On International Peace Day - Muslim Council of Elders Calls on World Leaders to Strengthen Joint Efforts to Promote the Values of Peace and Coexistence in the Face of Wars and Conflicts

The Muslim Council of Elders, under the Chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, calls upon the world's leaders to intensify joint efforts to spread a culture of peace, tolerance, and human coexistence in response to the ongoing wars, conflicts, and disputes that continue to claim countless victims, injuries, and displace people from their homes and countries.

On International Peace Day, observed annually on September 21, the Muslim Council of Elders emphasizes that promoting peace is a fundamental Islamic principle. Islam makes peace a core value for the Muslim community, closely linking their lives with the concepts and meanings of peace. The Council stresses the importance of striving for peace and harmony within communities. The Council also highlights the crucial role of religious leaders in global peace efforts, serving as moral voices and shared human consciences that guide individuals and societies towards tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and human fraternity, while rejecting violence, division, extremism, and terrorism.

The Muslim Council of Elders reaffirms its firm belief that peace is the most effective path to achieving global stability and prosperity. Dialogue and understanding between peoples and cultures offer the best means to resolve conflicts and wars. To support this, the Council launches several pioneering peace initiatives, culminating in the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb and His Holiness Pope Francis. This historic document urges the rediscovery of values such as peace, justice, goodness, love, and human fraternity, and it addresses the critical global issues of war, conflict, climate change, and cultural and moral decline.

The Council places significant importance on empowering young people and strengthening their skills in peacebuilding, recognizing them as essential to global peace efforts. Through various initiatives, including the Emerging Peacemakers Forum and the Ethics Education Fellowship Program, the Council creates platforms that foster cultural understanding, mutual respect, and awareness of dialogue as a vital tool for resolving conflicts and building a more secure, peaceful world.

In its commitment to eradicating sectarianism and promoting unity, the call made by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb at the Bahrain Dialogue Forum marks a pivotal moment in reinforcing Islamic solidarity. It lays the foundation for a new phase of communication and cooperation, contributing to the advancement of peace, the rejection of sectarianism and extremism, and the resolution of contemporary challenges facing the Islamic ummah.