– MCE Secretary-General urges making use of the Document on Human Fraternity to draft international charters and laws on inter-civilizational relations

– MCE Secretary-General: The Document on Human Fraternity is a call to all members of the greater human family to advance peace, mutual respect, social harmony, based on respect for all people and their rights

– MCE Secretary-General: I call for giving due attention to the role of religious leaders in addressing lack of peace and mutual respect worldwide

Muslim Council of Elders (MCE) Secretary-General Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam has stressed the need to make use of Abu Dhabi’s historic Document on Human Fraternity to draft new international charters and laws that enhance inter-civilizational relations and advance moral and spiritual values in dealing with major common human challenges.

In a keynote speech at a thematic session on the role of religious leaders in promoting peace, mutual respect, and social harmony, co-organized by the MCE and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the Secretary-General said the Document on Human Fraternity, signed by His Eminence Professor Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, in Abu Dhabi, 2019, is one of the best outcomes of interfaith dialogue in modern times.  

This document is an appeal to all members of the greater human family to unite in advancing world peace, mutual respect, and social harmony, based on respect for all peoples and their rights, the Secretary-General added. He stressed that due attention should be given to the role religious leaders can undertake in addressing today’s most pressing problems, including the lack of peace and mutual respect. The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the local and global impact of religious leaders and the difference they can make in this area, he added.

The Secretary-General pointed out that the MCE – since its establishment in Abu Dhabi in 2014 – has sought to make use of the wisdom and vision of community and religious leaders and to translate this into actions and guidance for the betterment of world communities.

The MCE has been doing this out of its conviction that moral and cultural experiences of peoples are a great source of wisdom that can help address today’s conflicts and inspire the world to have better human relationships. This holds true when cultural experiences are shared and integrated through the recognition of the collective creativity of all peoples and nations, that has led to the creation of various civilizations throughout the course of history, Judge Abdelsalam explained.

In his concluding remarks, Secretary-General Judge Abdelsalam offered his thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Morocco as a pioneering model for promoting coexistence and human fraternity. He gave special thanks to His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco for supporting such efforts.

The Secretary-General commended the UNAOC for organizing the ninth edition of the UNAOC Global Forum, with the theme: Towards an Alliance of Peace: Living Together as One Humanity. He further expressed his hope that the Forum will promote greater global awareness of the values of cultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence as a prerequisite for mutual respect and sustainable global peace.