The Union of Muslim Scholars comments with 6 points on the Sheikh of Al-Azhar’s initiative for reconciliation and stopping bloodshed in the Arab region

Following the International Union of Muslim Scholars, on Tuesday, on the initiative of Sheikh Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb, on reconciliation and stopping bloodshed in the Arab region. This came in a statement by the Union in which it stated: “The International Union of Muslim Scholars is following with great interest the call launched by His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, calling for an end to wars and conflicts, and the formation of a committee of the nation’s wise men to mediate, calm and reconcile relations. It expresses its support for this blessed initiative, and its appreciation for the legal and humanitarian meanings it carries, and its awareness of the responsibility of scholars and religious institutions in protecting lives, extinguishing the fires of strife, and gathering together the word "The nation is at a very dangerous stage."

The Union continued in its statement: “The Union believes that this initiative should be the beginning of a serious and comprehensive path to reconciliation, which begins with reconciliation between countries, and does not stop at a ceasefire, but rather extends to addressing the causes of rivalry and division, unleashing freedoms, preserving human dignity and rights, and unifying efforts in the face of occupation, aggression, and interventions that threaten the stability and sovereignty of peoples.” The Union added, emphasizing a number of points, as follows, according to what was stated in the text of the statement: “First - Political reconciliation and the release of freedoms are at the top of the priorities. The Union calls for reconciliation efforts to begin with serious dialogues between governments, political opponents, and opinion-makers, and for scholars, preachers, thinkers, and intellectuals, especially those detained, to be at the forefront of attention, as building national confidence cannot be achieved with continued exclusion and restrictions on freedoms.”

The Union stresses the importance of starting with Egypt, with its extended political division, and with various reports and sources circulating about the presence of large numbers of detainees and imprisoned on political grounds. It calls for fair and transparent legal reviews, the release of everyone who has not been proven guilty of a crime according to a fair trial, an end to arbitrary detention, and opening the way for scholars and opinion makers to participate in public life, in a way that enhances societal peace and rebuilds trust among the people of one nation.

By reconciliation, the union does not mean turning the pages of the past without justice, or bypassing the rights of those affected. Rather, it calls for a path that combines justice and mercy, the rule of law, and guarantees that violations will not be repeated, in a way that opens a new page that preserves the country’s stability and the human being’s dignity. Second - Expanding reconciliation to include countries where scholars and reformers suffer from arrest and exclusion. The Union calls for expanding this path to include all other Arab and Islamic countries that are witnessing political divisions, internal conflicts, or the arrest of scholars and opinion-makers, and to work to release those arbitrarily detained, ensure fair trials, and allow scholars and reformers to play their role in bringing people together, away from polarization and political exploitation.

He emphasizes that scholars are not advocates of division or rivalry, but rather they should be bridges for reform, and the efforts of religious and scientific institutions should be integrated in bringing viewpoints closer together, upholding the values ​​of forgiveness and tolerance, and establishing a culture of dialogue, while adhering to justice and rejecting injustice, whatever its source. Uniting the ranks, ending the division, and restoring the state The Union stands with every sincere effort made by the Sheikh of Al-Azhar and other Islamic institutions and figures to unite the word of the Yemenis, reconcile relations between them, end the fighting and division, and preserve Yemen’s unity, sovereignty, and the independence of its national decision.

The Union calls for a comprehensive Yemeni dialogue that includes various political and social components and forces, puts the interest of the Yemeni people above partisan and sectarian accounts, and establishes a just settlement that ends the war, preserves the rights of the Yemenis, and allows them to restore their state institutions and build their future away from external hegemony and rampant weapons. The Union also affirms the necessity of ending Iranian hegemony and external interference that contribute to perpetuating the conflict, and calls for liberating Sana’a from the control of the Houthi group through a path that leads to ending full armed control and restoring state institutions, preserving the rights of the population, and achieving a sustainable peace that does not reproduce war or sectarian division, without any infringement of the legitimate rights of the Houthis and others under a just state for all.

Stopping the war and protecting the state and the people. The Union calls for unifying the Sudanese ranks, stopping the war that has exhausted the country and causing large numbers of victims and displaced people, and working to restore security and stability and protect the unity of Sudan and its national institutions. The Union stresses the importance of supporting efforts aimed at ending the armed rebellion and restoring state authority, and stands with the Sudanese people in their right to security, sovereignty and the protection of their institutions, and calls for support for the national efforts led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan in confronting the rebellion, while emphasizing the necessity of protecting civilians, holding those responsible for violations accountable, ensuring the access of humanitarian aid, and rejecting the targeting of innocent people or collective revenge, whoever committed the violation.

