In Hajj Sermon, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, CAM and ASF Award Honoree, Preaches Interfaith Harmony

The importance of interfaith tolerance and understanding were main topics in the Arafat Day sermon delivered by Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa — Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL) — last Friday at the Nimrah Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

“Among the values taught by Islam are avoiding all that leads to dissent, animosity, or division; and instead, ensuring that our interactions are dominated by harmony and compassion,” he told the assembled worshippers.

“All people, whether Muslims or not, respect those with good manners, for sound conduct is a high human value,” Sheikh Al-Issa noted.

“Islam is an all-encompassing spirit that includes goodness to all humanity,” he added. “Our Prophet has said: ‘The best people are those who are the most beneficial to people.’”

In recent years, Sheikh Al-Issa has been a prominent advocate for Muslim-Jewish dialogue. Among other initiatives he has spearheaded at the MWL, he led a delegation of Muslim clerics on a historic visit to Auschwitz in 2020.

Later that same year, in recognition of his dedicated efforts to root out Jew-hatred, Sheikh Al-Issa was granted the first-ever Combat Antisemitism Award by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and American Sephardi Federation (ASF).

In his remarks at the ceremony at which he received the honor, Sheikh Al-Issa declared, “We must remain steadfast in our fight against those who seek to spread hatred and intolerance.”

“Whereas Jews and Muslims lived centuries together, in these last decades we have sadly grown apart,” he went on to say. “Now, we must rebuild the bridges of dialogue and the bonds of partnership between our communities.”

CAM welcomes Sheikh Al-Issa’s latest message of cross-religious solidarity, and looks forward to continued collaborative efforts to forge stronger Muslim-Jewish ties and build a better future for all humanity.

Watch Sheikh Al-Issa’s address at the June 2020 CAM ceremony below: