MWL’s One-day Conference on
Tolerance
in Islam At Brunei Gallery, SOAS
London
Dr. Mozammel Haque
One-day Conference on Tolerance in Islam, organised by Muslim
World League, was held at the Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African
Studies (SOAS), University of London, on Monday, the 15th of May,
2017.
The Conference has three sessions besides the Opening and Welcome
session and the closing sessions. After the recitation from the Holy Qur’an and
Translation, Professor Dr. Muhammad A.S. Abdel Haleem, Professor of Islamic
Studies at SOAS, delivered the welcome address followed by the Keynote address
by His Excellency, Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al Issa, Secretary General of
the Muslim World League, Makkah al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia.
The First session was on Tolerance in Islam … A Method and a
Message, chaired by Hajj Ahmad Thomson, Bar-at-Law. There were three papers:
Shaykh Haytham Tamim presented a paper on ‘Compassion and Brotherhood in Islam’;
the second paper on ‘Aspects of Tolerance in Islam’ was presented by Professor
Muhammad A.S. Abdel Haleem, OBE and the third paper on ‘Qur’anic Justice and
Shared Social Ethics’ was presented by Dr. Ramon Harvey.
The Second session was on Muslims and the Tolerance …Scene and
Objectives, chaired by Dr. Ahmed Meliebary. There were three papers; the first
paper on ‘The Madinah Charter (The First Islamic Constitution dealing with a
Treaty on Tolerance and its Global Impact)’ was presented by Dr. Ahmad
Al-Dubayan, Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre, London. The second
paper was on ‘Islamic Tolerance through the eyes of other Religions and
Cultures’ presented by Shafi Fazaluddin and the third paper on ‘Islam’s
Contribution to World Peace’ was presented by Dr. Hashim Mahdi.
After the lunch break and prayer, there was third session on
Tolerance and Homeland and Communities Security chaired by Dr. Salman Al-Saad.
There were three speakers; the First speaker Peter Clark presented a paper on ‘Marmaduke
Pickthall and Tolerance in Islam’. Dr. Suhaib Abdul Gaffar Hasan presented a
paper on ‘Harmony between Islam and Homeland and Communities’ Security’. Mr.
Ajmal Masroor also spoke on this topic. Dr. Fatima Rajina spoke on the ‘Role of
the Institutions in Promoting Peace in the societies’.
At the end, there was Questions & Answers session; Award
Giving Ceremony and photo session.
The Keynote speech
of the
MWL’s Secretary
General
In the Opening Session, The
Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Dr. Muhammad Bin Abdulkarim
Alissa, delivered the keynote speech in which he has affirmed the MWL’s keenness
to promote a culture of peace and tolerance; constructive dialogue of
understanding between the different components of the society. He mentioned the
moderate approach championed by the Muslim World League. “Tolerance is an integral part of Islam’s
lofty values; ever-present in many religious texts, and abound in the Prophetic
Seerah (Biography of the Prophet); the latter is considered to be the top of
moral values that Islam has commended their application in all areas of life.”
He underlined the incompatibility of these lofty values with the
approach of extremism based on fanaticism, incitement and confrontation. This
radical phenomenon interprets the texts erroneously seeking to distort its
accurate and true meanings.
He also explained that the classification of extremism often
suggests a perverted behavioural nature. The extremist is intolerant,
vulnerable and easily swayed and quickly overwhelmed by the collective thought,
for which it falls easily prey to its harmful spell. Extremism is denuded of
comfortable nature, and finds itself on either opposite pole.
“The extremist neither knows nor understands the doctrine of
priorities and judgement (Jurisprudence of comparison between interests and
malevolence). Neither does he recognise the purposes of Shari’ah, the change of
Fatwa, and the provisions of necessity. He does not know the possibility of the
change in times, places, situations, customs, intentions and people,” Dr.
