The inclusive political unity of Muslim countries is necessary for the optimization of Islamic unity, which should transcend the nation-states that were imposed on the primordial Ummah by European colonialism.
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In the shadow of Gaza Genocide
The Gaza Genocide demands of Muslims unity, at the new historical conjuncture where Global South geopolitics is on the rise and imperial power is on the decline.
Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference
The Kingdom of Bahrain hosted the 5th edition of the Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference on February 19-20, 2025 – with the theme of One Nation, One Shared Destiny – under the title of ‘Responding to the Challenges of Achieving Intra-Islamic Understanding.’
After a quiet period of three years of planning the Conference mobilized 400 international scholars, jurists, thinkers, religious leaders, intellectuals, and experts who attended the Conference. The idea of the Conference was initiated by His Eminence Dr Ahmed Al Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif of Egypt and the Chairperson of the Muslim Council of Elders. It was jointly organized by Al Azhar, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs of Bahrain, and the Muslim Council of Elders.
Welcome by His Majesty King Hamad
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa delivered the welcoming address with a sharp focus on unity through renewal of Islamic thought that paves the way to a new phase in history for civilizational progress. He rejected divisions and sectarianisms. He encouraged rapprochement and solidarity of all schools of thought and intellectual doctrines. He treated differences as diversity and complementarity of unity. He praised Allah for making Muslims the people of one Qibla.
Address by the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif
The Grand Imam continued with the theme of fostering unity and strengthening international solidarity. He commended the scholars for their attendance and response to the ‘pure and single Islamic initiative’ to unite the Ummah, reach understanding, and forget the past. He referred to the Conference as a rare event that rainbowed the Islamic spectrum of many schools of thought. He quoted the hadith, ‘Whoever prays like us and faces our Qibla and eats our slaughtered animals is a Muslim and is under Allah’s and His Apostle’s protection. So do not betray Allah by betraying those who are in His protection.’
He pointed out that the enemies of Islam exploited sectarianism and one of its many results was their call for ‘the displacement of an ancient people, uprooting them from their homeland to establish a tourist resort on the remains of the dead and the bodies of martyrs.’
He said, ‘Palestine remains the guiding compass of the nation (Ummah) and its central cause, which stands as a witness to the importance of Islamic unity…’ He expressed his gratitude to King Hamad for his leadership and support for the initiative and acknowledged Bahrain’s commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue in the Muslim world.
He announced that the follow-through Conference would be hosted by Al Azhar Al Sharif in Egypt in due course.
Participation of renowned scholars
Amongst the scholars who participated were Prof Dr Abbas Shoman, the Secretary General of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al Azhar; Ayatollah Dr Sayyed Abu al Qasim al Dibaji, the Secretary General of the World Islamic Jurisprudence Organization; Prof Dr Mostafa Bajou, Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence at the University of Ghardaia and a member of the High Islamic Council in Algeria; Sheikh Dr Abdul Latif Mahmoud Al Mahmoud and Sheikh Nasser Ahmed Al Asfour, two members of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs of Bahrain; and Sir Iqbal Abdul Karim Sacranie, the Senior Advisor to the Muslim Council of Britain.
These scholars expanded on the sub-themes emanating from the main theme of unity such as culture of understanding; mutual respect; tolerance; cooperation; shared values and principles; and the cohesiveness of the Ummah. They suggested practical initiatives; reinforcement of media discourse; modern educational curricula; and enhancement of theological and doctrinal dialogue – for the betterment of humanity through prophetic missions and establishment of institutions.
The inclusive political unity of Muslim countries is necessary for the optimization of Islamic unity, which should transcend the nation-states that were imposed on the primordial Ummah by European colonialism.
The role of Muslim World League
Amongst the diverse convergent approaches, the role of the Muslim World League, an NGO of 60 member organizations, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Mecca is vital for the spiritual health of Islamic unity. It has a consultative status with UNESCO, UNICEF, and UNECOSOC. It hosts meetings of leading Islamic scholars during Hajj. It is a leading force on the cultural front through mass media for regional and international stability. Its subsidiary, International Islamic Relief Organization distributes humanitarian aid in regions affected by war and natural disaster.
The Ulama are always in touch with the feelings, emotions, and traumas of ordinary people and provide ongoing healing. It should be remembered that the lion-hearted Ulama under colonial rule in countries such as India, Algeria, Indonesia, Sudan, Iran and elsewhere were in the vanguard of martyrs.
Hajj as a civilizational institution
Hajj in and by itself is an annual convergence of individuals as members of the Ummah when they physically and socially feel unity. It provides sacred space for meaningful conversation and dialogue. While it is a practical preparation for end-times it is also a stimulus for enhanced social and moral responsibilities in the post-Hajj life. It helps in the mutation of actions as individuals to actions as the Ummah.
