The Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Dr. Sultan Al Remeithi has delivered a speech at the Secretariat meeting of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions’ taking part in the Capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan.

Al Remeithi said, “Pluralism and diversity are two universally divine values that have created countless conflicts and loss of life when ignored. Acceptance is the first step towards adopting pluralism, along with recognizing the rights of others and respecting their differences. Coexistence, therefore has become a basic necessity to achieving diversity in societies, which can in turn be used to enhance societal cohesion, which eventually leads to prosperity for people. Religious leaders must emphasize coexistence as a basic religious right for all people. They must also refute all misconceptions that justify religious violence and distance religions from any hateful ideologies.”

Al Remeithi concluded, “Since its establishment, the Muslim Council of Elders has worked tirelessly to promote peace and coexistence in Muslim societies to help ease the burden and hate that have come about as a result of conflict and war. Extremists are attempting to distort the very meaning of coexistence, since they fail miserably when confronted by those advocating for peace and mercy. They therefore insist that coexistence is “an abolition of their beliefs”, which is the furthest thing from the truth.