Alissa said and added, “And you will find the extremist conceited in accepting
evidence and facts, glorifying trivial matters, violating major sins; led by
encouraging division, sowing the seeds of subversion as well as accusing others
of apostasy (takfir) and permitting bloodshed.”
Dr. Alissa also said You’ll find him an estranged individual to
the Fiqh of agreement, congruence and rapprochement. He will be as far away as
possible from being compassionate, accommodating to people and a herald of glad
tidings.
He continued, “You will never find all these great meanings except
in religious consciousness, which has refined behaviour and generated wisdom.
These meanings have also produced the global scholar within the context of his
religion’s universality.”
Secretary General of the Muslim World League concluded: “We say in
brief: The outcome – and God knows best – a pledge based on the defeat the
terrorist thought. The terrorist entity is established on an extremist
ideology, rather than a military entity and an overwhelming political power. It
was able to spread in all countries of the world, attract followers from one
hundred and one countries and influence some minds, taking advantage of every
available opportunity.”
Proceedings of the
Conference
I am going to report briefly
each session, i.e. from the Second session, the Madinah Charter by Dr. Ahmad
Al-Dubayan and from the Third session on Marmaduke Pickthall and Tolerance in
Islam and Homeland and Communities’ Security by Dr. Suhaib Abdul Gaffar Hasan.
From the
Second Session
The Madinah
Charter by Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan
In the Second Session,
Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan, the Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre,
London was programmed to give a lecture on The Madinah Charter. Dr. Al-Dubayan
started by saying: The Charter was one of the most important developments of
the Charter which was really signed and dictated by the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him). But this was not the first one.
He
said, The first one was made about the year 620, that was one year or two years
before the immigration of the Prophet (PBUH) from Makkah to Madinah. He
continued, “The first treaty was not written, it was verbal, as far as we know,
agreed between the Prophet (PBUH) himself and the people from the Madinah (as
it was called Yathrib in those days). And when the Prophet himself (peace be
upon him) came from Makkah to Madinah now we have this treaty charter which
some people called it was signed by the Prophet himself and the representatives
of the population of Madinah. The time when this charter was written is about
624, i.e. the first year of the Hijrah of the Islamic calendar or in the
Gregorian or western calendar, the 624AD.”
After
this, Dr. Al-Dubayan said there was another treaty, not charter; that is the Treaty
of Hudaibiyah, in the year 629. These were the main very important treaties,
documents in the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This one is in writing; the one of Hudaibiyah
in the text; the first one we don’t have the text we just have it in reading.
Dr.
Al-Dubayan then jumped and did not go deep about the authenticity of the text.
About the authenticity of the text, He said, “Really lot of scholars, or some
scholars have argued about the authenticity as a whole or one text, some
scholars argued about the authenticity of some part of it and some scholars
have not accepted and there were many who accepted as really authentic text
written and narrated by many of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon
him).
Then
Dr. Al-Dubayan mentioned about the historian who first mentioned about this. He
said, “The first one who mentioned about this is Ibn Ishaq Muhammad bin Ishaq,
the most famous historian of the period of the Prophet (PBUH). Bin Ishaq died
in 768 which is about 150 years after the immigration of the Prophet (peace be
upon him), i.e. one and a half century after the immigration of the Prophet (peace
be upon him).
The
ICC Chief also mentioned, “We had actually chain of narrators, from bin Ishaq
to the course of the charter and what is really very amazing; the last person
in this chain was Othman bin Mugira. Bin Mugira said he found the Treaty was
written in a book with the family of Umar bin Khattab himself. That means it was
in writing; it was not just their belief, they say and then somebody memorised
or memorises it but it was found with the family of Umar al-Khattab. Dr al-Dubayan maintained I think the
authenticity is very very strong.