The Gaza Genocide provides added reason for this organic mutation. Hopefully, the Bahrain Conference will add further stimulus to the mutation and become a grassroots movement, in which the World Muslim League plays a large part in every Hajji becoming a lifelong Ambassador of Peace. It will further the practical preparation for end-times.
As the hearts of Muslims weep for Gaza/Palestine they remember the centrality of Masjid al-Aqsa, the first qibla, which is in need of liberation from evil forces.
Hajj is an inward journey in search for ongoing purification of the soul that eradicates social status, perceptual bias, and ephemeral power. All feel the closeness of the compassionate hearts of the Ummah beating as one heart.
The upward spiral of Islamic civilization
The Conference resonated with the desire to spiral Islamic civilization upwardly – as its highest international goal for delivering through nation-states the benefits of science, technology, education, innovation, health, and work. It is an Islam-centric assertion of human rights to social justice, socio-economic justice, and human welfare. It is a means to keep the Ummah mobilized for ongoing skilful struggle with steadfastness (sumud) and capacity and capability to endure pain and suffering with joy in the heart, as exemplified by the imperishable people of Gaza.
For civilization to endure it has to be embedded in an intangible culture of the mind and tangible culture of material objects. The structure of Islamic civilization is framed by jurisprudence, for which jurists play a guardian role in its substance and methodology. Traditional jurisprudence is applied to modern industrialized societies. These demand of scholars to keep themselves updated on societal challenges and problems – matched by commensurate professional development and strengthened by relationships with the masses, especially, the youth as soldiers of optimism and progress.
Control of media power
The struggle against colonialism has taught liberation leaders that political power without media power dilutes political power and offers colonialism a backdoor entry to subvert the liberation movement and perpetuate neo-colonialism through raw economic power.
The control of media power in the new age of audio-visual and written social media should be embedded in authentic sociology, anthropology, and psychology and the ethical use of augmented AI technology in real time – embracing truth and eschewing falsehood. There are new demands on professional standards to respond appropriately to unpredictable phenomena arising. The readiness to counterattack consumerism, egotism, narcissism, hedonism, nihilism, anarchism, and commodified sexism is demanding. All are forms of ‘pleasurable’ violence that assault all five senses and the cortico-thalamic brain processes for profit. Ultimately, they function to subvert a just law and order or to subvert civilization itself.
Western ‘civilization’ has barbarism as its obverse side, which manifests itself in subtle and crude ways. In Gaza it is at its worst form of barbarism.
The response of the World Council of Church (WCC) to the Conference
Two little-known facts were that Mohamed Elamin who is a member of the WCC Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation Reference Group helped with preparations for the Conference on behalf of the Council of Elders where he serves as a Program Director. He stated, ‘The call issued by His Eminence Prof Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar and chairmen of the Muslim Council of Elders for Intra-Islamic Dialogue in 2022 and subsequent meeting of key figures and leaders of Islamic sects and schools of thought in 2025 comes within the framework of the efforts of Al Azhar Al Sharif and the Muslim Council of Elders to consolidate the values of dialogue and rapprochement between Islamic schools of thought.’
It is appropriate to note here that the WCC has a daily voluntary Accompaniment of Palestinians to checkpoints program to monitor human rights abuses and report them to the UN Human Rights Committee. The foreign Christian volunteers live in refugee camps and some of them endure arbitrary imprisonment and face deportations – as fruit of the difficult path of constructive interreligious dialogue.
Prof Angeliki Ziaka, WCC program Executive for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, particularly, in the new geopolitics of the Global South context said that there is an urgent demand for immediate ceasefire and the protection of human life in Gaza.
She noted that the Conference held profound importance for Muslim countries as an affirmation of mutual recognition despite longstanding political and theological differences and antagonisms, evident from Islam’s formative period, and as a call for collective action to address pressing global challenges that impact humanity at large and the daily lives of ordinary people and their countries.
She appropriately concluded, ‘The call for unity through acknowledging Islam’s internal diversity carries historical weight. This initiative has the potential to foster decisions and concrete actions that will advance not only inter-Muslim but also global peace and cooperation by respecting theological and cultural differences – intra- and extra-Islamic.’ (Islamic Scholars and leaders convene to foster unity amid today’s challenges: WCC News: 27 March 2025).
The greatest intangible asset of the Conference
The greatest intangible asset to emerge from the Conference is the philosophical support of scholars who embody primary ideas. The supplementary assets are the human will for resistance; advancement of change; the need for worldwide mass mobilization around primary ideas; freedom of ideas; and the return to the rightful historical role of Al Azhar Al Sharif and its formidable scholarship.
