The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb stated that Al-Azhar University Conference on Climate Change reminds us of the first World Religions Conference in London (1936) to which the then Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa Al-Maraghi participated through a speech titled “Human Fraternity and World Fellow Feeling.” In the speech, which was sent to the be recited during the conference, Sheikh Al-Maraghi declared that the only way out for humanity is to cling to faith and debunked the claims that religion was the cause of civilizational decline, or that atheism and materialist philosophies were the solution to such decline. He also maintained that the cure to this malady is only through “devoutness and religious sentiment.” Such religious sentiment is more powerful and influential in cruising humanity towards the haven of peace, justice, and equality, away from the atheist tendency that induces corruption in the human community.

During his speech at Al-Azhar University Conference on Climate Change, he Grand Imam added: Challenges and Confrontation, that “Sheikh Al-Maraghi even proceeded to refute the exclamation of atheists, and similar ones who belittle religions, such as: how would you call for the revival of religions while history testifies that religions have always induced devastating wars! This sad reality, noted Sheikh Al-Maraghi, was true, yet it did not necessarily entail that those religions were the cause of such horrific memories, for ‘at essence, no divine religion ever led to such tragedies falsely attributed to it.’ Rather, the genuine reason behind such tragedies were the manipulation of the religious sentiment among the devout masses and investing it in the service of cunning purposes totally denounced by religion itself.

It is worth noting that the sessions of the Third International Scientific Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development, will be held under the title “Climate Change; Challenges and Confrontation” over three days (Saturday, Sunday and Monday), December 18-20, 2021, in Al-Manara Hall, Fifth Settlement, New Cairo, drawing on Al-Azhar’s endeavor to hold a number of conferences, seminars and workshops in preparation for, and in support of, the United Nations Conference COP27, hosted in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022.