Online Newsroom: Press Releases
Grand Mufti of Egypt Speaks out Against Misconceptions of Islam
October 8, 2009
Sheikh Ali Gomaa addresses a full house at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, writes of reconciling Islam with modernity in Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, in an event entitled, "The Challenge of Moderation in Islam: Egypt's Religious Institution Versus Extremism" the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr. Ali Gomaa told a crowd of roughly 100 people that radicalism has no place in Islam. The event was co-sponsored by the Middle East Studies program at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and the Religion and Peacemaking program at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
At the event, the Grand Mufti stressed the importance of understanding the true nature of Islam – a religion based on principles of peace, respect and moderation. He referenced the ease with which people can take messages from the Koran out of context, often interpreting these hallowed principles to mean the exact opposite of their original objective. He also answered questions on ways to promote moderation in Islam, how to combat terrorism and extremism in Islam and the Muslim viewpoint of terrorism and the West in a post-9/11 world.
Dr. Gomaa spoke about Egypt’s experience in fighting terrorism since the assassination of the late President Anwar Sadat in 1981, describing a two-pronged strategy; religious leaders work to rehabilitate violent extremists while public campaigns are mounted to deny religious legitimacy to extremist ideology and acts of violence.
The Grand Mufti said in his speech, “I’m here to express myself and to state (these) realities that I know to be true and which I have written a great deal about, and I do this to get rid of a lot of the misconceptions that may be around about Islam and its realities so that we can together move forward and enter into true relations and dialogue between the East and the West.”
Sheikh Gomaa continued to say, “The common ground that is shared between us is that we must respect human beings for their humanity. And for that reason we call to peace, and to rejecting and eradicating violence, and to rejecting and eradicating extremism.”
In today’s Wall Street Journal, Sheikh Gomaa writes that Muslims must “recommit to reinforcing the values of moderation in our faith” and called for the U.S. to “assume its responsibility for the sake of a better relationship between the West and Islam.”
The Grand Mufti is in Washington, D.C. attending the Common Word conference at Georgetown University, the fourth major Muslim-Christian dialogue conference of its kind.
Dr. Gomaa was appointed Grand Mufti of Egypt, and head of Dar Al Ifta, Egypt’s supreme body for Islamic legal edicts, in 2003 by President Hosni Mubarak, making him the senior interpreter of Islamic law in the country. He is active in global interfaith efforts, including the Common Word initiative launched by senior Islamic leaders in 2007, arguing that dialogue can dissolve barriers.
Dr. Gomaa has been a regular critic of interpretations of Islam that condone violence, and has written extensively on spirituality, prevention of violence, human rights, women's equality and peacemaking. The Grand Mufti greatly welcomed President Obama’s speech in Cairo, which called for greater interaction to forge new relations between the Islamic world and the West. On that occasion, Dar Al Ifta issued a document entitled "Our Faith," explaining the basic tenants of Islam.
The document can be read here.
The full audio of the lecture and Q&A session can be found here.
For more information on the Grand Mufti, please visit his official English Web site here.
To read the full text Grand Mufti’s Op/Ed in the Wall Street Journal please click here.