Muslim Council of Elders participates in 25th World Congress of Philosophy in Italy

The Muslim Council of Elders is participating in the 25th World Congress of Philosophy, organised by the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, the Italian Philosophical Society, and Sapienza University of Rome. The event is taking place from 1st to 8th August in the Italian capital, Rome, and aims to explore and discuss scientific and general ideas about the future of societies by examining social, economic, political, technological, and cultural destinies.

In his speech at the session titled "Aristotle-Buddha-Confucius-Islam: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges", the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, emphasised the importance of providing the right conditions to achieve coexistence among people with different mindsets in an interconnected world, where everyone is aware of and feels the impact of global events on their lives and their children's future, begins with recognising cultural diversity as a foundational pillar of human rights. He highlighted that this contradicts the current reality marked by various tensions and conflicts in some societies, leading to the exclusion and marginalisation of certain groups.

The Secretary-General added that the importance of dialogue between Confucian and Aristotelian philosophy lies in their cultural and civilisational role in addressing common challenges and the need for the wisdom inherent in their philosophies about life and humanity. He noted that integrating Aristotle and Confucius's philosophies with Islamic philosophy could help overcome contemporary intellectual and human issues. He also explained that the call for an intellectual turn towards the East and interaction and dialogue has been present in the Islamic world for decades; Al-Azhar University, for example, has been studying Eastern and Western religions and philosophies since its establishment, a methodology followed by most Arab and Islamic universities and institutes.

In conclusion, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders asserted that Islam came as a moderate religion with distinctive social, economic, developmental, and cultural thought. This is a characteristic of religions that aim to create thought patterns that promote goodness and righteousness. Islam laid new foundations for social, cultural, and economic systems based on equality, solidarity, and justice, he explained.

The session "Aristotle-Buddha-Confucius-Islam: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges" saw wide global participation, where participants discussed philosophical ideas as a starting point for public discourses on urgent common concerns, including inequality, cultural diversity, the environment, justice, rights, and political transformations on a global scale.

Participants also explored ways to expand philosophical discussions to include representatives from sciences, economics, information, medicine, public health, technology, and public institutions, as well as mechanisms to actively encourage and defend diversity in all its forms by bringing together ideas, traditions, and people from all continents and regions.

WAM