Freedom and Citizenship: Diversity and Integration, 2017

• Date: 28 February 2017 - 01 March 2017
• Location : Fairmont Hotel, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt

In response to events that threatened national unity and peaceful coexistence, His Eminence Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and President of the Muslim Council of Elders, initiated the establishment of the ‘Egyptian Family House’ in 2011. This initiative was aimed at promoting national unity, citizenship, and shared life between Muslims and Christians in Egypt. Between 2011 and 2013, a series of documents and statements reinforced the importance of these principles, with a focus on national unity, freedoms, and peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians across Egypt and the Arab world.

In 2014, when His Eminence Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, convened a global conference against extremism and terrorism, he invited religious leaders and representatives from various sects. At the conclusion of the conference, a statement was issued, containing recommendations that reaffirmed the same principles of unity and peaceful coexistence. In addition, His Eminence has actively engaged with Christian leaders from Egypt and abroad, championing Islamic-Christian coexistence in the East and advocating for global peace. His travels to the Vatican, France, Italy, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Nigeria, and Indonesia have facilitated numerous meetings with organizations dedicated to dialogue and international peace. His Eminence, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and President of the Muslim Council of Elders, approaches issues of coexistence, religious and cultural diversity, and differences from the perspective of shared values, rather than focusing on numbers or demographics. He believes that the events of recent years have revealed common concerns, fears, and challenges, which demand mutual understanding, active listening, shared dialogue, and responsible action.

In recent years, Christian entities such as the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient, institutions from Palestine and Egypt, and the Middle East Council of Churches have launched positive initiatives promoting shared living and mutual belonging. The statements and declarations resulting from these initiatives reflect the goodwill and commitment of these historic partners in coexistence, acting with a sense of responsibility and dedication to our collective Arab, Eastern, and human unity, both now and in the future.

In response to the call of His Eminence Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and President of the Muslim Council of Elders, to address the challenges hindering efforts to promote tolerance, human fraternity, and peaceful coexistence, the Muslim Council of Elders, in collaboration with Al-Azhar, held a conference titled Freedom and Citizenship: Diversity and Integration, in Cairo on February 28 and March 1, 2017. The event brought together numerous religious leaders, scholars, intellectuals, and cultural figures.

The conference aimed to explore issues of citizenship, freedoms, and social and cultural diversity, as well as the regional and global dimensions of the Arab Islamic-Christian experience of shared and diverse living and coexistence. It also sought to address the challenges and problems associated with this coexistence.