<\/a>Religious Values<\/p>\n\n\n\nGrand Imam of Al-Azhar to the President of the European Council: \u200eMany Western Officials Cannot Grasp the Reality of What is \u200eHappening in Gaza and Make Appeals that Reflect Unacceptable \u200eBalances<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President of the European Council to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar: \u200eYou Represent the Uncontested Islamic Authority Worldwide<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President of the European Council: The Human Fraternity \u200eDocument is a Message of Hope and Inspiration for Peoples \u200eDespite Harsh Global Conditions<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President of the European Council: We Appreciate the Role of \u200eReligious Leaders in Mediating for Immediate Cessation of Wars \u200eand Conflicts<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President of the European Council: Europe Needs Al-Azhar’s \u200eModerate Methodology in Training European Imams<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His Eminence Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and \u200eChairman of the MCE received Mr. Charles Michel, President of the \u200eEuropean Council, at his residence in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku. Imam \u200eAt-Tayyeb emphasized that this meeting is an opportunity to listen to \u200eshared concerns and discuss the humanitarian tragedies that defy all \u200elogic and reason, praying for a swift end to these crises.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imam At-Tayyeb also stated that Al-Azhar has made significant strides in \u200eopening up to others and building global peace. These efforts have \u200eresulted in several key initiatives prioritizing brotherhood and mutual \u200eunderstanding in East-West relations, rather than focusing solely on \u200eeconomic interests and material gains. Among these efforts is the historic \u200ecosigning of the Human Fraternity Document between Al-Azhar and the \u200eVatican, which has gained widespread recognition, with the day of \u200ecosigning it being designated by the United Nations as a global day of \u200ehuman fraternity, on February 4th. He noted that these efforts were \u200edeemed sufficient to counter the falsehoods about Islam in the West and \u200eother claims disguised as truths to justify conflicts.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imam At-Tayyeb expressed his disappointment that the outcomes were \u200ehighly discouraging and contrary to expectations, with “double \u200estandards” continuing to be the norm in dealing with Eastern issues. He \u200eobserved that the new global order and international laws seem to \u200esupport those with excessive power in terms of arms and economy, \u200eoppressing the weak and completely abandoning the philosophies and \u200eethics of religions. He stressed that what we have seen in Gaza for over \u200e\u200e500 days is a blatant violation of religious, moral, and humanitarian \u200evalues.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Grand Imam noted that there was hope for major international \u200eentities, like the European Union, the United Nations, and the Security \u200eCouncil, to play a significant role in this conflict. However, the reality has \u200eshown a significant gap between statements and actions. While some \u200eEuropean countries issue condemnation statements against the \u200eviolations committed by the occupier in Gaza, others continue to export \u200eweapons to the occupier, providing unlimited support and participating \u200ein the killing of innocents in Gaza, ignoring the uncurbed bloodshed. He \u200epointed out that this is a clear contradiction in the European stance \u200etowards the aggression on Gaza and is contrary to the position of the \u200emasses who protested in major European capitals and American \u200euniversities, demanding an end to the killing of innocent women, \u200echildren, and elders, whose death toll exceeds 40,000.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Grand Imam declared, “God is Just, and based on my faith in His \u200ejustice, I can say that those who remain silent about these crimes and \u200emassacres today will be afflicted by some of them sooner or later.” He \u200enoted that the failure to support Palestinians has led many to believe \u200ethat there is no solution to the chaos leading the world, and no force can \u200estand up to this occupier and stop its shedding of innocent blood. He \u200estressed that the only way to establish peace today is to deter the \u200eaggressor by force, stating that zooming in on October 7th, portraying it \u200eas the beginning of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and depicting \u200esubsequent events as mere reactions is a clear injustice to the issue and \u200ethe Palestinian people. He emphasized that what is happening in Gaza is \u200ean attack by a heavily armed military, using internationally and ethically \u200eprohibited heavy weapons, on a defenseless people without even their \u200edaily sustenance, with the declared goal of killing innocents to seize land.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Grand Imam emphasized that many Western officials cannot \u200ecomprehend the reality of what is happening in Gaza, and in turn their \u200estatements are characterized by a nominal “objectivity and impartiality.” \u200eThey make appeals and issue statements aiming to avoid siding with one \u200eparty over another. He urged everyone to consider the weekly requests \u200ehe receives from Palestinian students fleeing the aggression to continue \u200etheir studies at Al-Azhar University. When speaking to them, most, if not \u200eall, are unaware of the fate of their family members, not knowing who \u200ehas been lost and who is still alive. He called on Western officials to \u200eadopt a new rhetoric that lives up to the magnitude of the chaos and \u200ehumanity’s plight in Gaza. Imam At-Tayyeb stressed that everyone must \u200erealize that this aggression has created a thick wall of black hatred \u200ebetween East and West that will take decades to dismantle and replace \u200ewith bridges of relations based on respect and equality.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response, Mr. Charles Michel expressed his appreciation for the Grand \u200eImam’s significant efforts in promoting brotherhood and tolerance, \u200eaffirming that the Grand Imam represents an unrivaled moderate \u200ereligious authority worldwide. He emphasized that the world urgently \u200eneeds Al-Azhar’s moderate and influential voice in promoting a culture \u200eof rapprochement and coexistence. He agreed with the Grand Imam’s \u200eremarks on the danger of “double standards” in addressing global \u200econflicts and the need for clear evaluations and naming issues \u200eaccurately. Just as the events in Ukraine are labeled as “war crimes,” the \u200esame should be said for what is happening in Gaza.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Charles Michel affirmed that the Human Fraternity Document is a \u200emessage of hope and inspiration for people despite the harsh conditions \u200ethe world is experiencing. He noted that he has been keen to announce \u200ethe European Union’s support for it in various forums and international \u200eevents. He stressed the need for unity and solidarity to stop \u200ediscrimination and hatred based on religion, such as Islamophobia. He \u200ealso pointed out that while the decision of some European countries to \u200eexport weapons to Israel is their own, the European Union has issued a \u200edecision demanding a halt to arms exports until Israel stops its violations \u200eof international law.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Michel expressed his appreciation for the role of religious leaders in \u200ecreating opportunities for meeting and understanding between different \u200ecultures and mediating for the immediate cessation of wars and \u200econflicts. He noted that Europe needs Al-Azhar’s support in training \u200eEuropean Imams according to its moderate and balanced methodology, \u200ewhich combats extremist thought, promotes a culture of acceptance and \u200ecoexistence, and focuses on shared values.\u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Al-Azhar Alsharif<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to the President of the European Council: \u200eWe Led Efforts to Build Global Peace with the West, Met with \u200e\u200e”Double Standards” in Addressing Eastern Issues\u200e Grand Imam of Al-Azhar to the President of the European Council: It \u200eSeems New International Relations Support Those with Weapons \u200eand Economy, Ignoring Justice and Religious …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":25280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108,74,159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-al-azhar","category-news","category-visits"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waag-azhar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}