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The Second World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace

Published on 2007-12-27 17:37:00

Under the High Patronage of His Majesty Juan Carlos I, King of Spain and His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, Commander of Faithful, 220 Imams and Rabbis from 43 countries, together with 80 key personalities and experts from all over the world, gathered in Seville, from 19 to 22 March 2006, for the Second World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace.

 

Topics and organisation

During the First World Congress, religious leaders, representatives of different communities from around the world, joined their voices to condemn all instrumentalisation of the name of God as justification for violence. In so doing, they have won back God’s word, which had been taken hostage by extremists, and they brought out the voice of unity which is capable of opening the path to more concrete solutions: giving priority to the promotion and implementation of education and knowledge - including the teaching of peace. This subject was the principal theme of reflection and action during this second meeting.

This Congress brought together more than two hundred eminent personalities from the Islamic and Jewish communities, with contributions from Christians and representatives of other religions, academics, educationalists, students from Rabbinic and Koranic schools.

Each participant was an actor in the march of the Congress.
Many specialists rarely have the opportunity to meet in an informal, open gathering where there is room for in-depth thought and discussion. This congress was structured just that way, to encourage work, proposals and actions. Each participant was given ample opportunity to be a driving force and active player.

The first day was dedicated to examining the new challenges facing religious leaders in our contemporary societies.

Workshops were held on the second and third day so that all the participants could contribute to the role of religious leaders in conflict resolution. Everyone was invited to take the floor and to act.

Final statement

In the name of the One Creator and Master of the Universe, the Compassionate and All Merciful, we Muslim and Jewish leaders and representatives, gathered for the Second World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace organized by Hommes de Parole in Seville, in the region of Andalusia - recalling the past era in which Jews and Muslims lived together here in harmony and mutual enrichment - and aspiring for such relations today and in the future.

We accordingly affirm that contrary to widespread misrepresentation, there is no inherent conflict between Islam and Judaism, on the contrary. While modern politics has regrettably impacted negatively upon the relationship, our two religions share the most fundamental values of faith in the One Almighty whose name is Peace, who is merciful, compassionate and just; and who calls on us human beings to manifest these values in our lives and to advance them in relation to all persons whose lives and dignity are sacred. Therefore we reiterate the message we sent from our first congress, that we deplore bloodshed or violence in the name of any ideology everywhere. Especially when such is perpetrated in the name of religion it is a desecration of religion, itself and the gravest offense against the Holy Name of the Creator.

Thus, in addition to calling upon all our co-religionists to respect all human life, dignity and rights, to promote peace and justice; we call upon them and the governments of the world and international institutions to show respect for the attachments and symbols of all religions, as well as their holy sites, houses of worship and cemeteries, particularly in the Holy Land, due to its special sensitivity.
Accordingly, we condemn any negative representation of these, let alone any desecration, Heaven forbid. Similarly, we condemn any incitement against a faith or people, let alone any call for their elimination, and we urge authorities to do likewise.

We recognize that there is widespread misrepresentation of our religions, - one in the other's community as well as in the world at large.
We affirm therefore the urgent need for truthful and respectful education about each other's faith and tradition in our respective communities and schools; and call upon those responsible to promote such essential education for peaceful co-existence.

Solemnly we pledge ourselves to the abovementioned continue to seek out one another to build bridges of respect, hope and friendship, to combat incitement and hostility, to overcome all barriers and obstacles, to reinforce mutual trust, serving the noble goal of universal peace especially in the land that is holy to us all.

Seville, Spain, March, 22nd 2006, Safar 21, 1427, Adar 22, 5766

Findings

IMAMS AND RABBIS TAKE ACTION

The Second World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace held in Seville 19 to 22 March, brought together more than 120 imams and rabbis with the presence of 80 specialists and Christian personalities, under the High Patronage of His Majesty Juan Carlos I and His Majesty Mohammed VI.
Following the first meting of ‘Imams and Rabbis for Peace’ that took place in Brussels in January 2005, this second congress took immediate effective action.

