As part of its cultural program at the 25th Baghdad Book Fair, the Muslim Council of Elders hosted a seminar titled “The Role of Academic Institutions in Promoting Intra-Islamic Dialogue.” The seminar featured Prof. Salah Al-Din Al-Samarrai, Dean of Imam Al-Azam University, and Dr. Mohamed Jamal, researcher at Al-Azhar’s Heritage Revival Office.
The discussion highlighted the crucial role that academic and educational institutions play in addressing shared challenges within the Islamic world. Speakers emphasized the importance of raising awareness about intra-Islamic dialogue to foster mutual understanding and strengthen ties between different Islamic schools of thought and sects.
Prof. Salah Al-Din Al-Samarrai praised the Muslim Council of Elders, chaired by Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, for their efforts in promoting dialogue. He noted that focusing on minor differences rather than significant issues has slowed progress within the Islamic nation. He stressed the importance of Islamic history’s success in advancing science and civilization when it moved beyond divisions.
Prof. Al-Samarrai also highlighted the responsibility of academic institutions in teaching students the origins of jurisprudential differences and the importance of peaceful coexistence.
Dr. Mohamed Jamal emphasized Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders’ role in promoting unity. He pointed out that these efforts align with Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb’s 2022 call during the Bahrain Dialogue Forum to strengthen Islamic unity. This call was seen as a pivotal step in encouraging productive dialogue across Islamic sects, reaffirming that religious fraternity fosters broader human fraternity.
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