The International Summit of Religious Leaders Condemns the Massacres in Gaza and Affirms its Support for the Final Communiqué of the Two-State Solution Conference
Organized by the Muslim World League in partnership with the Malaysian government, with the participation of 400 senior religious leaders from around the world
The International Summit of Religious Leaders Condemns the Massacres in Gaza and Affirms its Support for the Final Communiqué of the Two-State Solution Conference
Anwar Ibrahim: The world today is witnessing paralysis and a decline in trust
Anwar Ibrahim: The Gaza crisis has revealed that the international community has lost its passion and zeal for justice and humanity
Dr. Al-Issa: Peace in our world is not merely an option, but a necessity tied to its very existence and to the credibility of the international charter
Dr. Al-Issa: The Summit places leaders of religious diversity before the true measure of their call to shared human values
Dr. Al-Issa: Religious leaders have a great role in influencing the conscience of believers across the world
Dr. Al-Issa: What is happening in Gaza—mass killings, famine, and destruction—constitutes a dangerous precedent in the principles of human rights
Global religious leaders called on governments and faith leaders around the world to condemn the war of extermination, starvation, and destruction in Gaza, and to take immediate and urgent action by all possible means to stop this massacre and exert pressure on the Israeli occupation government to end this humanitarian catastrophe. They stressed that this tragedy, which has shaken the human conscience, would not have occurred had it not been for the absence of effective international law and international humanitarian law, including the activation of international accountability mechanisms.
This came at the conclusion of the Second International Summit of Religious Leaders on “The Role of Religious Leaders in Conflict Resolution”, organized in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, by the Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia in cooperation with the Muslim World League. The Summit was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, H.E. Anwar Ibrahim, together with the Secretary General of the League and Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, in the presence and participation of 400 senior religious leaders from around the world.
In their statement, the religious leaders urged the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli occupation government to abide by the obligations of international covenants and human rights charters, to work toward ending the suffering of the Palestinian people, to ensure the attainment of their legitimate rights, and to establish their independent state in accordance with the relevant international resolutions.
They also emphasized, in this context, their support for the final communiqué of the high-level international conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the Two-State Solution, held at the ministerial level and jointly sponsored and chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic at the United Nations headquarters in New York. They expressed their determination to harness all their spiritual and social influence to rally political and diplomatic support for the communiqué in their respective countries and across the regions where their influence extends.
The religious leaders affirmed their sincere determination to provide an ethical framework that contributes to resolving successive conflicts, which have undermined the shared values of humanity and fueled division and hatred.
In his opening address at the Summit, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, H.E. Anwar Ibrahim, welcomed the participants representing the world’s diverse religious leadership, expressing his deep gratitude and appreciation for their commitment to peace, justice, and humanity.
The Malaysian Prime Minister stressed that all religions seek to promote humanity. He added: “Yes, there are differences. I am a Muslim; I practice Islam. But I also know that in Islam we speak of ‘mercy to all the worlds’—that is, mercy toward everyone, in order to uphold the balance and moderation expressed in ‘a middle nation.’ I also know the meaning of ‘so that you may know one another,’ which does not merely mean tolerance, but rather signifies a deeper understanding of learning and embracing the nature of differences.”
He emphasized the need for all followers of religions to unite against those who reject the values shared by all humanity, calling on religiously diverse leaders to defend the essence of humanity.
The Malaysian Prime Minister also warned against the dangers of theories of clash and conflict, such as the “Clash of Civilizations” thesis, which posits inevitable confrontation—stating that, in reality, such clashes are clashes of ignorance, not of civilizations.
He affirmed that the situation in Gaza is deeply painful, noting that the crisis in the Strip has revealed that the international community has lost its passion and zeal for justice and humanity. “For the past fifty to sixty years, we have been fighting colonialism and man’s exploitation of his fellow man. But Gaza is a stark example of this—every day we witness the killing of children, the bombing of homes and people. So, what does religion teach us? Where is the voice of conscience that stems from our faith and our moral values?”
For his part, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa, welcomed the participants in the Summit, stressing that it is being held at an exceptional juncture in contemporary history, during which many tragedies and challenges have escalated, affecting the global order and its international legitimacy.
He emphasized that peace in our world is not merely an option, but a necessity linked to its very existence and to the credibility of its international charter. On June 26, 1945, the peoples of the United Nations pledged to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which in the span of a single generation had twice brought indescribable grief to humanity. They further pledged to respect the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law, and to live together in peace and good neighborliness.
Dr. Al-Issa added that the Summit convenes with an awareness of the vital role of religious leaders in shaping the conscience of believers worldwide—who make up nearly 80% of the global population. Their spiritual influence is of great importance in promoting shared human values and principles, and in safeguarding minds from the sway of extremism, violence, and terrorism—particularly from environments where such notions thrive—foremost among them hatred, racism, discrimination, and exclusion. He explained that the Summit seeks to place leaders of religious diversity before the true measure of their call to shared human values.
