In The Name of 'ALLÂH
The Beneficent, The Merciful
Recommendations
Proceeding from the role of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Al-Azhar
Al-Sharif and its historical responsibility towards 'Islâm and Muslims, the
Egyptian Ministry of 'Al-'Awqâf called for convening in Cairo the 20th
General Conference of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs entitled:
PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNAL SECURITY IN'ISLÂM
CAIRO
8 – 11 Rabîe 'Al-'Awwal, 1429 H.
March 16 – 19, 2008
Under the auspices of His Excellency President
Muhammad Husnî MUBÂRAK, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt,
and the Honorary Presidency of His Eminence the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Prof.
Dr. Muhammad Sayyid TANTAWÎ.
Prof. Dr. Mahmud Hamdî ZAQZÛQ, Minister of
'Al-'Awqâf and Head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, chaired the
Conference.
Representatives of the following Muslim Countries and
International Islamic Organizations participated:
First: Arab Countries
1- Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
2- United Arab Emirates
3- Kingdom of Bahrain
4- Tunisia
5- Algeria
6- Djibouti
7- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
8- Sudûn
9- Sultanate of Oman
10- 'Irâq
11- Palestine
12- Qatar
13- Comoros
14- Kuwait
15- Lebanon
16- Libya
17- Egypt
18- Yemen
Second: African Countries
1- Ethiopia
2- Eritrea
3- Chad
4- South Africa
5- Rwanda
6- Zimbabwe
7- Senegal
8- Sierra Leone
9- Guinea Conakry
10- Cameron
11- Congo Brazzaville
12- Kenya
Third: Asian Countries
1- Azerbaijan
2- Indonesia
3- Uzbekistan
4- Iran
5- Brunei Sultanate
6- Bangladesh
7- Tajikistan
8- East Timor
9- Sri Lanka
10- Singapore
11- China
12-Kyrgyz Republic
13- Maldives
14- Malaysia
15- Nepal
16- India
17- Japan
Fourth: European Countries
1- Albania
2- Denmark
3- Germany
4- Ireland
5- Italy
6- Belgium
7- Bosnia & Herzegovina
8- Turkey
9- Montenegro
10- Romania
11- Slovenia
12- Switzerland
13- Serbia
14- Vatican
15- France
16- Finland
17- Croatia
18- Hungary
19- Macedonia
20- Norway
21- Greece
Fifth: the Americas
1- Argentine
2- Ecuador
3- United States of America
4- Canada
5- Mexico
Sixth:
Australia
Seventh: International
Organizations and Associations
1-
World Islamic Council for the Da'wah
and Relief.
2-
League of Arab States.
3-
Islamic Organisation for
Education, Sciences and Culture (ISESCO).
4-
World Islamic Charity Organisation
in Kuwait
5-
World Center for Moderation in Kuwait
6-
World Islamic Society for Da'wah
in Libya
7-
League of Islamic Universities.
The Conference was inaugurated by the speech of Egypt’s President H.E. Muhammad Husnî MUBÂRAK, delivered on his behalf by H.E.
Dr. Ahmad NATHÎF, the Prime Minister.
Addressing the inaugural session were His
Eminence the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sayyid
TANTÂWÎ, Sheikh Al-Azhar, His Eminence Pope of Alexandria and
Patriarch of Saint Mark, SHENOUDA III and Prof. Dr. Mahmûd Hamdî ZAQZUK,
Minister of 'Al-'Awqâf and Head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and
Chairman of the Conference. Speaking on behalf of participating delegations
was Prof. Hammod 'Abdul Hamîd Al Hattar, Minister of 'Al 'Awqâf and
Guidance in Yemen.
The Conference decided to consider the speech of Egypt’s President H.E. President Muhammad Husnî MUBÂRAK, as an official
document of the Conference in view of the guidelines contained therein.
The proceedings of the Conference morning and evening sessions,
lasted for (four) days, during which (95) researches in Arabic, English and
French were presented and discussed by the distinguished participants.
The discussions focused on the following
main themes:
First Theme: Principle of Faith.
1.
