Following the Silsilah Dialogue Movement tradition to send a message to the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of the month of Ramadan, we are inspired this year by the new document of Pope Francis and the grand imam of Al-Adzhar University, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. These two great leaders wrote together a document entitled, “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” in Abu Dhabi last February 4, 2019. In this document, they declared the need to adapt the Culture of Dialogue as the path; inviting all to mutual cooperation as the code of conduct and reciprocal understanding as the method and standard. Touched by this declaration with a clear focus on the Culture of Dialogue as the path, we are happy to share here some of the important points of the document: “In the name of God who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace;
In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoever kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a person is like one who saves the whole of humanity;
In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need whom God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy and of means;
In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their countries; in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of the weak, those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the world, without distinction; In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace, and the possibility of living together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war; In the name of human fraternity that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal; In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the actions and the future of men and women; In the name of freedom, that God has given to all human beings creating them free and distinguishing them by this gift; In the name of justice and mercy, the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of faith; In the name of all persons of good will present in every part of the world…”
The document continue saying:
“We, who believe in God and in the final meeting with Him and His judgment, on the basis of our religious and moral responsibility, and through this Document, call upon ourselves, upon the leaders of the world as well as the architects of international policy and world economy, to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline that the world is presently experiencing.” This document is indeed an inspiring message that helps us to emphasize the importance of the Culture of Dialogue and the promotion of the human fraternity among peoples of different cultures and religions. In solidarity with the Muslim Ummah in the month of Ramadan, we wish to remind all that this special month of fasting and prayer is a great opportunity to reflect on the mercy and compassion of God for all and reaffirm the importance to work together for the common good. Only if we put God at the center of our lives, respecting others, can we dream of a better future in the midst of divisions and conflicts. This message is addressed to the Muslim brothers and sisters, and at the same time is a reminder to the others, Christians and people of other living faiths, not to be tempted by money and power, but be ready to move together guided by the Culture of Dialogue as a path to bring peace to the Human Fraternity. We know that there are those who act today with hatred, but we have to move and act with love and believe that love is more powerful than hatred.