Grand Mufti of Egypt calls upon Muslims to become ambassadors of peace
Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, emphasized the need for Muslims to engage with people of all faiths and recognize differences as a divine gift. Speaking at the Aligarh Muslim University, he urged Muslims to reclaim Islam from those who interpret it wrongly, warning against a "crooked understanding of faith". The event was part of the Grand Mufti's state visit to India, hosted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
“There is a need to grasp and understand the true spirit of Islam that is engaging and dealing with people of all faiths, civilizations and philosophies by seeking common grounds and recognising the diversities and differences which are a divine gift and blessing from God”, said the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam in his address to a large gathering of teachers, students and officials of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Tuesday at the Kennedy Auditorium.
Delivering his speech on ‘Dialogue among Civilisations’, Dr Shawki said “building bridges and engaging with followers of different faiths has been the practice of Prophet Mohammad”.
Quoting from the Quran, the Grand Mufti of Egypt said that Prophet Mohammad was an epitome of mercy and compassion, and he is a role model particularly for Muslims in respect to their conduct and behaviour towards neighbours, friends, relatives and humanity at large.
Warning Muslims against the ‘crooked understanding of faith’ he said, “It is our shared responsibility to re-claim Islam from those who interpret it the wrong way and become ambassadors of peace and bridge-building in the world”.
Giving his presidential remarks, Prof Mohammad Gulrez, vice-chancellor, AMU, said that engaging with civilisations and people of various faiths is the only way forward for the peaceful existence and progress of humanity.
“The thesis of the ‘Clash of Civilization’ propounded by Hutington after the World War was a dangerous philosophy. Instead, building bridges between civilizations, cultures and religions and inter-faith dialogue is the only way to foster harmony among people”, he said.
He praised the Grand Mufti for spreading the message of peace at various global platforms including the World Sufi Summit at New Delhi (2016) and the World Economic Forum at Davos (2016) etc.
Earlier, Mohammad Imran IPS, AMU Registrar introduced the esteemed guest and also described the shared bonds between India and Egypt.
The Vice Chancellor presented a memento, a coffee-table book Jahan-e-Syed and another book ‘A History of Aligarh Muslim University 1920-2020’ to the Grand Mufti, who also presented a gift to the Vice Chancellor.
The day-long AMU visit of the Grand Mufti was a part of his state visit to India hosted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), ministry of external affairs, government of India.
There were voices of opposition too on AMU campus as a group of students showed placards to oppose the visit of the Grand Mufti, blaming him of violation of human rights and a few even managed to enter the hall where the event was being organised.