Twenty working themes proposed by the participants were discussed, and three principal actions emerged from the 49 recommendations for action:

• The International Interreligious Monitoring Center, directed by Galitt Kenan, the objective of which is to denounce and condemn anti-religious acts in the world. A web site will be set-up, providing in each country, key information relating to Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and Christianophobia. This snapshot of the precise situation relating to the state and evolution of antireligious acts in the world, for which no data is at present available, will be made in partnership with existing institutions. The website will relay all of the actions undertaken in each country to fight against such acts (at the legislative, governmental, local and associative levels). It will also make an inventory of all the key organisations in a yearbook and by country. In this manner researchers and journalists who so desire could easily identify and contact the specialists in the matter. The number and representation of the participants (secular and religious, officials and representatives of civil society, from the whole world) will give even more force and legitimacy to the condemnation of all anti-religious acts.
• The Committee for the Protection of the Holy Places, directed by the Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa and President of the Rabbinic High Court and the Imam Imad al Falouji, Imam of Gaza, former Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of the Palestinian Authority. The primary objective of this committee is the application of United Nations resolution ‘Protection of Religious Sites’ of 2001, calling on all member states and international organisations to prevent acts or threats of violence and destruction of all religious sites. This resolution and those related to the culture of peace and dialogue between civilizations could serve as the base for national legislation in Israel and for the Palestinian Authority. The very first action by this committee in the coming months will consist of reviewing the 26 synagogues in Gaza, synagogues more than 3,000 years old in Gaza City, and in parallel the 26 or 27 Mosques in Israel.
• Of a French branch of the Institute for Global Ethics, coordinated by Rabbi Michel Serfaty. The objective of the Institute is to provide students in religious seminaries (Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs etc) with the tools necessary to become leaders capable of guiding their communities along the path towards peace and respect for all persons and all faiths. The students would receive practical instruction by courses, but also through the Web-University. Course would also be provided throughout Europe in cooperation with numerous universities and United Nations agencies.

In addition three principal lines for work have been identified and will be undertaken in the course of the coming year by the participants of the congress and coordinated by the Foundation Hommes de Parole and the Steering Committee for Jewish-Muslim Dialogue, the renewal of which will take place in April.

1. EDUCATION

In total 12 proposals and recommendations were made, these were aimed at the setting up of teaching programmes to initiate the young generation in the knowledge of the different religions of the Book (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and their respective cultures. Thus the possibility was evoked for study programmes in comparative religion, exchanges between mosques, churches and synagogues, so as to facilitate an opening for knowledge and comprehension relative to religious differences, the specific training of teachers in these disciplines and the meeting of young people of different faiths. The participants underlined the absolute necessity to initiate dialogue and develop respective knowledge of the other from the most formative years of education, so that ignorance, the source of fear or hate, be eliminated.

2. AN ENLIGHTENED RE-READING OF THE TEXTS

In total 8 propositions and recommendations were made, exhorting an enlightened and contextual re-reading of the Holy Books, and more particularly the passages used by fundamentalists to justify the rejection of the other and used as a recourse to violence. An important number of the participants extolled the creation of specialised the structures susceptible to undertaking this work and to determine adequate reading methodologies that take into account the tools provided by the humanistic disciplines (archaeology, anthropology, history, literature, sociology and hermeneutics in general) and which are respectful of context (a text read out of context could give place to the freest and most literal interpretations). As certain participants observed, the texts could be read in a fundamentalist or evolutive perspective, it is therefore crucial that all be equipped with the appropriate reading tools.

3. THE COMMITTMENT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS

In conformity with the theme of the meeting, the participants insisted on the necessary engagement of religious leaders with peoples and political leaders. More specifically the following proposals were put forward:

• The cooperation between Imams and Rabbis in social and humanitarian action.
• The engagement of religious figures in the media and in their own communities by not only reacting against racist acts, commentaries, intolerance, bearers of hate and violence, but also to promoting their message of peace.
• The creation of a joint committee to protect holy places.
• Setting up of exchanges between communities: imams inviting rabbis to speak in their communities and vice-versa.
• The engagement of religious leaders to provide information relative to their respective religions that goes beyond stereotypes and wrong interpretations of the texts (the engagement of imams to spread Islam’s face of peace, countering images vehicled in the media or by extremists).

DOWNLOAD

• kit_congress_seville.pdf
• press_review_seville.pdf
• final_statement_seville.pdf
• testimonies_seville.pdf
• synthesis_seville.pdf
• program_seville.pdf

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