The role of faith in achieving
social peace.
2.
Faith, reason, and behaviour
3.
Values and their roles in communal
security.
4.
Religious, sectarian, and national
plurality.
Second Theme: Social Justice
1.
Definition of justice
(distributional, compensatory and social).
2.
Endowments and their role in
communal security.
3.
Zakâh (obligatory dues): types and role in achieving communal security.
4.
Social solidarity.
Third Theme: Social Rights.
1.
Right to work.
2.
Right to health.
3.
Right to education.
4.
Right to housing.
5.
Right to appropriate
living.
Fourth Theme: The role of
organisations in achieving communal security.
1.
Mosque and family.
2.
School and university.
3.
Media and culture.
4.
NGOs
Furthermore, seminars were held for three days in the sidelines of
the Conference, in which a number of Ambassadors accredited to Cairo from
different Western countries participated along with eminent 'Ulamas and
Muslim and non-Muslim scholars from Egypt and abroad. The Seminars addressed
the following issues:
First day (Sunday 16/3/2008) (Dialogue
among religions and cooperation among cultures)
Second day (Monday 17/3/2008) (Ways and
means for confidence building between Islam and the West.)
Third day (Tuesday 18/3/2008) (Cooperation
mechanisms and obstacles between Islam and the West)
The Conference formed a committee to draft the recommendations
headed by Dr. Jaafer 'Abdel Salam and two representatives from participating
delegations to formulate the draft recommendations drawn of the researches
presented as well as from discussions and interventions by high officials, 'Ulamas
and scholars from the delegations of participating countries.
The Committee arrived at the following draft
recommendations:
1-
Religion is the source of security and safety. True piety
is the path leading to the realization of community-based security. 'Allâh’s
control is the best discipline straightening out human behavior. Therefore, the
Conference appeals to all community institutions to resuscitate the influence of
religion on the souls of individuals and groups through enlightened religious
awareness.
2-
The end of Islamic religion is to bring forth the
happiness of mankind in life and in afterlife leading to disseminate
community-oriented security and peace. Thus the Conference recommends that
religion runs parallel exclusively with its respective purposes and not in
favor of personal whims or earthly gains.
3-
Divine messages involve common values and principles
certain to evoke the spirit of security, peace, justice, equality and respect
for the other. The Conference therefore calls for effectuating the role of such
common values and their on-the-ground infusion in Islamic societies.
4-
Difference between humans is a divine line of
conduct decreeing the eventual purport of acquaintance, interaction of cultures
and exchange of experiences to the best interest of humanity at large.
Therefore the Conference calls for giving effect to all forms of cooperation,
and reciprocal interest for mankind including action to incur good and benefit
to all. Difference should not be taken as a medium for conflict or a means of
assault, in affirmation of His Saying: “O mankind! Lo! We have created
you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one
another.” (Al – Hujurat: 13).
5-
The foundation of community security any time and in any
place is the synonym of the achievement of distribution-related, social and
compensatory justice. The Conference recommends the necessity of attending to
the realization of justice in this sense in different parts of the Islamic
world. This demands:
A-
Proper distribution of available wealth among individuals
within the community.
B-
Achievement of equality in terms of transactions.
C-
Proper exploitation of natural human resources alongside
exchange of experiences to give way to the optimal use of these resources.
6-
Islam established an array of systems to help achieve
justice in all its images as well as communal security including Wâqf
(endowment), Zakât (almsgiving) and Al Hesba (Sharî'ah-based
control). It is regrettable to note that such systems are debilitated and
accordingly severely impaired in many Islamic societies. The Conference appeals
to leaders and peoples of Islamic countries to do their best in utilizing all
means to revive these systems and widely conjure their application among the
people while enacting appropriate legislation to recover their role in the life
of Muslims.
7-
Community security can be achieved in Islamic societies by
adopting a system for social interdependence, side by side with az-Zakât,
that allows for the allocation of a portion of the money of the rich in favor
of the poor. The Conference calls on officials in the Islamic world to draw up
a legislation that encourages efforts exerted by the benevolent persons, institutions,
banks and companies in the form of public interest projects.