The Union also calls for the unification of regional and international initiatives to stop the war, prevent the flow of weapons to the rebels that prolongs it, and launch a political path that guarantees the participation of the Sudanese in deciding the future of their country, and puts an end to their human suffering. Coordinating efforts to support the Palestinian people and end the occupation. The Union affirms that reconciliation and bloodshed are inseparable from the nation’s duty to support the Palestinian people, who face occupation, aggression, displacement and siege, and adhere to their legitimate right to freedom, self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.

The Union calls for coordination of efforts between Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the International Union of Muslim Scholars, and other religious, scientific, and humanitarian institutions, in order to introduce the Palestinian issue, keep the suffering and rights of the Palestinian people at the forefront of attention, and mobilize popular, official, and humanitarian support for them. This cooperation between Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the International Union of Muslim Scholars is required to contribute to comprehensive reconciliation.

The Union also calls on Arab and Islamic governments to take practical steps to support the Palestinian people, to put pressure to stop the aggression, lift the siege, protect civilians, deliver aid, and support legal and diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the occupation and empowering the Palestinian people with their inalienable rights. The Union stresses that calling for peace does not mean giving up rights, and that true reconciliation does not come at the expense of the oppressed, but is based on eliminating injustice, preserving dignity, and establishing justice.

Sixth - A joint committee for reconciliation, mediation, and implementation follow-up. The Union proposes that the initiative of the Sheikh of Al-Azhar develop into a practical framework for cooperation and coordination between Al-Azhar, the International Union of Muslim Scholars, scholarly institutions, and relevant independent national figures, allowing the formation of specialized committees for reconciliation and mediation, according to the specificity of each country and its crisis. These committees are responsible for communicating with the concerned parties, bridging viewpoints, proposing steps to build confidence, following up on the files of detainees and freedoms, working to stop the fighting, supporting humanitarian initiatives, and coordinating with relevant regional and international bodies.

The Union calls for these efforts to be based on clear standards, foremost among which are the independence and integrity of mediation, non-exclusion, respect for the will of peoples, preserving the sovereignty of states, protecting civilians, and linking settlements to practical guarantees that prevent the renewal of conflicts.” The Union concluded its statement by saying, “The International Union of Muslim Scholars, as it appreciates the initiative of the Sheikh of Al-Azhar and the expansion of its circle and declares its readiness to cooperate in every sincere effort to achieve its goals, confirms that the nation is most in need today of a unifying word.” It does not differentiate, a will to reconcile and not take revenge, and positions that uphold the sanctity of blood and restore rights to their owners..

He calls on the leaders of countries and governments, scholars and preachers, and political and social forces, to seize this initiative and open the doors of reconciliation, starting with launching a serious path for freedoms and political reform, through ending internal conflicts and unifying ranks, all the way to integrating efforts in supporting the Palestinian people and ending the occupation. God Almighty said: “And reconciliation is better” [An-Nisa: 128]. He added: “We ask God Almighty to grant The blood of Muslims, protecting the peoples from temptations and wars, uniting the word of the nation on truth and justice, preparing it for its affairs, and granting security, freedom, dignity and stability to the peoples of Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, Palestine, the Gulf, and all other Muslim countries.

On Sunday, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar called for the formation of an “urgent mediation and calm committee” aimed at ending conflicts and wars in the Arab region. The Sheikh of Al-Azhar said, in a statement, that his call comes “based on his historical and legitimate responsibility towards the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations, and in light of the bloody conflicts and conflicts the region is witnessing that have ravaged the security of the nations and led to the destabilization of the entire region.”

He warned that “dispersal and rivalry are the main reason for the weakness of the nation, the violation of its sanctities, the nations’ supplications over it, and the dissipation of its achievements and wealth, and this at a time when the nation is most in need of unity of ranks, gathering of words, preserving infallible blood, and investing in its resources and in the wealth and capabilities that God has bestowed upon it instead of wasting it in wars and conflicts.” Sheikh Al-Azhar Kalak called for the proposed mediation committee to include “representatives from various Arab and Islamic countries, wise and sincere people who love goodness, peace and stability.”