His Excellency Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam
1.    Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders  
2.     Secretary-General of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity  
3.    Member of the Al-Azhar Centre for Interreligious Dialogue and a graduate of Al-Azhar University
4.    Co-President of the Religions for Peace Organization  
5.    Member of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in the Kingdom of Bahrain  

-    Judge Abdelsalam served as the Secretary-General of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity for four years. 
-    He played a pivotal role in drafting the historic Document on Human Fraternity, signed by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Professor Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019.
-    Pope Francis awarded him the Papal Knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (Knight Commander with Star), in recognition of his efforts to promote the culture of tolerance and interfaith dialogue, making him the first Arab Muslim to receive such an accolade from the head of the Catholic Church.
-    President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan awarded him the Astana Medal in appreciation of his contributions to promoting human fraternity and interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
-    The President of Kazakhstan also awarded him the Medal of Shafa'a in appreciation of his efforts in fostering interfaith relations and human fraternity.
-    In November 2022, the Kazakh University of Humanities and Law (KAZGUU) awarded Judge Abdelsalam an Honorary Professorship in recognition of his efforts to promote coexistence, dialogue, and human fraternity.
-    In June 2023, Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan granted him an Honorary Professorship, acknowledging his tireless work in promoting the values of dialogue, tolerance, fraternity, and peaceful coexistence.
-    The Republic of Uzbekistan awarded him the Medal of Religious Tolerance in recognition of his efforts to advance dialogue and foster relations among followers of different faiths. He is the first non-Uzbek recipient of this prestigious award.
-    The Minister of Interior of the United Arab Emirates awarded him the Community Service Medal for his dedication and positive influence in promoting security within communities.
-    Judge Abdelsalam also participated in drafting the Egyptian Constitution as member of the Constituent Assembly in 2012 and 2013. He also contributed to the drafting of several important documents of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif between 2011 and 2018.
-    The President of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt awarded him the Constitutional Court Medal, in recognition of his honorable representation of the Egyptian judiciary during his work at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the Constituent Assembly.

On the Path of Human Fraternity

Since the dawn of Islam 14 centuries ago, Muslims’ contributions to civilization and their interaction with the world have not ceased. These contributions have been both institutional—through states, kingdoms, and cities that have offered their civilizational experiences, the effects of which still endure in the East and the West—and individual, through people who have left a lasting impact in the fields of science, philosophy, and literature, significantly enriching these disciplines and paving the way for further developments. However, much of the truth about such contributions has been obscured in our time—due to systematic distortion and disinformation—primarily from the minds of many Muslims themselves, more than non-Muslims.

Alongside this confusion and distortion, the worst image of Islam and Muslims has been presented to the world in a premeditated manner. This image has been seized upon by major entities intent on entrenching these negative stereotypes about Muslims and their creed, pushing Muslims either to isolate themselves from the world or to abandon their identity to avoid becoming targets of hostility. At a particularly dark point in time, the reputation of Islam and Muslims suffered from a very large smear campaign supported by footage of explosions, killings, and terrorism, diverting global attention from the suffering of Muslims in many parts of the world—including beloved Palestine—from oppression, tyranny, occupation, and discrimination.

It was imperative for the wise among the Ummah to consider this moment without exaggeration out of fear or minimization, and without denying there was a crisis or succumbing to despair. That was on the twenty-first of Ramadan in the year 1435 AH, corresponding to the 19 July 2014, when a group of Muslim scholars and thinkers gathered under the leadership of His Eminence Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, to establish the Muslim Council of Elders. This body, an independent international entity, aims to unify efforts to reunite the Muslim Ummah and reclaim Islam itself from those who twist its texts to serve their extremist goals, or those who diminish the authority of its rulings to serve their recklessness and efforts to dissolve the identity of Muslims.

The Council has gathered a prominent group of scholars, experts, and dignitaries from the Muslim community who are characterized by wisdom, justice, independence, and moderation. Their goal is to enhance inter-Islamic dialogue, build peace within Muslim communities, and shield them from conflict, division, and fragmentation. They aim to restore the true image of moderate Islam, which supports all human values—from the value of life itself to the values of diversity, freedom of belief, citizenship, and communal living. From the beginning, the Council, under the leadership of Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, President of the Muslim Council of Elders, has focused on promoting citizenship in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, based on equal rights and responsibilities for all.