Islamic countries bask in
unlimited human and natural wealth; however they do have a food problem. Thus
the Conference recommends the necessity of stepping up effective agricultural
cooperation among countries with financial surplus, as well as countries with
technical know-how and manpower capacity in order to exploit vast areas of
arable lands for cultivation in Arab and Islamic countries together with
benefiting from modern and advanced means of production.
8-
The Conference appeals to the Islamic world to essentially
invest in capital surplus within Islamic countries and diversify facets of
investment to resolve pressing problems in Islamic societies.
9-
Education constitutes one of the foundational rudiments in
shaping the identity of communities. If sound and built around formidable
bases, it can largely contribute to the stability and security of the society.
Thus the Conference appeals to Islamic countries to exert great effort in
adequately educating Muslims to become a robust nucleus in the
community-building process.
10- Community security in any country necessarily requires an advanced
educational system that meets the needs and falls in line with labor market
requirements and related changes. Thus the Conference requests Islamic
countries to encourage intra-cooperation to put in place a new educational
system ensuring the realization of these objects and connecting the nation with
the now prevailing scientific and technological progress in the world and that
is not separable from the resourceful heritage of the nation and its sources of
culture.
11- The Conference appeals to those responsible for the educational process
in various countries of the Islamic world to devise proper syllabuses to help
prepare the outstanding student and to graduate the distinguished professor in
addition to exploring and tending talents and providing the suitable climate
for their enhancement to help Islamic communities forward along the path of
renaissance and progress.
Educational
curricula must be derived from built-in self and according to the course of
development of educational programs and systems and not in response to
dictations from outside. The Conference also calls upon the Muslim Countries to
eradicate illiteracy which still exists in some countries.
12- Islam hammered out a set of social human rights ensuring security and
stability, primarily: the right to education and labor and the right to a
minimum level of subsistence to spare need. Islam had preceded in this
connection the Universal Declaration on Human Rights issued by the United
Nations. Thus the Conference appeals to officials in Islamic countries to give
effect to these rights, and believes their fulfillment is closely linked with
cooperation among Islamic countries.
Consequently,
the Conference calls on countries of the Islamic world to take necessary
measures for the realization of the following:
A)
Ensure labor rights for Muslims and adopt relevant
measures to this effect.
B)
Alert to the risk of seeking foreign employment in Islamic
countries at the educational, religious, economic and religious levels.
C)
Call on densely-populated Islamic countries to
rehabilitate citizens compatibly with requirements of work conditions inside
and outside the Islamic countries.
D)
Call on Islamic countries to provide for the right of
individuals to live in an adequately-healthy environment and to ensure
preventive and therapeutic health per patient, besides the necessity of
demonstrating cooperation in the production of medicine to reduce its import
and counteract the phenomenon of its price hikes.
The Conference calls upon
the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to expedite the establishment of a
satellite channel so that it may broadcast its transmission to all parts of the
world in different languages in order to identify Islam, explain its essence,
rectify the falsehoods attributed to it and eliminate the confusion caused by
the chaotic “fatwas” propagated in satellite channels.
14-
The Conference condemns the media
which ridicule all beliefs, religions and their symbols particularly those that
publish caricatures deriding the Messenger of Islam under the pretext of
freedom of expression. The Conference lands Egypt and Islamic countries for
exerting their efforts so that the United Nations may issue a resolution on the
necessity to respect religions and their sanctities, and to incriminate any
abuse or insult directed against them under the pretext of freedom of
expression.
15-
The necessity to elaborate a
unified information policy for the Islamic world aimed at identifying Islam,
propagating and highlighting its tolerance in all languages to the world at
large.
16-
The Conference appeals to Muslims
worldwide to revive the mission of the mosque in society so that it may
become a haven for Muslims with regards their religious affairs, in particular
:-
-
To ensure the educational and
cultural role of mosques and to choose Imams and Du’as according to
established criteria so that the best elements are selected to perform this
important task.
-
To ascertain the social role of
the mosque in terms of extending care to the poor and the sick, settling family
problems, providing social care and fastening relations among Muslims.
