Makkah hosts symposium on 'Islam: Coexistence and Tolerance'

Welcome Guest! You are here: Home » Hajj 2019

Makkah hosts symposium on 'Islam: Coexistence and Tolerance'

The participants also underscored the need for coexistence as a human and civilizational demand

Wednesday August 7, 2019 8:33 PM, UNA-OIC

Makkah: The 44th Hajj Grand Symposium, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah under the theme “Islam: Coexistence and Tolerance”, concluded in Makkah on Tuesday after two days, with the participation of a number of scholars and intellectuals from the world's elite thinkers.

The scholars and thinkers stressed in the symposium recommendations the importance of accompanying the tolerance of Islam in the openness to the world, and that the high behavior and good discipline of Muslims should be the main entry to acquaint the peoples with the culture and the principles of the true Islamic religion.

The participants also underscored the need for coexistence as a human and civilizational demand, calling on Muslims to recognize the right of others to live and to preserve their culture. They further affirmed that today's world is in dire need to be familiarized with the tolerance in Islam, which has been tarnished by the terrorist and extremist groups.

In a speech on the second day of the symposium, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdul Fattah Mashat stressed the importance of annual hosting the symposium as it benefits everyone, thanks to the diversity of the participants, whose experiences and recommendations will assist the country's leaders in their efforts to continue to improve Hajj and Umrah services.

Mashat said that the ways in which we deal with the digital world reflect our identity, pointing out that when technology is misused, it harms religion and humanity. He also stressed the importance of maintaining a presence in the digital world that preserves personal identity.

“When we talk about tolerance and coexisting, we cannot separate the true human identity from the digital identity,” the deputy minister said, adding that when there is a difference between the two identities then that will create a double identity.

For his part, Vice President of the US University of San Diego Dr. Mounir Soliman emphasized the importance of cooperation as Muslims to provide an ideal model of the tolerance in the Islamic religion. He also stressed the importance of changing our habits in the use of technology to reflect positively on our presence in the digital space.

Technical expert Abdullah Al-Saba said that prior to the digital revolution, the scope for sharing information was much more limited. As technology has advanced, our lives have gotten easier and we can reach others and spread information more quickly to greater numbers of people. This can serve Islam, he said, for example by using technology to help and track pilgrims during their journeys for Hajj and Umrah.

The second day of the symposium also witnessed a session entitled "Embracing Islam", under the chairmanship of Counselor Khalid Al-Hajri and the participation of the American Muslim preacher, Dr. Yusuf Estes; President of the Australian Federation of the Islamic Councils (AFIC) Dr. Rateb Jneid; former French footballer Nicolas Sébastien Anelka; and French media professional Mélanie Georgiades.

Estes said it is important to properly reflect the true, positive nature of Islam through actions, including charitable actions, and not only words.

For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.