To answer calls by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders to promote inter-Islamic dialogue

Muslim Council of Elders concludes trip to Iraq which featured a number of meetings with prominent religious leaders and scholars

The visit included a number of meetings with prominent Sunni and Shia religious leaders and scholars

Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam: Visit paves the way for a constructive dialogue which can lead to inter-Islamic understanding

Cooperation between the Council and organizations representing all facets of Iraqi society to promote religious fraternity and coexistence

A delegation from the Muslim Council of Elders has concluded a 4-day trip to Iraq which included a number of meetings with prominent Sunni and Shia religious leaders and scholars in Baghdad, Najaf and Erbil. The visit aimed to build productive channels of dialogue with all facets of Iraqi society and heed the call by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Council to promote inter-Islamic dialogue.

The visit began with the Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shaiyaa Al Sudani hosting the Council’s delegation and its Secretary-General Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam in the capital Baghdad. Al Sudani praised the Council’s role under the Chairmanship of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb in combatting extremism and uniting the Muslim world. For his part, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam expressed the Council's appreciation of all facets of Iraqi society for their ability to defeat terrorism through unity. Abdelsalam noted that the coming period will see more cooperation between the Council and Iraqi institutions that represent all components of Iraqi society through a wide-range of initiatives that promote religious fraternity and coexistence on local and international levels.

The Council’s delegation also met a number of prominent Sunni scholars from the Sunni Endowment Office in Iraq headed by Dr. Mishaan Al-Khazraji where both parties discussed the most pressing issues facing the Arab and Muslim worlds. The delegation also visited the Fiqh Academy of Iraq at the Abu Hanifa Mosque where they were met by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Hassan Taha, the Academy’s head.  This was followed by a visit to the Scholars League Association in Iraq where a meeting took place with His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Abdelaziz Al Sheikh Hamad, President of the Scholars League Association. The delegation expressed the Council’s pride at Iraq and its historic role in nurturing Islamic scholars.

In Najaf, the Council’s delegation met a number of Hawza scholars and academics as well as university professors at the Al-Khoei Institute after an invitation from Sayyed Jawad Al-Khoei, the Secretary-General of the Institute. The meeting discussed ways to connect with fellow Muslims and Arabs with a shared culture and language and to discuss mutual challenges facing the Muslim world. The delegation also met His Eminence Sayed Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbalai, the official representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayed Ali Al-Sistani. During the meeting, Judge Abdelsalam stressed the honest invitation by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders to conduct an inter-Islamic dialogue, which is the basis of the Council’s message of uniting the Muslim world while expressing his appreciation of the efforts of His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayed Ali Al-Sistani to unite the people of Iraq. For his part, His Eminence Sayed Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbalai expressed his happiness at meeting the Council’s delegation which he felt is a positive step towards enhancing Sunni-Shia relations and opening unlimited lines of communication since such meetings reflect a mutual respect between official religious organizations. The official representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayed Ali Al-Sistani also passed on the greetings of the Grand Ayatollah to His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders.

In Erbil, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam along with the travelling delegation met Dr. Pshtiwan Sadiq, Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government who praised the Muslim Council of Elders’ role in spreading coexistence, dialogue and correcting misconceptions. The delegation also met with the President of the Kurdistan Scholars Union as well as  Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil and His Beatitude Mor Nicodemos Daoud Matti Sharaf, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop at the Syriac Orthodox Church along with various religious leaders to reiterate the important role of religious leaders in promoting coexistence. 

The delegation also met His Beatitude Mar Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq. During the meeting, Judge Abdelsalam stressed the important role that religious organizations can play in spreading tolerance, citizenship and coexistence. He also praised the Chaldean Catholic Church and Christians in Iraq for their patriotic actions as important members of Iraqi society. Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako praised the Council’s role under the Chairmanship of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb in spreading dialogue and coexistence. He also noted the strong relationship between His Eminence the Grand Imam and His Holiness Pope Francis of the Catholic Church which is a great example of being able to overcome challenges for the sake of achieving true peace amongst humanity.

Commenting on the visit to Iraq, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders said, “This visit represents a launching point for a serious and effective dialogue with all facets of Iraqi society as per the call of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders to promote inter-Islamic dialogue and unity. The visit targeted building bridges of communication for a larger-scale dialogue in the future that can lead to new understanding. I am immensely proud of the great Iraqi nation’s positive growth and development, as it is a fundamental pillar of the Arab world.”

The visit comes following calls by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb to Muslim scholars around the world to partake in a serious inter-Islamic dialogue for the purpose of unity and acquaintance and to combat sectarian division and sedition. The Grand Imam had urged that for dialogue to be established it must be based on a single golden rule: to excuse each other’s differences in order to overcome any form of hate speech, intimidation and all forms of conflict whether historical or current.

Under the Chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the Muslim Council of Elders is an independent international organization that promotes peace in Muslim communities by discouraging conflict and other issues that lead to divisiveness. Founded in Abu Dhabi in2014, the Council is comprised of various Muslim scholars who are known for their wisdom, justice, independence, and moderateness. It strives to represent all the forms of Muslim communities and encourages reconciliation to prevent foreign intervention, divisiveness and conflict.