-
To secure mosques from any
encroachment or manipulation beyond worship and the interests of society.
17-
To refrain from utilizing the
places of worship for purposes beyond their actual mission. To ensure that the
spirit of hatred among members of society is not incited in these institutions
and not to use this as a means for conflict, dissension or sectarian disputes
to that it may not deviate from its mission in accordance with the words of
the Almighty :
“And the places of worships are only for Allah, so pray not
unto anyone along with Allah.” (The Jinn: 18)
18-
The Conference stresses the role
of the family in maintaining societal security in that it is the basic care of
Islamic society. Consequently, it should be protected from the storms
currently raging against it. The Conference exhorts the leaders and peoples of
the Islamic world to assist Muslim youth in forming virtuous families based on
the teachings of religion and sound values.
19-
The Conference rejects all
substitutes for the Islamic family system adopted by non-Muslim organizations
such as homosexual marriage, sexual freedom… etc… a matter that threatens
society with disintegration and collapse.
20-
The necessity to stimulate civil
society associations and institutions to contribute in resolving the problems
of poverty and unemployment at all levels and in all fields while providing
appropriate means and funds required for assuming this role.
General Recommendations
1-
The Conference expresses its
strong concern for the ongoing destruction works and changes perpetrated by Israel in Al Aqsa mosque. This will lead to changing its characteristics and to Israel's domination of its lower part. The Conference emphasizes that this is a violation
of international legitimacy and requests all international organizations in
particular, the Security Council, UN General Assembly and UNESCO to confront
these crimes and their immediate cessation.
2-
Due to the harsh suffering
endured by the Palestinian people for 60 years caused by the Zionist occupation
of their territories, the Conference demands the free world and international
organizations to end this unjust occupation; and to grant the Palestinian
people the right of self-determination; the establishment of their independent
state in their homeland with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital; to
terminate the unjust economic blockage imposed by the world upon it in addition
to the material blockage resulting from Israel's practices by building the
separation wall.
3-
The Conference exhorts all
Palestinian factions to renounce dissension, to stop their conflict, to settle
pending problems among them in a civilized manner in order to salvage the blood
of the Palestinian people, to unify their ranks and to save their strength in
order to confront the Zionist aggression in their territory.
4-
The Conference calls upon the
international community to support the Iraqi people in terminating the unjust
occupation of their land, rejecting discord and hostilities between Iraqi sects
so that Iraq may be saved in order to achieve its aspirations for unity and
progress.
5-
The Conference exhorts the
Lebanese people all factions to continue to build their constitutional
institutions without foreign intervention, and to safeguard their unity and
territorial integrity.
6-
The Conference confirms the right
of all countries to possess nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and calls for
the prohibition of producing nuclear weapons in any part of the world. The
Conference exhorts the United Nations and IAEA to realize what Egypt and the Arabs and Islamic world had called for, namely to establish the Middle East region as
a nuclear weapons free zone.
Recommendations Of the Seminars Held on the Sidelines of
the Conference
1-
Conduct and encouragement of dialogue of religions at the
level of civil society institutions as well as local, regional, and
international organizations concerned. Further enhancement of cooperation in
the area of dialogue of religions and culture at the popular level.
2-
Essential coordination and cooperation among dialogue
institutions in the world.
3-
Innovation of mechanisms to help implement recommendations
of Islamic conferences and dialogue committees.
4-
Given the manipulation of some international media for
purposes of agitation, action must be taken to bring this to a stop. We
therefore recommend that institutions interested in dialogue need to hold joint
round tables comprising media experts in the West and the Islamic world who are
known for their neutrality, confidence and credibility worldwide, with a view
to searching for vehicles of conciliation between freedom of expression and
opinion and the right of others to respect their values and religious symbols.
5-
The necessity of respecting religious identities, cultural
specificities, common human values, religious sanctities and symbols of all
parties on an equal footing.
6-
Respect minorities’ rights and avoid politicization of
dialogue and use of factionalism and religious minorities to serve political
purposes.
