His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, departed the homeland this Tuesday afternoon, heading to the Kingdom of Bahrain to attend the Inter-Islamic Dialogue Conference, under the slogan: “One Nation, One Shared Destiny.” The conference is held on February 19-20 under the esteemed patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, and is organized by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Bahrain's Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE). More than 400 scholars, leaders, Islamic authorities, thinkers and intellectuals from around the world are participating in it.

 

This conference comes in response to the call of His Eminence the Grand Imam - during the Bahrain Dialogue Forum in November 2022 - to promote Islamic affairs and Muslim unity. During his visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Eminence is scheduled to meet His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa along with a number of Bahraini officials and scholars participating in the conference. The aim is to enhance Islamic cooperation, taking practical steps to unite the Muslim nation, and achieve rapprochement between institutions and scholars from various Islamic schools of thought.

 

The Grand Imam is scheduled to deliver a speech at the conference’s opening, in which he will highlight the necessity of the unity of the Muslim nation (Ummah) in facing its contemporary challenges. The conference seeks to move beyond mere discourse on rapprochement toward a deeper understanding of commonalities and challenges. It also seeks to establish a permanent scientific dialogue mechanism among scholars and authorities across the Islamic world, to highlight the broad areas of agreement among Muslims, and the approach to dealing with these commonalities as a starting point for dialogue between the various Muslim sects. In addition, it aims to enhance the role of scholars and religious authorities in bridging the rift between the different sects, rejecting hate speech, and enhancing mutual understanding and respect.