Dr. Mohie Ed-deen Afifi, secretary-general of the Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy (AIRA), said that the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb's visit to Germany came at a critical time as the world suffers from terrorism, takfir and bombings. Extremist thought has been marketed for using different techniques and methodologies. The world wide web has been used to deceive and entice young people. None can deny that acts of terrorism practiced by terrorist groups have reached out to lots of countries around the world. This has led to an increase of Islamophobia in the West. Therefore, the image of Islam and Muslims has been distorted in the West to the extent that some people associate Islam with terrorism and label Muslims as terrorists. Something should have been done to correct this distorted image.
Afifi resumed: "Addressing sensible and wise people, political figures, and decision makers in the West is vital to overcome this hate. Therefore, the speech of Al-Azhar grand imam shows humanity values in Islam and the Islamic outlook on the world as a whole. Islam views the world as one family in humanity and that all heavenly religions are sent down to achieve the welfare and the best interest of humanity in a manner that ensures co-existence and mutual respect. In Budstang, the grand imam addressed the whole world. He lauded the German Chancellor Angela Merkel's positive outlook on Islam and Muslims and participation in Anti-Islamophobia protests."
The Secretary-General also pointed out that the imam's speech spoke of the essence of Islamic teachings that ordains achieving peace in all nations without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion. This is one of the most important concepts to counter anti-Muslim hate in the West. He also referred to the fact that peace has become a global demand whether at the individual or community levels. There's a great deal of common ground that should be observed through respecting religious, ideological and cultural diversity and co-existence. Islam came after Judaism and Christianity confirming all what preceded it. It's worth mentioning that the act of embracing Islam cannot be completed without believing in the holy scriptures, Moses and Jesus and all the prophets; this is a sharp refutation against bigotry that doesn't recognize diversity as a universal truth. Those who want to compel people to embrace Islam are working against the will of God.
Afifi also pointed out that the grand imam in his speech explained the concepts of mercy in Islam. It's worth noting that Islam doesn't allow killing non-Muslims for rejecting Islam. It also states that non-Muslims should live in peace and stability; not killed. Hence, this shows how the militias and groups who misinterpret and use Islamic texts to kill in the name of Quran and Sunnah are misguided and misled. These false interpretations that allowed the killing of innocent people, legitimized the use of the bodies and money of others' are a result of rejecting diversity and renouncing the etiquette of disagreement. Thus, Islam is a religion of co-existence, affability, mutual respect and getting to know one another. This is stated in the Glorious Quran: "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other)." (13:18)
The secretary-general also explained that one of the concepts that need to be understood is the concept of Jihad in Islam; thus, the Grand Imam confirmed that Jihad is not limited to countering aggression but also includes exerting effort to achieve welfare for humanity. This corrects the misconceptions spread by extremist groups to mess with the minds of the youth and manipulate their feelings and emotions as they call for takfir and killing in the name of jihad promising them slaves in this life and Hoor Al'Ain in the life hereafter .
Moreover, he pointed out that the imam focused in his speech on the principles the world needs; such as justice, equity, freedom, and keeping human dignity; this is the essence of Islam. The absence of these principles or applying thereof with double-standards is the main reason behind this disturbing instability around the world. The grand imam has called on Muslims who live in Europe to observe the supreme values of their communities and to be live examples of tolerance and mercy in Islam. This stresses renouncing violence and extremism that controls the minds of those who live in the west and transferred their problems, divisions, and misunderstanding of Islam. in addition, those who claim to be the legitimate representatives of Islam and its guardians negatively affected the image of Islam in the eyes of non-Muslims. These limited outlooks resulted in the emergence of hatred against Muslims.
The secretary-general stressed that the western world needs intellectuals and visionaries who don't reject integration of cultures as there's a huge benefit from interaction, co-existence and respecting the values of others. Otherwise, how did the Islamic civilization prosper? He pointed out that one of the most significant reasons of its prosperity is the cultural and social interaction and integration. Islamic civilization is not a pure Islamic product; it's a mixture of the preceding cultures that resulted from coexistence, understanding the cultures of others, mutual respect and spreading the concepts of mercy, love and peace. This is what the Imam has focused on in his speech as he depicted the contemporary situation in terms of reasons, results and solutions and the importance of focusing on global citizenship that doesn't contradict with people's loyalty to their nations. Al-Azhar Al-Sharif is keen on showing common grounds between the people of the worlds and stressing the importance of respecting humanity by applying the principles of justice, freedom and equity.