Speaking
about the importance and significance of the Charter Dr. al-Dubayan said, “To
understand how important this one is we have to go back to Madinah itself to
know who were there; when the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Madinah. When
the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Madinah, there were Jewish community in
Madinah; there were Arabs who were non-Muslims yet and, of course, early
strongly there were some Christians in Madinah, may be individuals, not very
big community but there were some Christian Arabs who followed their religion
before Islam; there was a big community of Jews in Madinah itself when the Prophet
came.
So
there were different people of different religions of different tribes - all of
them living in Madinah. It means it was multicultural multi-religious and
multi-ethnic communities living in the city. It is interesting to know the type
of life and the relations among these people and communities and here lies the
importance of the Charter, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Madinah,
said Dr. Al-Dubayan.
Going
into the details of the Charter, the Director General of the Centre mentioned “The
first thing we see in this Charter is the tolerance. The subject tolerance is
really very very important in this document. The Charter has 52 items, 25 of
these items are really about the lives of Muslims and 27 of these items related
to the relations within Muslims and between other faiths, Jews and Christians
in Madinah in those days.”
First
of all, the Madinah Charter removed any kind of racism. Dr. Al-Dubyan
mentioned, “If we examine first the Charter removed any kind of racism among the
relations in Madinah. No racism among the people; they were one nation; they
were whole one nation. That means they were sharing the same rights; sharing
the same duties; and which actually later on about the duties to help each
other when the Madinah the city was attacked. The duties to help each other were
like a financial crisis; everybody must share and must contribute something.”
Then
Dr. Al-Dubyan mentioned about the social justice aspect of the Charter. He
said, “Social justice means when there is some issues it must be dealt with the
law itself and it must be taken and considered by the head of the city. It is
really, may be, the first political charter or constitution written. One of the
aspects is respecting the rights of the neighbours, respecting the rights of
properties. These are all in the document which show what is called in the
modern terminology or in modern times the rights and the same written in the
same charter.”
Then
Dr. al-Dubyan mentioned about the economic aspects about it. For example, the
economic independence among the communities is written in the charter. He said,
“There was economic independence; that means Jews were responsible for their
own properties; Muslims were responsible for their own properties; and
everybody knows what he had and they must all contribute in the case of poor or
in the case of need. This is what is written in the charter.”
These
are some of the aspects of the charter which are very very important. Dr.
Al-Dubyan also mentioned another important aspect is that there are some books
now really examining the document itself.
He
said, just about five days ago there was a conference in Bahrain talking only
about this subject of this document the Charter of Madinah and studies and many
scholars presented different papers about the economic sides of it. Another one
is about the political side in it. I think, in the modern time or in the modern
history of Arabs, they did not argue of the different form of the state.
“How
is the state in Islam? How is the state written in Arab history? -That is the
big argument in the Islamic studies; Arab studies in the 21st century.
and I think if this charter is re-examined and studied it will lead us to a
kind of or a form of state; said Dr. Al-Dubyan and added, “It will show us how
there were respect among people of different faiths; how independence they have
of their faiths; how independence they have of their economic issues; how also
they must work together whenever there is any threat to the state or for the
state itself and how much they have relations to each other and they respect
each other. And how much of the justice was there. For example, in item no 40
in the charter it says that everybody is independent of the crime and nobody
will be responsible for the mistake of another person, even if he is from the
same family or his friend or something.”
Another
aspect which Dr. al-Dubyan mentioned is the tribal culture. He said, “Because of
tribal culture, if somebody is killed in the tribe the other tribe will try to
kill anybody from that tribe, even if he is innocent; not committed by the
person who committed the crime. That was stopped in this charter. To make the
responsibility really is individual only; the person himself; and nobody can be
responsible for the crime of other people.”
Dr.
al-Dubayan finally emphasized the tolerance aspect of the Charter. He said, “Supporting
each other; working together; respecting neighbour and neighbourhood and
everything. Actually two items they are all going about tolerance. It is really
a model. I think we really trying to implement again the idea and then bring
them into life that will help for better understanding of Islam.”
