An international workshop at Dar Al-Ifta reveals the dangers of using religious texts to ignite wars
As part of the second international symposium held by the Egyptian Fatwa House under the title “Fatwa and Issues of Human Reality”, the Imam Al-Layth bin Saad Center for the Jurisprudence of Coexistence organized a scientific workshop entitled “Peaceful Coexistence in the Face of Using Texts to Start War” with the participation of an elite group of religious, intellectual and academic leaders and representatives of religious and media institutions from within Egypt. And outside of it.
The workshop was held under the chairmanship of His Eminence Sheikh Musa Saidi, President of the Islamic Supreme Council of the State of Zambia, and with the participation of His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed Bassiouni, Director of the Imam Al-Layth bin Saad Center for the Jurisprudence of Coexistence, as Secretary, and came within the framework of the efforts of the Egyptian Fatwa House to promote rational religious discourse and consolidate the values of coexistence and peace.
Sheikh Musa Saidi confirmed at the opening of the work The workshop emphasized that peaceful coexistence is not a moral slogan, but rather an existential necessity for the stability of societies and the protection of homelands, stressing that the defect does not lie in the religious texts themselves, but rather in their misuse and extraction from their scientific frameworks. He praised the role of the Egyptian Fatwa House in consolidating the discourse of moderation, calling for concerted efforts to come up with practical, applicable solutions.
For his part, Bishop Jeremiah, the general bishop and head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center, stressed that the heavenly religions came to preserve man and populate the earth, not to turn the text into a tool for killing or exclusion, explaining that the real crisis lies in the selective reading that misses the purposes of self-preservation and calls for violence in the name of Religion, and that the message of religions is directed to all of humanity as a message of mercy and love.
Sheikh Ahmed Turk, Chairman of the Senate Religious Committee, pointed out that extremist readings of texts have historically been used in the service of political projects that do not serve religion, warning against isolating young people from solid religious authorities and leaving them prey to exclusionary discourse, especially through digital platforms.
In In the same context, Dr. Reda Abdel Wahed Amin, Dean of the Faculty of Information at Al-Azhar University, explained that digital media has doubled the danger of extremist thought, and has made it possible to reshape youth awareness at an unprecedented speed, pointing out that contemporary religious discourse faces two contradictory deviations: extremism and dilution, both of which confuse public awareness.
Dr. Seymour Nasirov, head of the Azerbaijani community in Egypt, stressed that humanity is in the same boat, and common challenges can only be faced with integration. He rejected division, reviewing Azerbaijan’s experience in managing national and religious pluralism, stressing that coexistence is based on conscious decisions that protect societal security.
Reverend Amin Magdy, pastor of the Evangelical Church in 6th of October City, also stressed the importance of rearranging priorities in religious discourse and focusing on the great values of peace and love instead of arguing over sub-issues that do not serve the essence of the religious message.
The doctor reviewed Amr Al-Wardani, a member of the Supreme Advisory Board and Secretary of Fatwa at the Egyptian Fatwa House, described various types of deviant readings mastered by extremist groups, most notably the readings of oppression, hatred, revenge, and the sanctification of symbols, stressing that desacralizing human beings and sanctifying people is a direct way to ignite a clash.
Dr. Muhammad Abdel Wahed Kamel, a researcher in jurisprudence and its principles, pointed out that People are naturally averse to extremism, but the rising voice of extremists has caused general confusion, warning that ideology does not combine with science, and that every ideological reading of the text destroys its purposes.
In turn, Amr Farouk, a journalist specializing in the affairs of religious groups, confirmed that extremist organizations do not disappear but rather change their tools, and that their most dangerous presence today is the digital presence, calling for a discourse that addresses the common man and enhances security.
Dr. Mustafa Abdel Karim, Secretary of the Fatwa at the Egyptian Fatwa House, explained that the confusion between understanding the text and its application represents a major reason for misrepresenting religious models, stressing that the Prophet’s biography provides flexible models of coexistence, but it needs precise scientific controls in applying them to reality.
The workshop concluded that coexistence is Peacefulness is a well-established religious and humanitarian origin, and that employing religious texts to ignite wars is a dangerous deviation from the purposes of heavenly laws, stressing that confrontation requires an integrated scientific and institutional effort, based on correcting approaches to understanding, controlling religious discourse, integrating the roles of religious, educational and media institutions, and moving from diagnosis to practical solutions in a way that enhances societal stability, preserves the sanctity of texts, and consolidates a culture of peace and coexistence.
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