The signing of the Document on Human Fraternity between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi in 2019 is leaving a deep impression in Christian and Muslim circles. The successive meetings between the Catholic Pontiff and Muslim leaders in various countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Iraq and Kazakhstan are beginning to cross the boundaries of the strictly religious, and are moving towards the cultural and academic sectors of the countries.
The message of dialogue, coexistence and "mutual trust" in a world of war and conflict, to which Pope Francis referred on Easter Sunday at the Easter Mass of the Holy Father, is a message of "mutual trust" in a world of war and conflict. Urbi et Orbi BlessingThe document, as the Holy Father pointed out, is gradually taking root and spreading, despite the fact that there are still obstacles in the way. It should not be forgotten, moreover, that the title of the Abu Dhabi document is not only for human fraternity, but also "for world peace and common coexistence".
Now, the Foundation for Islamic Culture and Religious Tolerance (FICRT), along with the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, and the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), have signed a collaboration agreement under which the Spanish University will offer a Master's Degree in Tolerance and World Peace Studieswith the support of both Islamic institutions.
These are postgraduate studies that will be taught in a classroom version on the UCAM campus, in English, and in an online version in Spanish, especially for students from Latin America. Islamic institutions support students of the Master's program with scholarships, as explained below.
Culture and message of peace
The Document on Human Fraternity was referred to by the president of the FICRT Foundation and also president of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, H.E. Ahmed Al Jarwan, at the signing ceremony of the Agreement. Ahmed Al Jarwan, in the act of signing the Agreement, when he pointed out: "to achieve coexistence and peace at the global level is the objective of our Foundation, which is committed to its role as a cultural institution, in line with the content of the Document on Human Fraternity, supporting scientific research related to our purposes and seeking to spread its message through the organization of meetings, congresses and scientific and cultural seminars, in addition to sessions of dialogue between religions, and debates that seek to materialize the message of peace, in mutual understanding and acceptance of the other".
In his opinion, "the Master's Program in Tolerance and World Peace Studies will contribute to train future leaders who will defend the values and culture of coexistence, tolerance, peace and human rights in the world, especially because students of different nationalities, religions and ethnicities can enroll in this program".
On the other hand, José Luis Mendoza García, director of Institutional Relations and signatory of the document on behalf of the UCAM, pointed out that "not everyone puts the focus, academically and internationally, on peace and tolerance, due to the existence of many conflicts of interest in the world. Therefore, it is part of our mission, as a Catholic university, to support, welcome and promote this culture of peace".
José Luis Mendoza also announced the opening of a new UCAM campus in Madrid, starting in 2024, which will facilitate relations between the two institutions and the development of new collaborative initiatives.
Generosity in scholarships
"We are very happy because H.E. Ahmed Al Jarwan has been extremely generous, and doubled the scholarships because of his interest in Latin America, concerned that obtaining visas and moving to study in Europe for an Ibero-American is more complicated. This facilitates a high quality program through a magnificent platform," he told Omnes. Pablo BlesaPablo Blesa, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication and vice-rector of International Relations and Communication at UCAM, is the director of the new Master, together with Dr. Basma El Zein, a person of great international trajectory.
Pablo Blesa adds that "we are very happy because H.E. Ahmed Al Jarwan has been extremely generous, and doubled the scholarships because of his interest in Latin America, and also concerned because obtaining visas and moving to study in Europe for an Ibero-American is more complicated. This facilitates a high quality program through a magnificent platform. The Master's program will start in October and the deadline is open for those interested in obtaining scholarships for the on-site program in English and also for the program in Spanish".
José Luis Mendoza Pérez, the recently deceased former president of UCAM, "knew Mr. Al Jarwan, he encouraged the program, and the whole process that led to the signing of the Agreement is attributable to him," Pablo Blesa told Omnes.
The challenges
"Training in a culture of peace requires adequate teachers, important training," dean Pablo Blesa told Omnes. In his opinion, "the first challenge is to generate a multicultural, multi-religious, tolerant and peaceful environment in the classroom program. This is fundamental. It is an objective that UCAM has in all its programs, that the coexistence of its on-site students contributes to understanding, tolerance and peace".
"We want peace and tolerance in this program to begin with the type of students we are going to bring together in this on-site program," adds the director of the Master's program. "And then, obviously, the objective of the two programs is to create and foster, and of course empower, professionals who are able to operate in environments of great difficulty, of difficulty in the coexistence between different communities, and who with their knowledge and experience contribute to mediate to facilitate interreligious dialogue, understanding between religions, and as a result of dialogue and understanding, peace, which is the great global good that we all long for and that today is so battered."
Confluences
"We have found a twinning from the Muslim angle, fundamentally in the United Arab Emirates, which is a space, let's call it that, tolerant of different religious practices, and in this sense it has converged to reach out to the Islamic world in this way of dialogue, as opposed to other ways that we know in clear violation of human rights, the use of violence as a political tool, etc.," explains Pablo Blesa.
"We have found," he adds, "that space that the Pope has created in the Catholic Church, which seems fundamental to us, a Pope who has gone to the limits and to the confines; and on the other hand, in the Islamic religious clergy, not always on good terms with Christianity, we have found a group of intellectuals who believe in tolerance, in coexistence and in peace."
As for the syllabus In the design of the program with Mrs. El Zein, Mr. Al Jarwan's right-hand man and advisor for educational matters, there was a program that was presented to us. But we want to adapt it to our capabilities and competencies. And it is precisely us who have competence in security and defense matters, and linked to them, disarmament and non-proliferation agreements, for example. That's where we want to give it our personal touch," says Blesa.
Islamic Institutions
The Foundation for Islamic Culture and Religious Tolerance (FICTR), was established on April 24, 2017 in Spain, and aims to promote the value of religious tolerance among people of all cultures and religions, contribute to the dissemination of Islamic culture and foster fraternity among peoples, its director general, Dr. Musabeh Saeed ALkitbi, has told Omnes.
FICRT is part of the Global Council for Tolerance and PeaceThe International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, constituted in 2017, currently has one hundred members from a hundred countries, and is headquartered in Malta. Its two fundamental bodies are the international Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, and the General Assembly, with international recognition, explains Dr. Musabeh Saeed ALkitbi.
