Abu Dhabi forum refutes extremist ideologies

Abu Dhabi / WAM

More than 400 world-renowned Islamic academics, philosophers, dignitaries, thinkers, researchers, youths and opinion-makers on Monday concluded the third Annual Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies where they endeavoured to refute extremist ideologies to rectify the negative image of Islam as well as confront the oppression that many religious minorities face in the world.
The two-day forum was organised by the Abu Dhabi-based Muslim Council of Elders, an independent international body established in 2014 to encourage dialogue and promote peace, tolerance and respect for others.
In his review of a demographic study of the Middle East, Jim Zogby, President of the US-based Arab American Institute, who opened the platform at the two-day forum, shared several statistical findings and polls on how Muslims in the Middle East perceive themselves.
Zogby highlighted several important observations, including how Muslims often view modern extremism as having no connection to religion or lack of religion. Furthermore, in resonating with the Marrakesh Declaration, many Muslims view the rights of non-Muslims as a crucial religious value. In his conclusion, Zogby noted how the Middle East is a hub for accepting
diversity in culture, religion and politics.
Shaikh Hamza Yusuf, world-renowned scholar and President of US-based Zaytuna College, talk ranged from history to philosophy to theology. In discussing the role of nation-state, he compared Thomas Hobbe’s book “Leviathan” and Imam Maqdisi’s three primary roles of the state, which include corruption, unreasonable costs of living and a wider division
between the rich and poor.