He further noted that spiritual authorities are not concerned with abstract preaching alone, but are called upon to be active partners in peacemaking—guiding their followers from their spiritual vantage point toward the centrality of human dignity in accordance with their unifying principles.
He stressed that these principles in which we believe are not mere slogans, statements, or appeals made on passing occasions, but rather a permanent covenant manifested in our discourse, translated into our words and actions, and carried forward by spiritual institutions through “education and motivation,” proving that true religious values safeguard virtue in all its forms.
He pointed out that the lessons of history have taught us that peace in our world requires an awareness that conflict and confrontation generate only harm for all. Though their instigators may at first be deluded by the glitter of victory, they ultimately end in disappointment, leaving them with a stigma that darkens the pages of their history—such is the power and wisdom of divine justice.
The Secretary General expressed deep concern over the wars and conflicts currently shaking the international stage, threatening global security and the stability of societies. He noted that what is happening today in Gaza—genocide and famine witnessed by the international community—is an alarming precedent in the principles of human rights, unprecedented since the issuance of the UN Charter. This, he lamented, casts doubt on the credibility of international legitimacy due to the failure to uphold its covenant of solidarity, thereby threatening the cohesion of nations that once declared their unity in supporting just causes under their historic charter.
He affirmed that experience has shown that religiously diverse leaderships play an effective role in exercising “religious diplomacy”—a creative diplomacy—through dialogue, mediation, and reconciliation. Owing to their spiritual standing, they possess a significant reservoir of influence that enables them to help defuse crises, especially by guiding their followers toward preventive behavior. He stressed that these roles are not a substitute for political tracks, but rather a supportive channel to them.
On this basis, the Secretary General announced two initiatives. The first consists in activating the spiritual and moral role of religious leaders around the world in supporting peaceful solutions to conflicts, drawing upon their spiritual influence on faith-based communities and societies.
In this regard, Dr. Al-Issa affirmed that the League will continue to develop subsidiary initiatives under this framework, all in support of peaceful efforts. He noted that the League has already begun this process through one of its most important platforms: the initiative “Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West,” hosted by the United Nations in New York on June 14, 2023.
The second initiative, as announced by the Secretary General of the MWL, focused on protecting minorities in countries of religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity. This entails guaranteeing their legitimate rights, freedoms, and due dignity, in view of the marginalization many of these minorities suffer—particularly the issuance of laws targeting their religious identity. The initiative also proposes coexistence programs and legislative frameworks that support these minorities in their homelands, including the prudent handling of deviations from the civilized principles of their national constitutions, as manifested in the passage of certain extremist laws.
As part of the Summit’s program, five scholarly sessions were held. The first addressed religiously-related conflicts: deconstructing causes and addressing pathways; the second examined the role of diverse religious leadership in confronting manifestations of violence and calls for conflict; the third explored religious diplomacy and its supportive contribution to just and peaceful settlements; the fourth discussed the exchange of experiences and successful practices in managing religious diversity; while the fifth dealt with the tragedy of Gaza: a mirror of international paralysis and the distortion of human values.
The Summit’s final communiqué affirmed support for the contents of two historic documents: the Charter of Makkah and the Declaration on Building Bridges between Islamic Schools of Thought, both issued by the Muslim World League with the unanimous endorsement of Muslim scholars from their universal qiblah in Makkah. These two international conferences were graciously sponsored by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz—may God protect him—given the enduring principles and pivotal foundations they embodied for establishing values of coexistence and tolerance among followers of religions and cultures, entrenching an enlightened civilizational discourse that reflects a culture of moderation, confronts practices of injustice, conflict, and absolute, unjustified hatred, and calls for broadening horizons of mutual understanding, cooperation, and benefit based on shared human values and noble principles.
In their joint statement, the participants recommended the formation of a Permanent Committee for the Summit, comprising representatives of the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office and the Muslim World League, to undertake early preparations for the Third International Summit of Religious Diversity Leadership and to develop a roadmap envisioning ways to overcome challenges and risks threatening human societies from a spiritual perspective.
The participants also adopted the Muslim World League’s initiative to activate the spiritual and moral role of religiously diverse leaders in supporting peaceful solutions to conflicts, by leveraging their influence on faith-based communities and societies.
Likewise, they adopted the League’s initiative concerning the protection of minorities in countries of religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity, as elaborated in the Secretary General’s address referenced above.
Finally, the participants expressed their gratitude to the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office and the Muslim World League for their cooperation in ensuring the success of the Summit, hoping that the next Summit will convene under better international circumstances.
