The Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall on Tuesday hosted the Muslim World League (MWL) chief, Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, at an online seminar that was attended by over a 1,000 personalities concerned with interfaith and intercultural dialogue.
Kim McCleary Blue, president of the World Affairs Council, praised the efforts of the MWL in promoting a culture of dialogue and cooperation between followers of different religions and cultures.
Al-Issa, in his speech at the seminar, stressed the need to promote dialogue between the East and the West to bridge the gap among different communities, cultures and civilizations.
The MWL chief blamed the trust deficit between different communities for violence. He explained the Islamic concept of moderation and its importance to promote global peace and harmony.
Al-Issa highlighted the efforts of the MWL in forging ties with several religious organizations around the world to spread its message of peace and coexistence.
The MWL, according to Al-Issa, focuses on overcoming negative differences between followers of different faiths and sects. This has enabled it to conceive and realize the Makkah Declaration in 2019, which was approved by 1,200 scholars from 139 countries representing 27 Islamic sects.
On the topic of women in Islam, Al-Issa said that Muslim women always enjoyed a prominent position since the beginning of Islam and any violation of their rights are against the basic teachings of the religion.
He said armed struggle against terrorism and the deviant ideology is not enough. Al-Issa stressed the need to combat the extremist narrative using intellectual means to root it out from the world.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic affecting the whole world, Al-Issa reaffirmed the great importance of unity when facing collective threats, noting that “epidemics, such as terrorism, do not know international borders and do not provide any immunity to any religion, race or belief.”
“Racism, hatred and the domination of material interests at the expense of justice and values are the biggest threat to the peace of our world and the harmony of our societies,” he warned.
Al-Issa urged international cooperation on building a safer and more prosperous world for future generations.
