Islamic Islamic Dialogue in Bahrain Affirms: " What is Needed is a Constructive Dialogue of Understanding that Embraces the Many Elements of Unity"

MANAMA, Kingdom of Bahrain, Feb. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Participants in the Islamic Islamic Dialogue Conference, titled: “One Nation.. A Shared Destiny” expressed their deepest gratitude and appreciation in their final statement to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, for his gracious patronage of the conference and for hosting it in the Kingdom of Bahrain. They also extended their thanks to His Eminence, the Grand Imam, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Shaikh of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, for his attendance and valuable contributions to the conference proceedings. Appreciation was also extended to the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs for their generous hospitality and excellent organisation. The participants acknowledged the efforts made by Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders in preparing and organising the conference, which contributed to its successful execution.

The final statement of the conference emphasised that "the unity of the Ummah is a covenant and a pledge," and that "understanding and cooperation in fulfilling the requirements of Islamic brotherhood is an obligation incumbent upon all Muslims." It pointed out that "the Islamic dialogue needed today, and which the Ummah requires, is not a doctrinal or conciliatory dialogue, but rather a constructive dialogue of understanding that embraces the many elements of unity in facing shared challenges, while adhering to the etiquette and ethics of dialogue."

The conference urged joint cooperation among religious, scholarly, intellectual, and media authorities to address the culture of hatred and animosity, emphasising the need to firmly criminalise insults and curses from all sects. It noted that the intellectual and cultural heritage of all Muslim schools of thought is not free from juristic errors that should be overcome, calling for wisdom and courage in self-criticism of certain statements and the acknowledgment of errors therein, continuing the path initiated by previous imams and followed scholars from all Islamic schools of thought.

The statement stressed "the necessity of unifying efforts towards the pressing issues of the Ummah, such as supporting the Palestinian cause, resisting occupation, and confronting poverty and extremism. When Muslims unite, despite their differing schools of thought, to support these issues practically, secondary differences naturally dissolve under the umbrella of 'Islamic brotherhood' as commanded by the Quran."

The conference called on major Islamic scholarly institutions to undertake a comprehensive scholarly project that documents all areas of agreement among Muslims in matters of creed, jurisprudence, and values. It affirmed that this project would have a significant impact on the Ummah's self-awareness, correcting mutual perceptions, nurturing a shared Islamic culture, and enhancing its humanitarian mission.

It emphasised that "Islamic unity must become an institutional system starting from educational curricula and extending to mosque sermons and media," calling for the transformation of a "culture of understanding" into tangible policies in books that teach the jurisprudence of differences, platforms that undermine hate speech, and joint social, developmental, and civilisational projects.

The conference highlighted the role of women in consolidating the values of unity within the Ummah and fostering understanding among its members, whether through their roles within the family or through their scholarly and societal presence. It also called for the development of a new strategy for Islamic dialogue that takes into account the issues and aspirations of youth, leveraging modern means of communication and knowledge transfer, ensuring that religious discourse interacts with their digital and technological reality and reflects their vision for the future of Islam in a changing world.

The statement underscored the importance of enhancing Islamic dialogue platforms by establishing specialised committees under the umbrella of major religious institutions to foster dialogue among Muslim youth from various Islamic sects. It recommended organizing youth initiatives and programmes for dialogue, including Muslim youth in the West, to connect them with their Islamic heritage, promote values of understanding and joint cooperation among Islamic sects, and present positive models that strengthen their religious identity. It also called for launching scholarly and institutional initiatives for dialogue among Muslims from all sects to remove mutual stereotypes and eliminate sources of tension, considering this the optimal way to improve the image of Muslims and counter Islamophobia.

The conference recommended the establishment of an "Islamic Dialogue League" by the Muslim Council of Elders to open channels of communication for all components of the Islamic Ummah without exclusion, drawing from the prophetic tradition that considers the Muslim Ummah as one nation.

Additionally, the conference launched a call titled "The Call of the People of the Qiblah," urging the formulation of a da'wah (Islamic outreach) discourse inspired by this call, to be adopted by Islamic schools under the slogan "One Nation.. A Shared Destiny."

In the same context, the General Secretariat of the Muslim Council of Elders announced that it would follow up on the steps to form a joint committee for Islamic dialogue and the practical steps necessary to implement the resolutions of this conference. Preparations will begin in coordination with Al-Azhar to organise the second Islamic Dialogue Conference in Cairo, as announced by His Eminence, the Grand Imam, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, in his speech at the conference.

For more information:
The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs
Kingdom of Bahrain 
Email: isa@hcia.gov.bh
Phone: +97317366041
Website: https://gciid.com/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ea0759c-4965-412c-9374-ad69743584c1