التاريخ : الثلاثاء 25 يوليو 2023 . القسم : Press Releases
Dr. Salah Abdel-Haq’s Address to: The IUMS Conference on “Protection of Islamic Sanctities”
In the name of Allah; praise be to Him; and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his kinsfolk, companions, and followers:
Your Eminence, scholars of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), and all scholar bodies,
Gentlemen, heads of Islamic institutions and human rights organizations,
May Allah's peace, blessings, and mercy be upon you. May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you be awarded a dignified position in Jannah. And may Allah bless all your endeavors with success.. Amen:
In a turbulent world ruled by interests and moods, dominated by the logic of power and materialism, and instigated by ideological, ethnic and religious rhetoric and trends; and in light of a global system that is short of justice, wisdom, and lacks the ability to protect a system of values that was agreed upon seventy years ago: in such world, it is normal for religions and sanctities to be attacked from time to time, in absence of a deterrent law, or moral and spiritual commitment that controls the conscience of humanity.
Honorable audience, here we are today convening after the assault once again on the Holy Quran, the nation's constitution and the symbol of the eternal message of Islam, as part of a series of attacks targeting Islam, Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him, and our Islamic sanctities. Such attacks have never stopped since the world approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), when its birth coincided with the occupation of a precious part of the heart of the Islamic world, Palestine, with respect to its land, people and sanctities.
Also, it didn't stop there; as the war on identity and religion in Muslim countries themselves has never stopped, since colonial powers departed. Since then, the Muslim Brotherhood has been struggling to defend Islam and its sanctities and exerted so much effort for that. Because of this, it was subjected to numerous ordeals, but it has always remained well-pleased, and spared no effort in defense of Islam and the nation’s identity in every land where Allah’s religion may be fought or targeted, or the Islamic sanctities be attacked.
Today, we cannot help but take the same position, despite the wounds and pains we suffer here and there.
First, we urge the peoples of the Islamic world, in the presence of their eminence the scholars, to undertake the duty entrusted to them -both individuals and groups- of supporting Islam and defending its Prophet and Allah’s Holy Book, using all possible means of political, economic, media, and legal pressure, with the aim of halting hatred campaigns, which threaten the peace and security of any society, and push it to renunciation of coexistence, and perhaps to infighting.
The MB calls on Arab and Muslim governments to work to open the public sphere, so that preachers, scholars, writers, thinkers, and social and cultural movements can undertake their role in preserving the nation's identity and morals, and defending its sanctities, taking into mind that the aware, conscientious, and free people in any nation are the main supporters of the political decision-makers and negotiators in such crises, especially amid the constraints of politics and the prevalence of interests.
The Brotherhood also urges heads of states to call for issuance of international and domestic legislation to criminalize attacks on sanctities and punish perpetrators. It also calls on them to use all political, economic, diplomatic and legal pressure cards against the countries that sponsor such abuses, to force them to curb such extremist acts, on its own; so that the world may avoid their negative repercussions on the values of peace and coexistence.
In this context, we appreciate the significant comments of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan when he said: "We believe that there will be no awareness in Western countries unless Muslim countries adopt an organized stance against rising attacks on the Quran.” We also appreciate the attitudes of Egypt, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and all countries that condemned these violations and adopted a positive stance against them, particularly the position of the Turkish judiciary, which found the Swedish citizen, who burned a copy of the Quran, guilty; and also the Iraqi diplomatic position against Sweden.
Finally, we call upon their eminence the scholars, along with their institutions and bodies, to work at every level -official or popular- and to use all available means of media or Da’wa sermons to defend the sanctities of Islam. We also urge Muslims to show eloquent response to the burning of the Holy Quran, and to jealously defend the Book of Allah, learn it, abide by its teachings, disseminate its facts, and circulate its translations in all languages across the world, given the fact that “people are an enemy to what they are ignorant of” – so that such response could be a deterrent to those who may think of committing such abuses once again. ﴾Rather, We hurl the truth upon falsehood, and it destroys it, and thereupon it departs. Ah! woe be to you for the (false) things you ascribe (to Us).﴿ (Al-Anbiyaa: 18) ﴾… As for the foam, it vanishes, [being] cast off; but as for that which benefits the people, it remains on the earth. Thus does Allah present examples.﴿ (Al-Raad: 17)
Allah Is the Greatest, and May Praise Be to Allah,
Dr. Salah Abdel Haq
Acting Muslim Brotherhood General Guide
(Sunday, 5 Muharram 1445 AH / 23 July 2023)