Kazakhstan’s interreligious congress

Religion is fast skimming out of the realm of relevance in the digitised world. Since World War II, evangelists have grown into televangelists. Yet they have squarely failed to put up solutions to the problems humans face. At the same time, modern society has pushed for peace, shaking itself free from the yoke of hate and terror.

Cognizant of the needs of this age, 100 delegations from more than 50 countries came together recently in picturesque Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, for the 7^th edition of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions which urged for peace and consolidation around the world. Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism as well as other world religions were represented at the Congress and focused on the role of religious leaders in spiritual and social development in the post-pandemic period. Pope Francis, Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot – President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue – were among the 100 faith leaders who sat down to work out a 35-point declaration; it had no mention of the term ‘Islamophobia’ as it was not meant for any one religion.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also arrived in the Kazakh capital at the same time as these religious leaders. Astana was his first stop in Eurasia on his way to Uzbekistan where he had sessions with world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Kazakhstan is crucial for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). At the same time, Kazakhstan is important for the US, especially for its supplies in Afghanistan. Though Xi and Pope Francis or other religious leaders did not have any scheduled meetings, the physicality of their presence at the same place per se is of paramount importance.

For Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who has recently been elected as the President of Kazakhstan with over 70 percent of votes in his favour, it was not a small step. “We share common values, including compassion, social justice, and humanity. As such, they can provide building blocks for peace… This is the core message of the 7th Congress of World and Traditional Religious Leaders,” Tokayev told his international guests.

Tokayev’s communication skills are evident from the comprehensive flow of information from the Kazakh Embassy in Islamabad to the public. Similarly, Kazakh media, especially Asthana Times and The National Interest, are incredible sources of information with a steady supply of reports written in a flawless manner, a rare trait for Eurasian states. The mainstream Kazakh media is run by the state in one way or the other. Even then it carries all relevant speeches and documents in a user-friendly manner. Kazakh media is way ahead of our state-run media where it is next to impossible to find information on such events of global importance.

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb lamented the fact that different deviations or sins are being promoted in society, pressing on all religions to work together to stop it. He said: “…when I advocate the priority of peace-making among religious scholars and figures, I don’t mean merging all religions in one religion…Almighty Allah has assigned a law and a method for each of us. Rather, I’m advocating hard work towards promoting common values in religions, on top of which is civilisational acquaintance, mutual respect and coexistence.”

Leaders of Judaism from Israel, Central Asia and the US who were present there were satisfied that there is an acceptance of their community in the Muslim world, especially the Gulf countries. They referred to the Makkah Accord reached in a grand gathering in Saudi Arabia. In the run-up to that conference Muslim World League (MWL) hosted over 1,000 scholars from over 120 countries, mostly Muslims, who agreed that terrorism, sectarianism and xenophobia should be countered as religion does not preach these ills.

Under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, the MWL has become a vibrant organisation. He appreciated the fact that leaders of religions referred to Makkah Accord while agreeing to the terms of the Declaration of Astana.

Pope Francis pressed on the need to engage women and youth in the peace process. This gathering was proof to the world that different faiths share some common ground and work for peace. Peace, “is more than the absence of war: it cannot be reduced to the maintenance of the balance of power …it is appropriately called ‘the effect of righteousness’.”

Pakistan is a country that must pay heed to this declaration as religion has been reduced to being an instrument of hate. Xenophobia is sanctified and politicians conveniently incite violence against their opponents by invoking religion. Though there is no question of Islamophobia in any Muslim society, Islamophobic material is circulated and reproduced even at universities by some wayward professors and their disciples. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has to look into production of such hate material, which is part and parcel of a global industry.

For instance, the European Union (EU) has made leaders of different religions ink one such agreement known as the Lahore Declaration. The EU diplomats keep on meeting religious leaders inviting them to promote peace, human rights, education of both girls and boys and promote interfaith harmony. Unfortunately, it is no more than a project for the people they engage with. Many of these participants do not live what they preach, thereby putting a question mark on the entire process. The moment the EU succeeds in making it clear that interfaith harmony is a way of life and not an NGO project, we shall begin to see results in the form of change in Pakistani society.

President Tokayev had started holding congresses of religious leaders after 9-11. His efforts this year have been duly acknowledged by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The key question for all religious leaders is whether they will ever be able to bring their followers to the process of unlearning all the hate and intolerance they have learnt over the course of centuries? Only time will tell.

The writer teaches mediatisation at IIUI