Islamophobia is unreasonable and illogical and represents a real threat to world peace, the Grand Imam in a UN address

The Grand Imam thanks UN Secretary-General for his “fair” statements regarding Islam.

Islamophobia stems from ignorance and deliberate distortion of Islam’s true principles, the Grand Imam in a UN address

History bears witness that Islam is a religion of peace par excellence, and its message is based on mutual understanding and the rejection of conflict, the Grand Imam in a UN address

In a UN address, Grand Imam calls for confronting hate speech spreading through media and social media platforms.

In a UN address, Grand Imam highlights Al-Azhar, MCE efforts on dialogue and human fraternity.

His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders (MCE), Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb said in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on the occasion of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia: “Celebrating this international day is the culmination of commendable efforts, borne by a group of Islamic states at the UN to confront this unreasonable and illogical phenomenon, which has become a real threat to world peace.”

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Ambassador Osama Abdel Khaleq, Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar expressed his deep appreciation for the honest and courageous stances of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and for his words in which he spoke about Islam in a fair manner, demonstrating a true knowledge of this religion and its tolerant teachings. He added that such words and speeches stand in the way of this phenomenon, combat it, and block the philosophy of being drawn into preconceived notions and the humiliating submission to distorted stereotypes that some try to attach to Islam. Such practices are often exploited in a populist manner by some far-right groups to achieve narrow political gains.

His Eminence the Grand Imam pointed out that the word “Islam” is derived from the Arabic word salam which means peace. It expresses the values conveyed by the message of the religion: mercy, love, coexistence, tolerance, and brotherhood among all people regardless of their color, beliefs, languages, or races. This is emphasized by the words of Alllah Almighty in His Holy Quran: “We have sent you O Prophet only as a mercy for the whole world” (21:107). This verse embodies the essence of Islam, which promotes the values of brotherhood, justice, and tolerance among the children of Adam, as brothers descended from one father and one mother.

To confirm the tolerance of Islam, His Eminence said it is sufficient that Muslims have lived for centuries side by side with followers of other religions in complete peace and constructive cooperation, based on a firm belief in the Holy Quran: “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion” (Quran 2:256). Hence, history has witnessed that “Islam” is a religion of peace par excellence that calls for mutual understanding and cooperation, and rejection of conflict and division. It also shows that the tolerance of this religion is not merely a baseless claim, but rather a reality experienced by many societies in the East and West, over many centuries, and that they have embraced it as an integral part of their identity and message to the entire world.

His Eminence explained that Islamophobia, or the phenomenon of “fear of Islam,” was nothing more than the result of ignorance of the true nature of this great religion and its tolerance, and deliberate attempts to distort its principles, which are based on peace and coexistence. This is a natural result of media campaigns and far-right rhetoric that, for long periods, have portrayed Islam as a religion of violence and extremism, which is the biggest lie in contemporary history. This lie is based on misinterpretations and the cunning, malicious exploitation of hideous military operations perpetrated by groups far removed from Islam. Islam is a religion whose followers' faith is only complete through belief in the principles of their holy book, in which Allah addresses all of creation, saying: “O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may get to know one another” (Quran 49:13). How could this religion turn into a religion that calls for extremism, terrorism, violence and bloodshed? Isn't it just to call it by its true name, which Allah intended for it: a religion of mutual understanding, tolerance, mercy and cooperation?! Being fearful of this religion and its followers is a disease for which hospitals and nursing homes are needed to offer help.

His Eminence emphasized that the grave challenges facing our world today—wars, conflicts, the steady rise of hate speech, intolerance, extremism, and discrimination—call upon us to unite and build bridges of understanding over the ruins of ignorance, arrogance, and hatred. We are also required to light the candles of wisdom in the dark tunnels of stereotypes. He added that interfaith and intercultural dialogue is no longer a luxury, but an existential necessity to save humanity from the clutches of ignorance and misunderstanding, so let our words be a bridge that transcends the obsessions of Islamophobia with a discourse of moderation that adheres to openness to others.

His Eminence called for confronting the hate speech that seeps into daily discourse and practices on social media platforms and in the media, which is the reality of millions of Muslims around the world. Our human conscience compels us to do so, as we must promote discourses of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, work together to issue binding legislation, launch awareness campaigns that sow the seeds of tolerance in the soil of awareness and promote a culture of mutual respect. Let’s cooperate to craft a discourse capable of restoring the bonds of understanding, solidarity, and brotherhood among peoples.

His Eminence pointed out that Muslims are obligated by their religion to adhere to the belief that diversity of religions and cultures is a law dictated by the All-Wise Creator. Allah Almighty says: “Had your Lord so willed, He would have certainly made humanity one single community of believers, but they will always differ” (11:118). He added that this diversity is a source of enrichment, not conflict, and combating Islamophobia is not about carrying the banner of one group over another, but rather it is the battle of every conscientious person whose heart beats with the love of justice.

His Eminence pointed out that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif — the historical authority of Islam and a beacon of moderation and centrism — together with the Muslim Council of Elders, which he chairs, had long sounded the alarm over the worsening of this alien phenomenon. Their efforts were unified and directed toward opening channels of dialogue between East and West, culminating in the launch of the historic Document on Human Fraternity, which His Eminence signed alongside his brother, His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, in Abu Dhabi in 2019. This was accompanied by the organization of several global intellectual conferences, the dispatch of scholarly delegations across the world, and the preparation of generations of preachers and international students as ambassadors in global peace missions that traversed East and West — all carrying the message of Islam: a message of mercy that rejects all forms of hate speech and mutual fearmongering, and that calls for the promotion of human coexistence and positive integration based on dialogue and cooperation, not conflict and confrontation.

His Eminence continued, “Among Al-Azhar’s efforts to confront the crisis of Islamophobia was the establishment of Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, which aims to clarify the correct concepts of religion to Muslims and non-Muslims around the world. The observatory also aims to confront extremist ideology, terrorist groups, and violent movements, and monitor acts of violence against Muslims fueled by Islamophobia. This is achieved through daily monitoring of acts of violence around the world and encouraging positive interaction to combat this dangerous phenomenon in the societies where it is prevalent.” His Eminence expressed his regret over the rising of this phenomenon, and despite all these great efforts, it continues to expand, unfortunately, and is fueled by populist rhetoric from the extreme right, which exploits individual and collective weaknesses. He affirmed that the battle is long-term, and that the challenge requires us to redouble our efforts and devise dynamics that keep pace with the complexities that accompany this phenomenon.

The Grand Imam called for coining an international definition of Islamophobia that includes a set of periodically defined terms and practices that express intimidation, incitement to hatred, or violence against Islam and Muslims due to their religious affiliation. He also called for the creation of comprehensive and updated databases to document ethnic and racist crimes and practices against Muslims because of their religion, and to monitor laws and policies that exacerbate the phenomenon or represent solutions that help address it. This would ultimately aim to formulate laws and legislation that would curb this phenomenon and, instead, promote the values of dialogue, tolerance, and human coexistence.

His Eminence the Grand Imam concluded his speech emphasizing that the fight against Islamophobia is a continuous, practical effort, manifested in the areas of education, dialogue, media, and legislations that protect the dignity of every human being. He added: “Let us work together, governments and organizations, to establish a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and initiatives aimed at combating Islamophobia. This mechanism, which includes key performance indicators, will create a world where justice and coexistence shine, and where the flag of human brotherhood flutters in the sky.”