On Civilizational Coexitence

I had the pleasure to participate in the "Human Brotherhood to Promote Security and Peace" conference, organized by the Muslim World League in cooperation with the Islamic sheikhdom in Croatia and the Croatian diocese, held in in the Croatian capital Zagreb.

The confernece was held under the auspices of the Croatian president, and was attended by the prime minister, parliament speaker and mayor of Zagreb, as well as Balkan muftis and chiefs of sheikhs and the Islamic councils in Eastern Europe, the Vatican, and participants from the entire world. All addressed the issue of coexistence in the current world order.

What I noticed was the good attendance of officials of Croatia, from the town’s mayor to the officials of the executive and legislative bodies.

During the conference, the town’s president said that Croats will never forget the lives of Muslim soldiers who defended Croatia with their souls, in its previous wars. She called for establishing dialogue of cultures and religions, as Islam has its natural place today in the bids of Croatia for establishing social peace and social security.

It is worth noting that, Muslims, though few, live in integration, harmony and patriotism that sets an example; the number of Muslims in Croatia is 63,000, that is, 1.5 percent of the total population.

1186 Muslims were killed during the national war, a number that counts for 12 percent of the death toll. And in the war, 15,000 people were killed, including 10,000 soldiers and 5,000 civilians. This indicates the perfect and unprecedented state of coexistence among Muslims and others in the country. And it's quite known that the racist wars were exceptional states that could never happen again.

What happened in Croatia - and must take place in all countries and regions which are rich in cultural, religious and ethnic pluralism - is the success of the dialogue between the various components of the population, under the umbrella of a national state.. the needed required dialogue is the neutral in terms of religion, culture, political, economic, ethnic, and gender.

We want human to human dialogue, according to neutral values, and based on common principles, and rules of understanding, diligence, and interpretation of the pine and humanistic premises.

We do not want dialogue for a particular culture to win over another... or for a country to dominate over other countries .. nor to achieve political aspirations.. but rather a dialogue in which human persity is organized in all its forms and interests .. the dialogue between the pine religions, remains an insufficient example in our reality today; and it is not religion that is what unites the terrorists, but rather ignorance of religion, unites them.

It is not secret that the world knows many and varied challenges, whose danger derives from betraying, distorting and exploiting the pine message; and there is a common conviction of the need to build a single human family and common society, because the values ​​on which monotheistic religions are based, contribute to rationalizing and improving the world order, and to achieving reconciliation and rapprochement among its components.

So we want a dialogue in which common concepts are organized .. and common goals are set.. and common human destiny is preserved .... we want a dialogue based on the principles of mutual respect .. we want a dialogue whose methodology does not address religious, cultural, and social particularities .. and never violate its symbols and sanctities ..

We want a dialogue that mobilizes the energies and potentials of human persity, with all its affiliations, contents, names and aspirations ... for cooperation and sincere action.

As I highlighted in my intervention at the conference, the religious and cultural persity in human societies triggers the need to establish a fair partnership and positive communication within a social contract agreed upon by everyone. This one invests multiple visions in enriching civil life, and achieving comprehensive development.

A meaningful dialogue between all is necessary. It is not possible, by nature, that cultures dispute one another, but rather that they can coexist on the basis of acquaintance, mutual recognition of different interests, multiple interests, and valuable and conceptual separation.

All countries, inpiduals, peoples, and groups should promote this understanding to root out fallacies and ignorance from its roots and origins, and through which, all good intentions and international initiatives would constitute a deep-rooted tree of justice to feed rational people, in their bids to eliminate terrorism, arrogance and impulsive whims, as well as impressions and self-common information that is only destroying, and never constructing.

The coexistence of civilizations which we all desire is our understanding of the Creator in making persity and pluralism among us, and the necessity of coexistence and cooperation in the light of this understanding.