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Initiated by Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb in 2022, the conference focused on building understanding, addressing shared issues, and promoting dialogue among the different Islamic schools of thought. It also highlighted the role of scholars in bridging sectarian divides and renewing Islamic thought to tackle conflict and division.
Mohamed Elamin, a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation Reference Group, worked for the event on behalf of the Council of Elders, where he serves as program director.
Elamin commented on the "Call of the People of the Qiblah" to the WCC, by stating: "The call issued by His Eminence Prof. Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders for intra-Islamic dialogue in 2022 and the subsequent meeting of key figures and leaders of Islamic sects and schools of thought in 2025 comes within the framework of the efforts of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the Muslim Council of Elders to consolidate the values of dialogue and rapprochement between Islamic schools of thought.”
Elamin added that the dialogue was a serious and pivotal discussion.
“The launch of the ‘Call of the People of the Qiblah’ was an affirmation of the commonalities shared by Islamic sects, a vision to draw a roadmap towards rejecting fanaticism and hatred, an attempt to bring together the Islamic Umma (nation), and limit differences to intellectual issues and independent reasonings,” said Elamin.
Prof. Angeliki Ziaka, WCC programme Executive for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, underscored the significance of this initiative, particularly in a geopolitical context that urgently demands an immediate ceasefire and the protection of human life.
She noted that this endeavor holds profound importance for predominantly Muslim countries, serving both as an affirmation of mutual recognition despite longstanding political and theological differences and antagonisms, evident from Islam's formative period, and as a call for collective action to address pressing global challenges that impact humanity at large and the daily lives of ordinary people and their countries.
"The term People of Qibla (Ahl al-Qibla) symbolizes the unity of Muslims across traditions, grounded in the shared direction of prayer toward Mecca" Prof. Ziaka explains. "While some Islamic schools may not fully embrace it due to theological differences, Sunni scholars have historically used it to promote inclusivity and counter sectarian divisions."
“The call for unity through acknowledging Islam’s internal diversity carries historical weight,” she said. “This initiative has the potential to foster collective decisions and concrete actions that will advance inter-Muslim but also global peace and cooperation by respecting theological and cultural differences intra and extra-Islamic."
Read the "Call of the People of the Qiblah"
"WCC extends Ramadan greetings to Muslims across the world" (WCC news release, 24 February 2025)
Learn more about the WCC interreligious work
Current Dialogue - World Council of Churches’ journal on interreligious dialogue
