During his speech on the International Day of Human Fraternity, marked on February 4, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif, Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb said, “The world's celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity is in commemoration of the humaneness of the divine religion, its call for acquaintance and understanding among the followers of divine and man-made messages, and its respect for the particularities of religions and beliefs, quest for a better world where the spirit of tolerance, fraternity, solidarity, and collaboration prevails.

He added that the celebration indicates a hope for providing effective solutions to the crises and challenges of contemporary humanity, especially the crises of the orphans, the poor, the displaced, and the afflicted, those who suffer from both hard life and the hard hearts of wealthy people wielding riches, authority, and leverage. Such vulnerable people have fallen victims to modern materialism in all its concomitant excessive selfishness, cherishing of lusts and desires, and idolization of humans and their individualist inclinations.

The Grand Imam offered a sincere greeting of respect and reverence to HH Pope Francis, Pope of the Catholic Church, whom he described as the respectable brother and incessantly courageous companion on the path of fraternity and peace. He also expressed his deep appreciation to the honorable brother, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, who is following suit in the charitable footsteps of his father, for sponsoring this Human Fraternity Document (HFD), and for his genuine and sincere support of the initiatives to sustain, consolidate and disseminate it throughout the world.

He then pointed out that the HFD was drafted both at Al-Azhar Ash-Sharif and the Vatican, out of our common belief in mutual understanding among the followers of religions, not excluding the non-believers, to get rid of misjudgments and conflicts that often lead to bloodshed and warfare among people, notably among followers of one and the same religion and believers in a single faith. He further indicated that the HFD was born out of very tough crises, thus emerging like an unattainable dream coming true. It was beset with challenges that put at stake its fruition and the chance to be morphed into a reality. Yet, Allah willed that the dream come true, blessed with sincere intentions and efforts, together with a deep belief that "all humans are fellow brothers and sisters."

The Grand Imam also illustrated that the International Day of Human Fraternity comes this year in the wake of the Corona pandemic and its variants, of which the world has not recovered yet, noting that today the omens of fear and panic hovering over the world are hoped to alert numbed consciences and arrogant souls, and wake people with private agendas from their slumber to stand in solidarity with the sincere leaders and sages to deliver humanity from these successive crises piling up in all corners of the globe. He thus called on the world, in all races and denominations, especially international decision-makers, religious figures, and leading intellectuals to overcome these difficult crises and relieve their woes, which is possible only if they live up to their responsibilities.

The Grand Imam remarked that he aspires to achieve the dream engaged through taking this path along with religious leaders in the hope for a new world free of wars and conflicts, where the fearful are reassured, the poor sustained, the vulnerable protected and justice administered. He then noted that treading the path of peace is difficult in a world ridden by limitless conflicts, given that peace objectives are unacceptable for warmongers. Yet, taking the road of peace is predestined for all the believers in Allah and His Messages, no matter how serious challenges and obstacles there might be. That is why he asserted that, God willing, he will keep pursuing the commenced peace efforts, along with fellow religious leaders and lovers of goodness around the world, towards achieving peace and world fraternity and fellow feeling, and removing all the stimuli of hatred, conflicts, and wars. For the Grand Imam, humanity badly needs amity, cooperation, and solidarity to encounter the genuine challenges threatening it and compromising its stability.

Finally, the Grand Imam saluted his fellow brothers and sisters, members of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF), who keep working day and night to implement the objectives of that noble document, launching numerous initiatives for that purpose. Such initiatives, the Grand Imam asserted, transcend differences, boundaries, and particularities, despite the Corona Pandemic and its restrictive consequences sweeping the world. Therefore, he applauds their efforts and encourages them to pursue these blessed efforts in collaboration with all partners to achieve this noble goal.