Under aegis of Sisi, a 3-day conference of divine religions held in Sharm El Sheikh
Ashraf AboArafe
Entitled “Sinai: The Forum of divine religions” a conference on heavenly religions kicked off on yesterday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
The three-day conference is held under the aegis of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. It is attended by Awqaf Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, in addition to a number of senior statesmen and officials.
Speaking at the conference, South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda said Egypt embodied the spirit of peaceful coexistence among different religions, a matter that is reflected in this important meeting.
The governor also stressed the importance of the Monastery of St. Catherine, the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the World.
The monastery was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, although there was already a church at the site of the Burning Bush erected by the Empress Helena in 330 AD.
Byzantine Orthodox monasticism has even earlier roots, and the area is sacred to all three monotheistic religions; Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
Head of the Egyptian Parliament’s Religious Committee Osama el Abd underlined the importance of creating communications channels among followers of different divine religions to achieve further rapprochement among them.
He said the committee is ready to iron out any hurdle blocking religious tourism in Egypt, stressing that Egyptians are one fabric that rebuffs violence and advocates tolerance and coexistence.
Addressing the conference, Moshira Khattab, the Egyptian candidate to lead the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), underlined the importance of promoting the culture of peace as a tool for coexistence and cooperation among different peoples.
Khattab’s word was read out on her behalf by Ambassador Mohamed Hegazi, member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
She expressed condemnation of all forms of violence, stressing that all religions call for mercy, modesty, consultations and they discard violence and fanaticism.
At the end, she expressed appreciation for the message today’s conference is trying to send; the importance of holding dialogue among different cultures for the sake of humanity.
