Speeches

Interfaith ConferenceADIC – La Sorbonne, Paris13 June 1994 Preliminary remarks by Dr. Ali El Samman President of ADIC Dialogue. I never heard a word that has been so brought into disrepute. Even if it is true that according to general principles holding a dialogue helps to avoid negative forms of confrontation, the definition of the word dialogue and a decisive commitment to it still need to be worked on and thought out. Why do this at a round table for the three monotheistic religions? To answer this I will begin with the story of ADIC. With the efforts of the...

International Symposium on Dialogue among Civilizations for CoexistenceIslamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) – Damascus18 – 20 May 2002 I have reservations about the idea of dialogue among civilizations as I believe that every time we hold a seminar, a meeting or a conference on this subject it is more or less in reaction to what Samuel Huntington wrote about the clash of civilizations and Islam, in particular, that those in the West looking for a new enemy after the collapse of communism will wage a holy war against Islam. Since Huntington’s book was published 1996 we have been...

19th Congress of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs – Cairo27 March 2007 Introduction All monotheistic religions come from one source, God, who created the universe, sent us prophets and messengers and revealed scriptures. In all of them He ordered us to worship no one but Him whatever our faith. Islam teaches respect for the other and belief in all of God’s holy books and prophets without discrimination: “O ye who believe! Believe in God and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who...

5th Doha Conference for Interfaith Dialogue – Doha, Qatar7 – 9 May 2007 I express my profound gratitude to His Highness the prince, the government of Qatar and the officers of this Doha Conference, represented by Dr Aisha El Mannai, president of the preparatory committee. I have read the Ten Commandments and understood the divine commandment: “Do not kill.” It is an idea contained in the Compact of Medina, which organized the relationship between Muslims with non-Muslims in such a way as to protect the latter. In addition, I am well aware of the message of Christ and the ultimate...

Impact of Culture on New GenerationsBibliotheca Alexandrina – Alexandria, Egypt2 March 2008 Allow me first to say that democracy is not a starting point in the evolution of society, rather it is something that develops in the later stages. When responsible individuals and groups play their role in supporting and encouraging civil society, when the leaders of civil society and of the state agree that there is no conflict between them, only then will Egyptians be able to build a strong nation immune to external pressures. Only then will Egyptians be able to build a real democracy. By virtue of...

20th Conference of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs – Cairo16 March 2008 Considering the elements that would ensure security in Islamic societies, there is not enough time for me to cover them all here today. So, I will focus on just one of these elements – the relationship between Muslims and the other. In the Qur’an, God asks Muslims to be kind to the other. He asks them to avoid hatred and clashes with the followers of other religions. So, when discussing how best to deal with the other, we must use the language of well-intentioned dialogue, the style...

People to People International – Cairo2 April 2008 I prefer to speak about the cultivating of intercultural understanding through dialogue before discussing the role of the media. Whenever I talk about promoting a culture of mutual understanding I must mention Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of a former American president, who is considered one of the pioneers in this field. Her association, “People To People”, is supports and builds bridges with members of other cultures. Mary Eisenhower comes to Egypt from time to time with large numbers of young people from all races and religions to live with Egyptian youth for a...

Religious Values: Perspectives on Peace and Respect for LifeSixth Doha Conference of Interfaith Dialogue – Doha, Qatar16 -18 July 2008 Violence that is used to force an individual or a group to comply with the perpetrators’ demands must be rejected by individuals, communities and the state. This sort of violence is used to break the will of the victim and transform him into an object to be used in trade for a material or political gain. The root of this is usually intellectual and ideological extremism. We can summarize the thinking of an extremist as the objectification of another and...

Paper presented to World Council of Dialogue Conference – Madrid18 July 2008 I would like to express my appreciation and respect to the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saoud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for his historic initiative that represents a turning point in the course of interfaith dialogue. I would also like to express appreciation to the Muslim World League and its secretary, General Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdulmohsen Al Turky, for shouldering the responsibility of organizing this conference. The Muslim World League is well known for its long history in the field of...

Mediterranean Peace Forum – Lecce, Italy27-29 November 2008 Ladies and gentlemen, you have chosen the Mediterranean as a target, a framework and a forum for dialogue. Such ambition for this region is justified, perhaps more so than anywhere else in the world, as the Mediterranean is perfectly placed for intercultural and interreligious exchanges. I recognize among the founding members of your Forum, as well as members of the board, the strength of unwavering hope; this bodes well for success in your attempts to let the spirit of dialogue prevail and for peace to emerge triumphant. I am aware that the...

Rotary Club le Caire – Champollion – Cairo  15 December 2008 First of all, I want to give you some details about my relationship with la francophonie. When I first went to France, to study in Grenoble, I didn’t know a word of French. So when I went to a coffee shop to order my favorite dessert, a layer-cake called mille-feuilles, I couldn’t get the letter “U” right. What the waiter heard coming out of my mouth was not an order of mille-feuilles, or a thousand leaves, but an order of mille-filles, or a thousand girls. The waiter, who had a...

Symposium on contemporary Egyptian WomenBook Fair – Porte de Versailles, France15 March 2009 Man and woman are the roots of life that ensure the continuity of existence. The first man and the first woman on earth knew neither letters nor words, they only had one language for communicating – that of love. All my life I have worked for dialogue and peace – dialogue among religions, cultures and nations – it is almost abstract. But the dialogue between man and woman, and peace between man and woman, this takes another dimension that is symbolized by happiness. To conclude, I would...