No more confusion about Islam, says Al Azhar imam

Muslim scholars from around the world have decided to act against bloodshed in the name of Islam. Late on Saturday night, a group of Sheikhs gathered in Abu Dhabi to announce the launch of Muslim Council for Elders (MCE).

Dr Ahmed Al Tayyib, Imam of Al Azhar Mosque and Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Biya, Chairman of the Forum at the launch of Islamic Council. - KT photo by Shoaib Anwer

“This is a very historical moment, meeting the elite of Muslim scholars in Ramadan, to launch the council,” said Grand Imam Ahmed Al Tayeb, Sheikh of Azhar Al Sharif, Cairo’s oldest mosque, established by the Fatimids in 1970s.

MCE is an independent international body with its headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Its establishment follows the recommendations of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, also held here, in March this year.

The aim of MCE is peace.

“We want peace, but peace is not the case these days for so many Muslim countries,” said Al Tayeb.

“Islam is a religion of peace. If love exists in Christianity, peace is the message of Islam.”

“So we have to ask this question: how this message is turned upside down? For 1,500 years we are witnessing extremist groups that use weapons and kill people in the name of religion, and claim to be Muslims.”

“Islam has nothing to do with their behaviour. It is necessary to stand up and face this wave of extremists,” he stressed.

Al Tayeb told Khaleej Times the MCE has 15 Muslim elders from the region, Africa, Europe and the US. Another scholar, Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, chairman of the forum, added that the council could have been formed earlier, but better late than never.

“There is a kind of craziness and madness happening in some Muslim countries. For no reason, no rational thinking, people are being killed in the name of Islam. It doesn’t make anyone happy, so we called each other and met in the UAE, where we began preparing for his Council,” he said.

He further stressed that the MCE is open to any Muslim, and anyone with questions about Islam should come to the council for answers rather than fall pray to the views of extremists.

“We want to set the right path, guide our people in the right direction, so there is no more confusion about Islam.”

“We should communicate with our youth, launch civil societies, women groups and address these people who are misled,” he added.

Abdulhakim Jackson, a Muslim scholar from the US, stressed that, apart from seeking peace, the politically neutral MCE will also improve the interpretation of the Quran and other Islamic texts, and it will revive the “good attributes” of Islamic nations.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com