President of East Timor adopts the Document on Human Fraternity as a national charter along with religious leaders considering it as a path to peace

The Bahrain Dialogue Forum is a new chapter for Human Fraternity

As part of the Muslim Council of Elders’ efforts in promoting human fraternity which was inspired by the ‘Document on Human Fraternity’ which was co-signed in 2019 by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders alongside His Holiness Pope Francis of the Catholic Church in Abu Dhabi. 

Upon the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the anniversary of the Document’s signing (4 February) as the ‘International Day of Human Fraternity’ many nation states and international leaders as a charter to spread peace globally to go with various universities around the world applying the values of human fraternity into their curricula. 

On the 19th of May 2022, the President of East Timor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta announced that the parliament of East Timor has adopted the Document as a national charter to be implemented in school curriculum. 

Ramos-Horta said during his presidential inauguration which was attended by the Council’s Secretary-General Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, “As president, I have signed off on a statement making it my commitment to work with our national authorities in the education system, and also with the Catholic Church and other religious groups, to adopt the teachings and values in the Document on Human Fraternity as a part of our national school curriculum.”

On the 25th of September 2022, the Document on Human Fraternity was adopted by over 108 delegates at the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan. Held under the theme, ‘The role of leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of mankind in the post-pandemic period’, the event was attended by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as well as His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders and His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church.

Likewise, a number of universities promoted and applied the values of the Document on Human Fraternity within their educational curricula. These include students at Al-Azhar University and academies as well students in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Italy bringing the total number of students to 1.5 million.

During the ‘Building Interreligious Solidarity’ conference held at Georgetown University in September 2022, the President of Georgetown University John J. DeGioia noted the university’s introductory program to the Document on Human Fraternity and the positive impact it has had on students and dialogue on campus.

In November 2022, the Document was ever-present at the ‘Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence’ which was attended by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain as well as His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders and His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church alongside over 200 religious leaders along with prominent academic and media figures from around the world.

Likewise, participants at the Al-Azhar Caricature Meet which was held in July 2022 showed a great interest in the Document and its values. The event included over 400 participations from 31 countries which largely focused on humanitarian issues, coexistence, dialogue, peace and human fraternity. 

The Document was also the subject-matter of a PhD thesis discussion at the Asian Studies Department in Zagazig University in Egypt. Titled ‘The Document of Human Fraternity and its Impact on Muslims in Asia : Rohingya and Uyghurs as examples’, the thesis was presented by researcher Mayada Tharwat and confirmed the important role of the two largest religious institutions in achieving the Document on Human Fraternity while also praising the prominent role of the United Arab Emirates and its President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in supporting the historic Document.