Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders: The Council's Message Emphasizes the Importance of an Alliance of Major Religions and Philosophies to Advance Human Thought, Achieve Development, and Foster Civilizational Communication

The Muslim Council of Elders is participating in the 25th World Congress of Philosophy, organized by the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, the Italian Philosophical Society, and Sapienza University of Rome. The event is taking place from August 1 to 8 in the Italian capital, Rome, and aims to explore and discuss scientific and general ideas about the future of societies by examining social, economic, political, technological, and cultural destinies.

In his speech at the session titled "Aristotle-Buddha-Confucius-Islam: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges," the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, emphasized that achieving conditions for coexistence among different perspectives in a small and interconnected world—where everyone is aware of and feels the impact of global events on their lives and their children's future—begins with recognizing cultural diversity as an essential part of human rights. This is in contrast to the current reality marked by various tensions and conflicts in some societies, leading to the exclusion and marginalization of those who are different.

The Secretary-General added that the importance of dialogue between Confucian and Aristotelian philosophy lies in their cultural and civilizational role in addressing common challenges and the need for the wisdom inherent in their philosophies about life and humanity. He pointed out that integrating Aristotle and Confucius's philosophies with Islamic philosophy could help overcome contemporary intellectual and human issues. He also explained that the call for an intellectual turn towards the East and interaction and dialogue has been present in the Islamic world for decades; Al-Azhar University, for example, has been studying Eastern and Western religions and philosophies since its establishment, a methodology followed by most Arab and Islamic universities and institutes.

In conclusion, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders asserted that Islam came as a moderate religion with distinctive social, economic, developmental, and cultural thought. This is a characteristic of religions that aim to create a thought pattern that promotes goodness and righteousness. Islam, as a divine religion, laid new foundations for social, cultural, and economic systems based on equality, solidarity, and justice. He highlighted the role of the Muslim Council of Elders in spreading its message aimed at promoting and enhancing values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, emphasizing the importance of an alliance of major religions and philosophies to contribute to advancing human thought, achieving development and civilizational communication, and ultimately building lasting peace and stability.

The session "Aristotle-Buddha-Confucius-Islam: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges" saw diverse global participation, where participants discussed philosophical ideas as a starting point for public discourses on urgent common concerns, including inequality, cultural diversity, the environment, justice, rights, and political transformations on a global scale. Participants also explored ways to expand philosophical discussions to include representatives from sciences, economics, information, medicine, public health, technology, and public institutions, as well as mechanisms to actively encourage and defend diversity in all its forms by bringing together ideas, traditions, and people from all continents and regions.