In the light of the Grand Imam’s keenness to illustrate the genuine image of Islam, restore trust between East and West, and promote a culture of peace and acceptance of the other, His Eminence headed for Florence, Italy, to participate in the opening of the global forum titled, The Elders of the East and the West, hosted by the Community of Sant'Egidio. The Grand Imam delivered the keynote speech at the forum, and the meeting dealt with three themes, “East and West: The Path to Understanding", "Coexistence in the Shadow of Globalization", and "The Message of East and West to the Contemporary World".

The Grand Imam had proposed the idea of the forum to a group of Western elders in whom he felt a sincere desire to open up to the East and build bridges of cooperation. The Community of Sant'Egidio, in Rome, welcomed the coordination of the meeting and proposed to hold an international forum in Florence, Italy, for the elders of the East and the West, where ancient cultural heritage and spirituality, abounding with love and openness to other, of the former will meet civilizational progress of the latter.