NNA - The activities of the Forum themed: "Common Values among Followers of Religions", which brought together senior Muslim scholars and leaders from the countries of the Islamic world and Muslim minority countries, wrapped up in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Under the umbrella of the Muslim World League, participants held the most important international religious event, during which they hosted the main representatives of all followers of religions, in the presence of various religious and intellectual leaders.
Based on common religious principles and international conventions calling for the embodiment of human values in a serious and honest spirit, the forum issued the Declaration of “Common Human Values”, in which the participants agreed to affirm the centrality of religion in every civilization due to its influence in “shaping the ideas of human societies”. They stressed the need not to link the religion and malpractices of some of its followers, and not to employ religion for worldly purposes.
The participants, in the declaration, stressed the world's growing need to activate international mechanisms for conflict resolution through: "a serious will, strong determination, and wise measures." They also agreed that the religious specifics of every religion or sect should be understood and dealt with as they represent human diversity covered by the Creator’s wisdom in differenc.
Participants denounced theses of the civilizational clash, and attempts to impose religious, cultural, political, and economic hegemony "without merit or morals." participants condemned the hatred and racism" as the greatest instigators of violence, terrorism, and division. They also recommended, through the declaration, to establish an international coalition through an honest, just, and effective will to serve humanity with all its rights together with underscoring the common values that bind everyone together as the main starting point for this important human construction.
Participants called for the responsible national and international institutions to work hard on everything that would guarantee freedoms within the framework of respecting relevant international and national laws, maintaining family cohesion that represents the nucleus of society, and taking care of the quality of education.
They called upon various platforms of influence; especially the media ones, to sense the moral honesty entrusted to them as the most influential element in directing public opinion along with appealing to national states and the international community to make all possible efforts to provide adequate protection for places of worship, to ensure free access to them, to preserve their spiritual role, and to distance them from intellectual and political conflicts and sectarian strife.
Participants also called upon the religious institutions around the world to encourage moderate discourse and reject extremist one that incites hatred along with condemning all extremist, violent, and terrorist practices against followers of religions, calling for the criminalization of the impairment of their symbols and sanctities, and supporting serious initiatives against them. The participants announced the launch of a global forum themed: "Religious Diplomacy Forum for Building Bridges"; based on the centrality of the influence of religions on human societies, and the issuing of an international encyclopedia themed: "The Encyclopedia of Common Human Values". They called upon the United Nations General Assembly to establish a world day for human denominators, as a meeting point for the unifying values that achieve the fruit of human fraternity.
His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, announced the forum's launch with an opening speech in which he expressed his pleasure to meet with a group of prominent religious leaders "around the world" and a selection of active partners to contribute to strengthening the peace in our world and the harmony of its national societies.
For his part, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, Chairman of the Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwas, Chairman of the Forum for Promoting Peace for Muslim Societies, stated that this forum represents a new step in the path of common religious action whereas the various religions gather to embody their agreement in the universal values, the values of peace, solidarity, and justice, and they search for ways to deepen this through practical initiatives.
Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Dr. Shawki Allam, made clear that earth construction and benefits from its bounties could not be achieved if the relationship among followers of religions was one of disharmony and hatred. Allah the Almighty orders us to construct earth and love and understand each other for the peace of humanity.
For his part, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox, affirmed that "the best way to reach peace is sincere religious dialogue," stressing his total rejection of the theory of the "inevitable conflict" among civilizations.
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