The Third Session
Marmaduke
Pickthall and Tolerance
by Dr. Peter
Clark OBE
Dr. Peter Clark OBE is a
consultant, writer and translator. One of his books is Marmaduke Pickthall,
British Muslim. Dr. Clark first spoke about the life and work of Marmaduke
Pickthall, a novelist who embraced Islam in 1917 and translated the Holy Qur’an,
the first translation by a believing Muslim who was also a native speaker of
English. He said, “My study of Pickthall, first published in 1986, has been
reissued and translated into Arabic. Two other volumes, dedicated to his work,
have been published. I think there are two reasons for this interest. First, he
was a British Muslim; his life demonstrates that there is nothing alien about
Muslims in Britain. Secondly, his writings emphasised the openness and liberal
traditions of Islam, in contrast to some of the statements made in the name of
Islam today.”
Dr. Peter Clark talked about Pickthall’s intimate familiarity with
three or four areas of Islam. He said, “Pickthall was remarkable in having an
intimate familiarity with three or four areas of the world of Islam. In his
youth in the 1890s he spent two years wandering round Syria and Palestine,
mastering colloquial Levantine Arabic. He spent prolonged periods in Egypt.
Before the First World War he was for several months in Istanbul where he
learnt Turkish and became a champion of the Young Turks. Then from 1920 to 1935
he was in India, the last ten years in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad
under whose auspices he undertook his great work of translation and was
founder-editor of the remarkable journal, Islamic
Culture.”
Speaking about Pickthall’s conception of Tolerance in Islam, Dr.
Clark mentioned his lecture entitled “Tolerance”. He said, “In addition to his
novels and short stories that articulate the attitudes of ordinary Turks,
Syrians and Egyptians, he wrote extensively about Islam. In 1917 he moved to a
position of leadership of the British Muslim community and gave addresses and khutbas in which he proclaimed that
Islam was a religion of tolerance. The summation of his Muslim faith was
expressed in a series of lectures he gave in Chennai/Madras in 1925. They have
been published as The Cultural Side of
Islam and many times reprinted.”
“One lecture was entitled “Tolerance”. In this lecture he quotes
from the Holy Qur’an in support of his own liberal views. He argues that
Muslims were at their strongest when they were open and tolerant. He recalls
the tradition of plurality in places where there were mixed communities of
Muslims, Jews and Christians. Places of worship were shared. I could point to a dozen buildings in Syria, he said, which tradition says were thus jointly
used; and I have seen at Lud (Lydda), in the plain of Sharon, a Church of St.
George and a mosque under the same roof with only a partition wall between.” Dr. Clark mentioned.
Talking about the Ottoman Empire as tolerant Empire, Dr. Clark
mentioned, “He (Pickthall) was in Syria at the end of the Ottoman Empire and
saw it, at its best, as a tolerant Empire. Christians and Jews flourished. When
Jews (and Muslims) were expelled from Spain at the end of the fifteenth
century, they were given a warm welcome in the Ottoman Empire. Until
nationalism undermined relationships, there was a balance of communities. Of
course practice was never always in line with precept but, as Pickthall said, The poor Muslims and poor Christians were on
an equality, and were still good friends and neighbours. The Muslims never
interfered with the religion of the subject Christians. There was never
anything like the inquisition or the fires of Smithfield.”
“Tolerance is a negative quality. It is the refraining from persecution
or oppression. To turn tolerance into something positive is to celebrate the
other,” said Dr. Clark. But while speaking about Pickthall’s works and life in
Hyderabad under its Nizam, Dr. Clark said, “He (Pickthall) was happiest in
Hyderabad which was effectively a benevolent autocracy. Hyderabad, like the
Syria of his youth, was a multi-ethnic community but the Nizam saw himself as
the patron of all. He funded the buildings of buildings, not exclusively
Islamic, as well as providing extensive social services. One of Pickthall’s
tasks in Hyderabad was to negotiate a marriage alliance between the son of the
Nizam and the daughter of the last Ottoman Khalifa, Abdulmecid, a man of great
culture, a musician and a painter, at home in the cultures of Turkey, Arabia
and Persia as well as of western Europe.”
