Show more courage to seek peace, Chief Rabbi tells faith leaders during Gulf visit
On first visit to an Arab state, Ephraim Mirvis says Jewish-muslim relations can be strengthened
The Chief Rabbi has called for faith leaders to “have courage” and “put their heads above the parapet” to bring about peace, during his historic visit to the UAE.
Ephraim Mirvis, who is head of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, is on the first official visit to an Arab state since the role of Chief Rabbi was created 318 years ago.
His trip comes after the 2020 Abraham Accords which established diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, Morocco and Bahrain, in which the Arab states agreed to recognise Israeli’s sovereignty.
Yesterday morning he gave the opening address at the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace where he told the conference of more than 500 religious, government and diplomatic officials that it was only thanks to the Accords that he was able to visit the UAE and deliver his speech in an official capacity. He described how the “window of opportunity has been opened for Jewish-muslim relations to be strengthened”.
But, speaking to The Daily Telegraph last night, while he described his trip as “an outstanding example of what only a few years ago seemed like a dream” and “one of the most demonstrative revelations of what the Abraham Accords have actually produced” he also said faith leaders need to do more to bring about peace.
He revealed that many of his meetings with religious leaders around the world only happen “on condition of secrecy”, and even then, are cancelled at the last minute.
The result of secret meetings is, he said, that “it doesn’t make an impact because it stays amongst the faith leaders at the top of that pyramid and it just doesn’t filter down. There is a lot of that. And we are now seeing gradually, more and more faith leaders come out into the open.”
“I think as leaders, we have a responsibility to get that message through,” he added. “We need to have gestures which are visible.”
Asked what his message to those asking to meet in secret is, the Chief Rabbi said: “I understand why you’re asking for them to be secret, but I believe that the world is waiting for greater courage. And without that courage, we cannot properly move forward.
“We desperately need a greater show of understanding of unity, of co-operation, where there are issues on which we differ. Let’s engage with them. And let’s do so in a friendly and warm context. And what we are seeing before our eyes here in Abu Dhabi is an outstanding example of what only a few years ago seemed like a dream. And right now, what has been achieved is magnificent stuff.”
As part of his trip, Chief Rabbi Mirvis is holding a series of private meetings with religious officials and members of UAE government.
He also met with the secretary general of the Muslim World League, Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, the Saudi cleric who led a Muslim delegation to visit Auschwitz in 2020, who also spoke at the conference.
The Chief Rabbi praised the cleric’s talk in which “he basically took on the radicals… and he said, ‘here we are, this is what the Quran says. What you’re putting forward is baseless, and you’re misrepresenting our faith’. And to actually stand up and put his head above the parapet and say that – I’m in awe of him doing so. And we need a lot more of that.”
He said that as a result of the “courage” of scholars such as Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, “their followers are starting to get the message”. He added: “And I think within all of our Abrahamic faiths, it’s important that our followers see what leaders are doing and take a leaf out of their book.
“We do need to see some faith leaders being more courageous now. It’s not easy to be so. But it is the call of the hour, in order to be those role models, to set the example to be seen together with others… I think that we certainly need to see more courage… and the price is so enormous, we’re speaking about changing our world.”
He said that when he had an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2015, the image of them together had such a massive “impact”.
“Thankfully, it’s commonplace now for Jewish faith leaders to meet the Pope – it wasn’t always the case,” he said.
“And I hope that that’ll be the case with regard to the Muslim leaders, so that Jewish faith leaders and Christian faith leaders and members of other faiths as well, will all be able to engage constructively and that our society will hopefully be far more united and harmonious.”
‘What we are seeing before our eyes here in Abu Dhabi is an outstanding example of what only a few years ago seemed like a dream’