Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 28 ] — INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE FOR PEACE — more than a billion people; their religion and reputation are stigmatized and distorted, and they are prone to the arrows of disgust and aversion and hatred, although they did not survive and were not spared from their woes.” In the Al-Azhar Declaration of Citizenship and Coexist- ence, issued on 2March 2017 at the International Conference of Azhar, we read: “Since the past decades of phenomena of extremism, violence and terrorism, which are being swept away by religion, and the pressures, intimidation, displace- ment, persecution and abduction of other religions and cultures in our societies, the Christian andMuslim commu- nities proclaim that all religions are ignorant of terrorism in all its forms and condemn them most vigorously, and denounce them most strongly. They believe that the prose- cution of Islam because of the criminal behaviour of some of its affiliates opens the door wide to describe all religions as terrorism. This is a justification for the contemporaries to say that religions must be eliminated under the pretext of the stability of societies.” Today, as this international conference brings us together to launch the Regional Platform for Dialogue and Coopera- tion among Religious Leaders and Institutions in the Arab World, we are once again facing an opportunity of the soul. The awareness of the painful events that the Arab world has been going through for two decades has given rise to a real threat to the diversity of the social fabric, as well as a threat to peaceful coexistence and cohesion among the religious components of the region. With God’s will, we resolve to do everything in our power to spare the peoples of the region from the scourge of war, extremism and violence, especially in the name of religion, and instil the values of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and shared citizenship. We would like to thank God for this opportunity of the soul, hoping to put an end to the violence in the name of religion, in order to preserve the sanctity of God and each of our religious teachings. ll praise is due to God, Lord of the worlds, praise as befits the Glory of Your Face and the greatness of Your Might, and peace and blessings be upon the Prophet of mercy, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who was sent as a gift of mercy and guidance. God the Almighty says: “And We have not sent you, O Muhammad, except as a mercy to the worlds”. And I bear witness that there is no deity but God and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger and servant. Dear distinguished guests, may the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. It gives me great pleasure to meet with you in this blessed gathering, held under the umbrella of the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), to launch this platform of enormous importance and great moral and ethical value. It is an event that intends to provide a platform for regional dialogue so that religious leaders and institutions across the Arab and wider world are empowered to promote peaceful coexistence and common citizenship. The fact is that we are in dire need of translating our common values and turning them into a tangible reality, especially after the dangerous increase of evil forces that HE Sheikh Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Allam A HB Cardinal Mar Béchara Boutros Al-Rai Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Head of Commission for Catholic Bishops of the Middle East Cardinal Al-Ra’i is the 77th Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Maronite Church, a position he has held since March 2011, succeeding Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. Al-Ra’i received a PhD in canon and civil law in 1975. He also studied for three years at Lateran University, Rome. He was appointed Titular Bishop of Caesarea Philippi, and at 71, was elected Patriarch of the Maronite Church in 2011. He was made a Cardinal on 24 November 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.