“Until the Ottoman Empire imploded the Sultans were often the
patrons of Christian and Jewish endeavours, In Haydarpasha Istanbul there is a
synagogue today named after Sultan Abdulhamid II,” he mentioned.
Speaking about the Sixteenth Century Mughal Emperor Akbar, Dr.
Clark mentioned, “He (Pickthall) respected the sixteenth century Mughal
Emperor, Akbar, who was open to all religious influences. He established the
Ibadatkhana that was open to people of all religions and of none, where there
were discussions of everything. In the following century the Persian Shah Abbas
enjoyed talking with European Christians about their faith to such an extent
that there were rumours that he was about to become a Christian. But it was
simply unbounded intellectual curiosity. A believer, Pickthall thought, strong
in his faith, should have no anxiety about open and searching enquiry. Any
scientific enquiry is simplify an exploration of the divinely created world.”
Dr. Clark also said, “Akbar and Abbas and the Ottoman Empire at
its best implemented this policy of tolerance, acceptance and even celebration.”
Dr. Clark would like to end this with some words Pickthall spoke
in his last Madras lecture. “Muslims
cannot adopt the institutions of other communities, but it is their duty to
respect the customs and institutions of other communities, and to live with
them on terms of neighbourly regard and tolerance. Intolerance and what is
called fanaticism have nothing to do with the religion of Islam. . . . There is
nothing in the teaching of Islam to justify hatred of any man for his opinions
or for seeking to win others to his opinions. God forbid that I should have to
say it: There is nothing in the teaching of Islam to justify murder. Islam
preaches equal justice to all men, tolerance for all sincere opinions, respect
for all good men, wherever found. Islam is not against the rest of the world,
but for the rest of the world, striving for right wherever found against wrong
wherever found. I would urge most strongly on your notice the need to preach
and Suhaib the wine of the non-Muslim. We are forbidden to speak anything
concerning his religion which could hurt his feelings. The tolerance of Islam
in history is our great claim to the consideration of the world.”
Harmony between Islam and Homeland
and Communities’ Security – Dr. Suhaib Hasan
The topic of the third session Harmony
Between Islam and Homeland and Communities Security. Dr. Suhaib Hasan presented
a paper on this subject. In his paper Dr. Hasan said, “As Muslims, we claim
that the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, may peace be upon him, was a messenger
of peace, who established peace practically. To prove this claim, let us look
into it through these three criteria:
*To establish internal peace of mind.
*To establish peace in society at large where people
can live without fear and coercion.
*To establish peace internationally in a way the wars
are no more than a necessary evil, and exist only to eradicate oppression and
bring tyranny to an end.”
Dr. Hasan said, “The Prophet (SAW) has
established all these three criteria. Arabs in his times had some extraordinary
characters which eventually made them capable of carrying out the great task of
turning the Arabian Peninsula into the seat of Islam and a source of global
inspiration. They were known for bravery, generosity, sense of dignity and
gallantry and trustworthiness. But these highly merited characters were marked
with excessiveness which caused them sometimes to appear negatively.”
“The valour was turned into plunder and
smouldering the flames of war on petty issues. The generosity was turned into
gambling, even for charitable purposes. The dignity and gallantry, of family
and tribal pride led them to create havoc and massacre in the ranks of enemies
in the name of vengeance and racial supremacy. The Prophet (SAW) was very
successful in moulding these characters in a positive direction, to a
productive and to a peaceful way of life,” Dr. Hasan mentioned.
.
