Prof. Abbas Shouman, President of the World Organization for al-Azhar Graduates, Secretary-General of the Council of Senior Scholars, and a member of the Islamic Research Academy at al-Azhar ash-Sharif, delivered a speech at the opening session of a scholarly conference organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences at the Chinese History Institute. The conference was held under the title “Religious Tolerance and Combating Discrimination within the Framework of the Global Civilization Initiative.” Notably, the event was attended by a group of scholars and researchers from several countries worldwide, including Prof. Mohammad El-Gendy, Secretary-General of the Islamic Research Academy, and Prof. Hasan Khalil, Assistant Secretary-General for Islamic Culture at the Academy.
In his speech, Prof. Shouman emphasized that differences in people’s religions and sects are a matter of divine will, intended by Allah, and that Islam calls for national unity despite this diversity. He further explained that the concept of ummah in Islam encompasses both Muslims and non-Muslims, and that true distinction among people is based on piety, not race, color, or lineage. He cited hadiths of the Prophet (PBUH) warning against intolerance and rejecting division.
The Secretary-General of the Council of Senior Scholars stressed that dialogue and mutual understanding are the best means of addressing differences. He reviewed Quranic texts that forbid compulsion in religion, call for gentleness in preaching, and uphold respect for freedom of belief. He emphasized that Islam encourages righteousness and charity toward peaceful non-Muslims and the fulfillment of covenants and rejects the notion of a “clash of civilizations” as a means of domination and control.
Furthermore, His Eminence explained that al-Azhar, in line with its mission, is making strenuous efforts to promote a culture of dialogue both domestically and internationally. He outlined the most prominent of these initiatives, including advocating for the principle of equal citizenship affirmed by the Document of Medina, holding international conferences to support diversity and integration, establishing a center for dialogue between followers of religions and cultures, organizing joint meetings with the Vatican and the World Council of Churches, founding “the Egyptian Family House” in 2011, and launching “the Human Fraternity Document” in 2019.
He also explained that al-Azhar’s adoption of dialogue does not mean abandoning its religious identity or dissolving into the other. Rather, it is based on cooperation while preserving the distinctiveness of belief and affiliation. He pointed out that this correct understanding has enabled al-Azhar to combine openness to others with the preservation of its core principles.
Finally, Prof. Abbas Shouman concluded his speech by urging the international community and the forces of peace to pressure decision-makers to stop fueling conflicts, plundering the wealth of nations, and pursuing policies of hegemony. He called for urgent action to end wars, foremost among them the Zionist war on Gaza, which he described as an unprecedented crime in human history in terms of killing, starvation, and destruction, carried out in full view of the world and with the declared support of some major powers.
