Beautiful Egypt 180 – «Universal Fraternity» November 6, 2016

   I was very glad to receive an invitation to attend a conference held in Abu Dhabi. It was entitled “Towards an Integrated World”. This took place on November 2-3, 2016. It was the first of its kind in the Middle East. It was organized by the Muslim Council of Elders presided by the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Prof. Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb. One of the Council’s initiatives is boosting the dialogue between the Elders of the East and West which aims at openness on the other and cooperation amongst humans despite the difference in race and creed, thus seeking a remedy for extremism, violence and terrorism, spreading a culture of peace in the world and putting an end to homicide, rape and pillaging. Another endeavor is furthering humans’ and countries welfare and giving them priority over personal interests. The Council is to organize several regular meetings with the world’s renowned religious institutes. This was how the Muslim Council of Elders and Episcopal Anglican Church launched their action.
   Here, it is worthy to tackle Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb’s speech which emphasized the importance of religions’ message for man’s life, and made it a point that all attempts to shake this truth ended up in failure. Yet, these attempts led the world toward destruction. Likewise, his Eminence stressed the role and mission of men of religion, namely, promoting world peace.
   His Eminence started his speech by highlighting how the meeting targeted alleviating humanity’s tribulations, namely, war and bloodshed. He said, “I believe it is the first time that our modern Arab history ever records a meeting between the Muslim and Christian Elders. The latter group belongs to the Anglican Church. The meeting has specific goals on which, after God Almighty, we set high hopes for taking a new step on the way toward an integrated world, as well as working to alleviate people’s fear, pain, blood and war.”
   Then, Dr. al-Tayeb presented an analysis for the miserable condition which the world suffers from nowadays due to terror and loss of peace, ascribing it to the deviation from religions’ core teachings. Because there are no alternatives for such sound teachings, values and principles have, collapsed and humanity got fragmented, especially with political feud. He says, “I believe you agree with me that most humanity’s tribulations are attributed to the spreading of materialism, atheism, coercive policies which have scorned religion and their teachings. These have not offered alternatives or solutions that provide happiness or a meaningful life for human beings. Neither have they guaranteed rights like those which religions secure. On top of these rights come equality, freedom and the right to differ.”
   This tumult has given rise to a dire need to re-embrace the core and teachings of religions. Thus, his Eminence asserts, “I am quite certain that humanity yearns to re-embracing the core, ethical and human teachings of religions, having gone through a lot of tribulations which make it prone to extermination. These tribulations are also a by-product of political hegemony, imperialism, despotism, individualism and egoism.”
   In fact, scientific and ideological developments never satisfy man, for evolution has implanted racism within people. Thus, it led to two world wars that killed millions of people. There are also the policies and philosophies that justify colonialism, such as the clash of civilizations and creative chaos which fragment the East. His Eminence maintains, “Throughout the past two centuries, people have thought that scientific development as well as technical and philosophical boom ended the role of religion and changed it to an antique object! They have also had the notion that such advancements are the best ways to lead, edify, and refine humanity, thus uprooting evil from its heart. Yet, this dream never came true. Rather, it turned out to be a delusion. 
   Books tell us that the nineteenth century which was an era of philosophy and development turned out to be one of colonialism and using science to satisfy political avarice. So much so, that some scientists and intellectuals refrained from ascribing human beings to a human origin as per religions. Rather, they ascribed them to apes and other species, a fallacy on which they established their theories that discriminated people according color and ethnic group. 
   The twentieth century was not any better, for two world wars broke out, killing more than seventy million people. Religion had nothing to do with that. Rather, ethnicity and racism in Europe were their prime movers. After these two wars, nuclear weapons made their debut, thus becoming a constant threat for human beings.
   The twenty-first century came up with a new colonialist policy that is quite cruel and violent. It affected the West its own way; but in the East, we, Arabs and Muslims, live it as a bloody, tearful reality. The new colonialism does not need a justification for its policies, having already in store theories of clash of civilizations, the end of history, the creative chaos, the center and periphery (dependency theory).”
   His Eminence also made it a point that scientific development was not counterbalanced by an ethical growth that adjusts human behavior. “The wonderful scientific development was not counterbalanced by an ethical growth. Technical boom, especially in the field of weapons of mass destruction, is void of any value that redirects it toward a correct human path.”
   Then he presented an image of the fear that overwhelms the world due to humanity’s conditions. He says, “History repeats itself! Our conference is very much like “The Conference of Scholars of Religions” which was held in London in 1936. At that time, Grand Imam, Sheikh Mohammed Mustafa al-Maraghi sent a message entitled, “Human fraternity and world amity”. How astounding the similarity is! At that time, Europe was terrified, in like manner the world is terrified nowadays. Also, messages of the past are quite similar to those of the present day: for the sheikh’s message was one of human fraternity and world peace which make up the content of our current message: an integrated world.”
   Hence, all men of religion have become responsible for achieving universal fraternity and world peace. This is first achieved through their applying these principles to themselves in order to be good role models. “Thus, there is a crucial role that we should play, as men of religion. We should lead people by doing our best to overcome this horrific crisis that coerces the world. This is achieved by making universal fraternity, the dream that has preoccupied al-Azhar’s mind till the present moment, start with the men of religion. According to the acclaimed Spiritual teacher, Hans King, ‘The world cannot attain peace without harmony among men of religion. If men of religion intend to evangelize with universal peace, replacing conflict with understanding, and making people’s dream of an integrated world come true, they should effect peace and understanding among them first that they might be able to call people for it.’
   Dr. al-Tayeb concluded his speech by emphasizing moving toward the future without bearing one another any grudges, and being fully aware that we are answerable to God, “I do hope we forget that past, along with its reminiscence of hatred and grudges. We should look forward, positive that we are not responsible for the past. Yet, we are answerable to God for our present, our duty towards it, and our stewardship for God’s creation.”
Indeed… Stories never end in Beautiful Egypt.

General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center