Terror instead of tolerance: Just as Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb and Minister of the interior Thomas de Maizière at the Church Convention on peace discussed, was perpetrated in Egypt, again a stop. From Berlin Astrid Prange.
At one time it was very quiet. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière under the debate on the Church’s day-Podium broke life is about tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and announced a terrible news: In an attack on a Bus in Egypt, at least 24 Christian Copts were killed.
The struggle for tolerance, against the Background of terror – at the Kirchentag in Berlin, this tension is palpable. It seems that the re-attack in Egypt would have made the efforts to find a peaceful religious coexistence in this country, and certainly in Egypt, for the Church, a sign should be destroyed again.
Again and again, condolences
Paris, nice, Berlin, Manchester and Cairo – the greater the efforts for religious peace and social cohesion, it seems, the greater the forces of destruction. Be formulated in the Kirchentag is also just a pious wish? Or make it religious leader to position itself in spite of all the differences as a peacemaker?
Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb, Imam of the world-famous al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, sitting together with the Minister of the interior Thomas de Maizière on the Podium, struggling for words. “It seems that I must not only Express the people in Manchester, my condolences, but also to the recent Victims in Egypt,” he says.
Innneminister de Maizière (center) with the Grand Sheikh al-Tayyeb and Church Council President Christina Aus der Au
War determines memories
And he tries to find an explanation. “It comes to damage Egypt, to show that Egypt is an unsafe country. The terrorists are not Egyptian citizens. You have a job, but now I do not say by whom.”
The Egyptian Islamic scholar and the German interior Minister at the Church Congress in Berlin: For a year they are in closer contact. The 70-year-old al-Tayyeb, who grew up and influenced by the numerous conflicts in the Middle East, starting with the Suez war in 1956, and de Maizière, a Protestant with provocative theses on the so-called German Leitkultur.
Several thousand people came to the exhibition halls in Berlin, to follow the debate between the Imam and the German Minister. The lawyers of the audience collect in batches, the longing for peace is burning all those present under the nails.
Not only political debates: Around 2,500 events planned, the organizers of the Church of the tags.
Prevention in eleven languages
As Sheikh al-Tayyeb of the theological rules of Islam against terrorism speaks, which belong to the curricula of the training of imams from 160 countries at the al-Azhar University in Cairo, erupted in applause. As he tells of the overwhelming response of the web portal of University, which is in eleven languages and terrorist messages on the Basis of Islamic principles of faith, refuted, amazed the audience.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière suggests that, in future, also in Germany, trained imams could benefit from this prevention work of the University. It is a cooperation between al-Azhar and the Humboldt University in Berlin in the area of Islamic theology will be sought, according to the Minister.
The greater the Terror, the more important is the cooperation – that is the Motto of the two men on the Church’s day-Podium. The message goes on, especially in the light of another attack in Cairo at least a glimmer of hope that the spiral of violence to break through.
Church bells and muezzin calls
The Protestant de Maizière comes up with a concrete proposal. How would it be if all religious leaders would be around the Mediterranean sea, their calls for Peace by deeds and one day at a specific time together, Church bells and muezzin erklängen call? De Maiziere: “That would be a strong message that I would want me!”