Dr. Hasan also said, “So let us take the
three criteria, first to establish internal peace of mind internally: Islam is
peace and one of Allah’s attributes is Al-Salam and our greetings in The Muslim
greeting is “Assalamu-u-Alaikum” (peace be upon you). And Darul Salam means the
House of peace.” “
Then the second criteria is to establish
peace in society. Dr. Hasan said, “Secondly, establishing peace in society. Society
itself is composed of small units: a house or a family. There are a number of
institutions that help create a peaceful society. Let us consider each one of
them.
He also mentioned, “The House of the
Family ‘Sakinah’ or tranquillity is declared as one of the most important
factors in creating a successful dwelling. In the Qur’an Allah said, “And
(also) of His signs is that He created for you mates of your own kind so that
you acquire peace from them, and He created between you love and mercy. Verily,
in this (system of creation) there are signs for those who meditate.” (Surah
30:21)
Dr. Hasan then said, “Next to the house
comes one’s neighbours. Then The institution of Al-Hisbah (Ombudsman) and then
the The institution of Bait-ul-Mal: the wealth to be distributed to the poor
and the needy. After this there was very most important thing is the The
institution of Qazar (importing justice) and this has been mentioned by some of
our speakers as well. Allah said in the Qur’an: “Verily, We sent Our Messengers with clear
signs, and We sent down with them the Book and the balance of justice so that
people might grow firm and stable in justice. And (of minerals) We brought
forth iron in which there is a fierce force (for weapons and defence) and which
has (multiple other) benefits for people (in industrial development). And (the
purpose is) that Allah may bring to light the one who helps Him and His
Messengers (i.e., the Din [Religion of Islam]) without seeing. Surely, Allah is
(Himself) the All-Powerful, the Almighty.” (57:25) So wherever there is
justice, it is a peaceful country.”
In this connection, Dr. Hasan mentioned,
“Once Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, was asked about the fate
of England in the face of constant attack by the enemy during the last days of
the Second World War. He replied that as long as the courts of this country
were functioning well and providing justice to the people, there was no reason
for anyone to fear or despair.” Then Dr. Hasan mentioned the institution of
Mirath (the distribution of the inheritance).
And then the third criterion is to
establish peace internationally. About this criterion Dr. Hasan mentioned: “Though
the Prophet (peace be upon him) was constantly forced to engage in fighting,
seeking peace was his primary objective in life and that is why the Qur’an
certified that: “And if they (the combatant or hostile disbelievers) incline to
peace and reconciliation, you also incline to it and put your trust in Allah.
Surely, He alone is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”(8:61)”
Then he mentioned about the The Treaty of
Hudaibiya in the 6th year of Hijrah.
Dr. Hasan said, “The legacy which was left
by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as for peace and war could be summarised as
follows:
*The objective of a State is to provide
peace on all levels, individual, social and nationally.
*War is a necessary evil which serves the purpose of
defence and eradicates tyranny and injustice.”
Dr. Hasan also mentioned, The Prophet (peace be upon
him) himself participated in 23 battles (Ghazwat) during which only one
person was killed by his own hand because he confronted him directly.”
- Killing involved the combatants only. He prohibited the killing of
non-combatants especially women, children, old people, persons confined to
the houses of worship. Beneficial objects, whether cattles or trees were
treated as sanctuary.
Peace is the preferred option over even if it is
accomplished on the expenses of one’s own interest. That was the lesson of the
Treaty of Hudaibiya in the 6th year of Hijrah.” Mentioned Dr. Hasan.
Closing Statement:
Recommendations
After that, the participants
started the conference’s topics, led by scholars of Dawa activists, leaders in
areas of science, advocacy and cultural work in a number of Islamic countries.
The conference was also attended by leaders of Islamic centres and offices in
the United Kingdom. At the end of the session discussions, the participants
proposed the following recommendations:
- To praise the
efforts made by the Muslims in the United Kingdom to promote the real
image of Islam; to appreciate their cultural contributions and positive
engagement with everybody.
