On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - The Muslim Council of Elders: Islam Established Principles of Mercy, Justice, and Equality and Rejected All Forms of Bigotry, Racism, and Discrimination

The Muslim Council of Elders Calls for the Establishment of International Legislation Criminalizing Racial Discrimination and Promoting Values of Dialogue, Tolerance, and Coexistence

The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, reaffirms its commitment to promoting the values of fraternity, tolerance, and justice among humanity. Drawing inspiration from the spirit of Islam, the religion of mercy and peace, the council stands firm against all forms of bigotry, racism, hatred, and discrimination.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed on March 21st of each year, the Muslim Council of Elders stated that Islam calls for equality among people and emphasized that all are equal, as Allah says: "And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference." [Quran 17:70]. The council affirmed that all people originate from one source, as the Prophet Muhammad, (PBUH), said: "People are the children of Adam, and Adam was created from dust." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi). The Council warns that discrimination represents a dangerous scourge that threatens peace and global security, hence the necessity to unify efforts to confront and eradicate it.

The statement also highlighted the Document on Human Fraternity which was co-signed by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and His Holiness Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, in Abu Dhabi in 2019. The document called for the dissemination of equality and justice values, and the instillation of principles of tolerance and mutual respect. It emphasized that the concept of citizenship is based on equality in rights and duties that ensure justice for all. Therefore, efforts must be made to consolidate the concept of full citizenship in our societies, abandoning the exclusionary use of the term "minorities," which carries with it a sense of isolation and inferiority, fosters seeds of discord and division, deprives some citizens of their religious and civil rights and entitlements, and leads to discriminatory practices against them.

The Muslim Council of Elders exerts significant efforts to reduce the phenomenon of racial discrimination and seeks to eliminate it through numerous purposeful initiatives aimed at promoting equality, respect, and acceptance of others, and enhancing the values of dialogue, tolerance, and shared coexistence.