International Conference kicks off: “Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought” in Mecca

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the international conference “Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought”, organized by the Muslim World League, kicked off on Thursday evening: “Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought”, organized by the Muslim World League, with the participation of senior muftis and scholars of the Islamic Ummah from all schools of thought in more than 90 countries.

This second edition of the conference, organized by the Muslim World League under the title “Towards an Effective Islamic Compact”, represents a step further in Islamic harmony, towards an event that goes beyond the usual dialogues and repetitions, to develop practical programs for the document of building bridges between Islamic sects and coordinating positions to face common challenges and dangers, establishing a systematic work that crystallizes in initiatives and projects that promote moderation and refute the rhetoric and practices of sectarianism.

The conference began with a speech by His Eminence the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, in which he emphasized the great responsibility of the scholars, intellectuals and intellectuals of the Islamic world to raise the voice of wisdom that preserves the unity of the nation and addresses its issues and concerns, calling for “the voice of reason that confronts crises and sets things right” to prevail.

He pointed out that “the issues and tribulations of the Islamic world should be a reason to unite the ranks and stay away from exchanging accusations, projections and polarization,” stressing that “it is our duty for the sake of the welfare and unity of Muslims to strengthen the relationship, build trust, and tighten the bonds of brotherhood.”

He added: “When doubts are rampant and debates intensify, the wisdom of faith is present to guide minds and hearts towards their right direction, not fanaticism, parties or whims, but the truth with its evidence and rationality with its awareness on the path of Islam.”

For his part, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, pointed out in a speech that the conference resumes what was established by the document “Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools” issued by the founding conference last Ramadan, to coordinate efforts to work for the benefit of the Ummah at a historical juncture when it is most in need of strengthening solidarity.

He said: “We meet in this pure atmosphere, the cradle of revelation and the Qibla, under the generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in appreciation of science and its people as they assume the responsibility of this conference in the dimensions of its vision, the comprehensiveness of its message and the nobility of its objectives.”

He added: “We all know that disagreement and diversity is a universal divine year, and it has been within the Islamic world for many centuries, but it is between ebb and flow, negative and positive, and if the awareness rises and the purposes are high, it is on a sound path, and if the second, it becomes what we all know … The facts of history in our hands testify and preach, and the happy man is the one who is preached to by others.”

He pointed out that the negative trajectories of sectarian debates have not limited their tragedies to their perpetrators, but their evil has extended to undermine Islam and Muslims in painful incidents that history has recorded in its painful pages, pointing out that the required fraternity, coexistence and solidarity does not necessarily mean conviction of the specificity of the other, but rather understanding and respecting its existence, and also means that the umbrella of Islam is one and the brotherhood of Islam exists and that the commonality is wide.

In the context of his speech, Dr. Al-Issa stressed the importance of dialogue from within Islam, stressing that “it is an important and precious demand, and there is no dispute about that, and it is the call of the wise, but it has been stagnating for decades and has not moved beyond it to the most important stage, which is construction and action, especially after we adopted the starting base, which is the great and wide Islamic commonality that we gather in today, which made us real in the name of Islam and its description.”

He stressed that the conference will witness the launch of practical programs in the light of the document “Building Bridges between Islamic Schools of Thought”, which was noted by the OIC countries, and which only remains to activate its provisions, namely building bridges in the march of Islamic solidarity towards an effective Islamic cohesion, extending deep thanks to the blessed, tireless and diligent Islamic efforts undertaken by the Saudi government and what it has done and is doing for Islam and Muslims, and extending thanks to the attendees participating in the conference.

Attendees watched a “short film” recalling the launch of the “Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought” initiative, which was launched last year, while Hussein Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Abdullah bin Bayh, Chairman of the Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwa, Ahmad Mazani, Chairman of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Council, and a number of conference participants spoke at the opening ceremony.

Developments in Palestine, Sudan and Syria, as well as issues of Muslim minorities, topped the discussions of the scholarly session dedicated to coordinating scholarly positions on pressing issues on the Islamic scene, while a number of other sessions were held.

The second day of the conference, Friday, will witness several sessions in addition to the closing session, before issuing the final statement of the conference, launching the strategic and executive plan for the “Building Bridges between Islamic Schools of Thought” document, launching the “Islamic Intellectual Compact” encyclopedia and handing over the Islamic Jurisprudential Academy’s award for the “Islamic Intellectual Compact” encyclopedia.