The Council has been working on establishing robust foundations for citizenship within Muslim societies, deeply rooted in Islamic thought, drawing inspiration from the Constitution of Medina and the principles of citizenship from the state established by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Council also rejects the term ‘minorities’ and all associated theories and ideas that lead to societal divisions and tensions. Additionally, the Council supports the integration of Muslims in non-Muslim countries into their new homelands, encouraging active participation, discouraging isolation, and advocating for loyalty to these new countries, provided that Muslims can confidently maintain their religious faith and identity, without conflict between their religious and national allegiances.

The journey has been neither straightforward nor effortless. It has involved more than just correcting misconceptions through issuing hundreds of intellectual, Fiqhi (jurisprudential), and scientific publications. The efforts have also extended to practical engagements with communities in both the East and the West, developing mechanisms for dialogue and coexistence. This proactive approach includes initiatives that do not simply react to misconceptions but actively address them. Among these are the Peace Convoys that travel to various capitals and cities to alleviate religious tensions, particularly between Muslims and the communities in which they reside in non-Muslim countries. These efforts aim to foster a culture of peace and coexistence between Muslims and people of other faiths, encourage Muslim youth to become socially integrated, clarify the peaceful and coexistence-promoting teachings of Islam, and strengthen these communities—especially the youth in these communities, who are often the targets of extremist movements and misinformation—and address the most pressing questions on their minds.

Through its initiative ‘Dialogue between the East and the West’, the Muslim Council of Elders aims to foster openness and build bridges of cooperation among people of diverse races and beliefs. This has been achieved through ongoing discussions with the world’s leading religious institutions about safeguarding religious diversity and freedom of belief, as well as promoting initiatives that support coexistence and tolerance.

The Council has reinvigorated the spirit of interfaith dialogue, which had previously stalled between major religious organizations. A notable rift existed between Al-Azhar and the Vatican, for instance. The Council has succeeded in bringing together the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, who chairs the Muslim Council of Elders, with leading global religious figures. This collaboration has led to a historic and inspiring friendship between the Grand Imam Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb and Pope Francis, which I have had the privilege to witness. Their relationship is marked by genuine progression, shared objectives in serving humanity, and the overcoming of numerous challenges. This partnership culminated in the creation of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi, the world's capital of tolerance, under the auspices of its rulers. The Document stands as a monumental gift to peacebuilders and advocates of tolerance, for them to use to reach out to people of all faiths and individuals everywhere, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

The Document's profound and innovative value has gained such prominence that the United Nations declared the day of its signing as the International Day of Human Fraternity, prompting nations worldwide to integrate it into their core national documents.

Believing in investing in the future and aiming to spare the new generations the difficulties and drawbacks of human coexistence experienced by previous generations, the idea for the Emerging Peacemakers Forum (EPF) was born. The Muslim Council of Elders decided to elevate the East-West dialogue to the youth level, and thus the EPF was launched. The Forum has witnessed the participation of young men and women from various races, cultures, and religions, featuring a series of lectures, training sessions, interactive workshops, and discussions on leadership, peace, security, and religious text interpretation.

As the Muslim Council of Elders redefines the global representation of Islam and Muslims with accuracy and justice, it looks forward to building on its achievements and the enduring impact of its efforts. Proud of these successes, the Council remains committed to bolstering unity and solidarity among Muslim Ummah and enhancing human fraternity. It envisions a new world marked by peace and equitable partnership, a world that values everyone's contributions within a context of effective diversity.

This new paradigm seeks to avoid ‘cultural dominance and to blur distinctions between beliefs’, and to eschew discrimination, racism, hate speech, double standards, hostility against religions, as well as the targeting and stereotyping of believers. With a firm belief in the shared values that unite believers and non-believers worldwide, the Council is confident that the message of Islam and Muslims' understanding of it are in no way contradictory to the call for human fraternity—a cause Muslims have championed throughout history with inspiring and undeniable humanitarian contributions.