“Today I am in the heart of Europe, and I would like to make the most of my presence in this institution, so great for Catholics – the Vatican – to launch an appeal to the entire world so that it can unite and close ranks to confront and put an end to terrorism,” said Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb.
“This is my appeal to the world and to the freemen of the world: to come to an agreement immediately and to intervene to put an end to these rivers of blood,” el-Tayeb said in an interview with Vatican Radio and the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano.
The Grand Imam also spoke about a conference organized in Al-Azhar last year, after which Muslim and Christian leaders made an appeal to not confuse terrorist organizations with Muslims.
The imam also said that the current violence in the Middle East shouldn’t be portrayed as “persecution of Christians” because the largest number of victims are Muslim, and that if anything, the two are “suffering this catastrophe together.”
El-Tayeb also said that religious leaders have the responsibility to “give humanity a new direction” towards mercy and peace to “avoid the great crisis we are suffering now.”
“Man without religion constitutes a danger to his fellow man, and I believe that people now, in the 21st century, have started to look around and to seek out wise guides to lead them in the right direction,” el-Tayeb said.
Talking about Pope Francis, the imam defined him as “a man of peace” who follows the teachings of Christianity, “which is a religion of love and peace.” The pontiff, he added, is also someone who respects other religions and their followers, and also someone who “takes responsibility for people in general.”
“The meeting is the message,” the pope said upon encountering the imam for the first time.
source : Shafaqna