- They salute their
efforts in spreading the culture of accepting others in their midst due to
the firm belief in the difference between people while promoting the
concepts of positive communication among followers of religions and
cultures to serve humanitarian work and maintain human dignity and
preserve human rights.
- To sustain the
positive spirit that Muslims have had over the past centuries in their
fair dealings with others and co-existing with them side by side. They
call upon the various components of society to exert efforts to promote
citizenship and expand constructive dialogue among them.
- The consolidation
of common human values and solidarity in protecting national public
interests, and to overcome difficulties that hinder coexistence in a happy
safe way.
- Respect symbols and
national traditions, including greeting, peace and national protocol,
according to the priorities of the concept of citizenship, and accept what
some might see from his point of view as reservation or doubt on some of
its contexts. Hence, the Muslim has to work on the procedure between the
pros and cons within priorities and comparison. One might sustain a
greater harm as a result of objection than the original provisions he may
consider; as long as – by consensus – it won‘t cast a Muslim outside the
fold of Islam. To bring Muslims together and reject doubts, and the
consequences of objection; there are important considerations which have a
great weight on the provisions of the law. However, if a Muslim
deliberately commits greater evil to avoid a lesser one, then he has
breached the basis of Sharia. This will be based on the assumption of
accepting what he sees as the correctness towards what he considers a
lesser evil.
- To promote noble
moral values, encourage lofty social practices, and the necessity to
cooperate in addressing ethical, environmental and family challenges. To
endorse cooperation in the development of sustainable progress that will
benefit everybody involved.
- Denounce the
phenomenon of “Islamophobia” which is the result of misunderstanding the
reality of Islam, its cultural creativity and lofty objectives. Imparting
objectivity and rejecting prejudices must be promoted. Learning about
Islam must be acquired through its origins and principles, not through the
horrors committed by perpetrators falsely attributed to Islam.
- To invite religious
and educational institutions to promote a culture of cooperation and
understanding, and encourage religious values that would establish
tolerance and positive coexistence.
- To inviting Muslim
communities in non-Muslim countries to demand their religious rights
through peaceful and legal means; including the Hijab, halal slaughter,
Islamic schools and the adoption of Islamic holidays.
- Muslims must be
alert of being dragged behind the religious rebel rousers’ passion against
the decisions of those States. Moreover, anyone unable to remain in his
adoptive country must leave it; God’s earth is far and wide; the way it is
mentioned in the verse of Sura An-Nissa. Everyone must be careful to
preserve his moderate religious belief and his national consciousness from
the incursion of extremist ideas.
- The need to
cooperate on what will benefit the entire humanity. Communities are called
to form a universal alliance to reform the civilisational disorder, which
considers terrorism one of its branches, and one of its consequences. The
beginning of humanity was founded on cooperation among all people based on
our common origin and creation.
- The participants
praised the efforts of the Muslim world League and expressed their thanks
for holding the conference. They commended its efforts in the service of
Islam and Muslims around the world. They appreciate the Rabita’s (MWL’s)
assistance, awareness to them and interception of extremist messages to reach
them. They also cherish the religious advices provided to the communities
along with its great support to their demands. They praise the MWL’s
position in accordance with its new vision based on its weight and trust
thanks to its religious wisdom and insight.
- They also noted the
support provided by the University of London in facilitating the
organization of the conference. The Muslim World League along with the
Muslim community appreciates the presence of scholars, preachers and
intellectuals. These are a reflection of the finest case of a civilized
example of coexistence and positive communication. This academic
appreciation carries a prestigious dimension of interest and graciousness.
Earlier,
on Sunday, the 14th of May; the Islamic Cultural Centre, London
invited His Excellency, Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim
Al Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Makkah al-Mukarramah,
Saudi Arabia to a reception at the Library Conference Hall of the Centre where he met and
addressed an audience of ambassadors, representatives of different Embassies in
London, religious leaders, imams, leaders of the Islamic centres and senior
members of the Muslim communities and spoke on integration.
