Across the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, religious discourses – including by religious leaders and in higher education – focus more on private values. Little attention is paid to discussion and promotion of public life values, meaning values related to citizenship and dealing with diversity. This reinforces sectarianism and isolation of religious groups, instead of fostering a mindset of social cohesion and active citizenship. In addition, for many people of faith there is a disconnect between religious narratives, public life values, and global changes and challenges. Recent declarations by official Islamic institutions, indicate a shift in discourse to incorporate issues of peaceful coexistence, inclusive citizenship, freedom of religion and belief, and freedom of thought and consciousness.
Moreover, the shared declaration co-signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al Tayeb, on ‘Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together’ (Abu Dhabi, February 2019), constitutes in this framework a strong confirmation of the role of religious actors in fostering social cohesion and peaceful coexistence, through the adoption and implementation of a human rights based interreligious social teaching. However, the narrative in these declarations still leaves a gap between policy or religious narrative at the highest level and discourse at the community level, including how-to live-in accordance with public life and/or human rights values, while adhering to religious tradition and principles.
Thus, there is an opportunity in the MENA region to maximize this shift in discourse through religious teachers at universities and schools, leaders at faith-based organizations, religious media professionals, and other faith-based activists, in the wide sense of the word. These actors can bridge the gap between declarations and everyday living; speaking the language of communities and fostering values of diversity, solidarity, and human dignity within religious teaching and practice.
