothers of Muslim children and gives no preference to Muslim fathers or their families
• Islamic scholars unilaterally agree on the absolute prohibition of crimes committed against children and any promotion of them in any form
• I call on the creation and implementation of educational school programs that can help children use modern technology sensibly and safely
• There are commendable international efforts being put towards protecting children, though some are not in line with Eastern values in terms of religion and ethics
• I call on a continuation of efforts to establish a ‘Coalitions of religions and beliefs to achieve safety and security in communities’ and establish an international system of ethics that protect the rights of children, women and youth
• I would like to thank the United Arab Emirates for hosting this glorious forum which coincides with ‘International Children’s Day’