Contemporary humanity is suffering under materialistic global policies and chaos driving the world toward madness
Tyranny, the crushing of the weak, and arms trade are being given immoral justifications in today’s materialistic civilization
President of Finland to the Grand Imam: “Many world leaders learn from religious Figures, such as Your Eminence, who represents the genuine understanding of religion.”
When policymakers heed religious teachings, the world undoubtedly become a better place
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof. Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, received on Tuesday, April 21, President of Finland Mr. Alexander Stubb, to discuss ways to enhance mutual cooperation.
The Grand Imam highlighted the profound sufferings of contemporary humanity amid escalating global chaos that is pushing the world toward madness, noting that hopes and aspirations have diminished in light of increasingly materialistic and irrational global policies.
“All that we now hope for is an end to this growing absurdity, which continues to fuel violence, wars, and conflicts,” His Eminence said.
The Grand Imam asserted that the modern civilization has abandoned moral values, ridiculed religions, sought to marginalize them, while channeling its abilities toward fulfilling materialistic desires and worldly avarices.
He noted that as this civilization has developed materially, it has simultaneously declined morally, religiously and humanely. As a result, tyranny, the crushing of the weak, arms trading, and ending lives have come to be morally justifiable— and even publicly celebrated within this contemporary materialistic civilization.
His Eminence added: “As a human being, I share the sufferings of others. The fate of such materialistic civilization is well known: its makers will ultimately perish along with their power.”
His eminence also underscored Al-Azhar’s efforts in spreading peace at both local and international levels. At the national level, Al-Azhar established the “Egyptian Family House” in cooperation with the Egyptian churches, a pioneering initiative that has played a pivotal role in diminishing all types of sectarian tensions to the point of near disappearance today. At the international level, Al-Azhar has actively engaged in dialogue with major religious and cultural institutions, including the Vatican, the Church of Canterbury, and World Council of Churches, working together to promote the foundations of global peace. He highlighted that the most pressing challenge lies in bridging the gap between global decision-makers and the voice of religion as represented by religious scholars, and in convincing policymakers of the vital role that this voice plays in guiding and safeguarding human life against the crises affecting individuals, families and societies at large.
For his part, President of Finland Mr. Alexander Stubb expressed his pleasure at meeting the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and his appreciation for His Eminence’s global the efforts to spread peace and promote values of coexistence and human fraternity.
The President affirmed that he agrees with the Grand Imam’s vision regarding the multiple and overlapping crises facing humanity today, stressing that the world is grabbling with complex challenges, including the spread of ignorance, violence, wars and conflicts, which have in turn given rise to diseases, pandemics and chaos.
President Stubb added: “We hold great hopes and aspirations for the future. Many world leaders look to religious leader such as Your Eminence for guidance, as you represent a moderate understanding of religion. When policymakers listen to the teachings of religion, the world will undoubtedly become a better place.”
He further asserted that religious values, in themselves, constitute a foundational reference for the principles and provisions of international relations, noting that the current global reality is contributing to the expansion of conflicts across the world. He stressed the urgent need to create the necessary conditions for the effective implementation and enforcement of international humanitarian law, as a pathway toward achieving a better world for all.