Today, Thursday, in Rome, Italy, HE the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Professor Ahmad At-Tayyeb met with the judging committee for the 2022 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity (ZAHF), in its third round. During the meeting, the Grand Imam urged the judging committee to proceed with the global project of human fraternity, which transcends the limits of religion and geography, encouraging pioneering models that promote peaceful coexistence, tolerance, peace, and human fraternity.

During the meeting, the Grand Imam urged the committee members to move forward with their work on the project of human fraternity, stressing that the Human Fraternity Document is never directed to a specific religion, ethnicity, or nationality, but it rather addresses all humans regardless of their race, religion, or color. He emphasized that our differences result from a divine wisdom, and that if Allah wanted us to be similar, He would have created us perfectly homogonous. Therefore, he noted, human differences will remain a default case for humanity until the Judgement Day, as Allah has made fraternity a principle governing the relationships among diverse peoples. The Grand Imam warned that deviation from such principles is a violation of divine wisdom, which means the loss of our future.

The Grand Imam stated that the world has lived through wars and tragedies, especially in the Middle East and Africa, the area which still suffers such tragedies, adding, “I almost shed tears when I see the scenes of the homeless, refugees, the poor, and children dying in the arms of their mothers. You should bear these scenes in mind and harness your efforts to help people. You have a golden opportunity to participate in changing this world into a world where love, affection, and goodness prevail.”

For their part, the jury affirmed that the values outlined in the Human Fraternity Document will serve as guiding lines for them during the selection of the 2022 ZAHF winners in its third round.

The members of the jury underscored the impossibility of comprehending the ZAHF value without understanding the value of human fraternity, noting that their mission is not limited to choosing the honorees, but rather to create role models for the world to follow, promoting the values of peace and fraternity. The Grand Imam pointed out that human fraternity is not limited to human interaction alone, but it also extends to include human relations with animals, plants, and the environment in which we live, adding that it is humankind’s responsibility to protect and preserve such environment.

The committee members averred, “We will do everything we can to help the most marginalized and underrepresented groups. We will try to make this world better for the poor, the homeless, the women, and the children. We promise to do our job in complete impartiality, given that our work will reflect the values enshrined in the Human Fraternity Document. It is high time for us to unite, and we all have the courage to turn the page on conflicts and open a new page for the benefit of humanity.”

The independent Zayed Award for Human Fraternity 2022 judging committee includes former president of Niger and winner of the 2020 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, H.E. Mahamadou Issoufou; 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate, and former President of East Timor H.E. José Ramos-Horta; former Deputy President of South Africa and former UN Under-Secretary-General, H.E. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Under-secretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Holy See, H.E. Cardinal Michael Czerny; president of the Aladdin Project, Leah Pisar; and Secretary-General of the Higher Committee on Human Fraternity (HCHF), Judge Mohamed Abdel Salam.

Following the meeting, Judge Abdel Salam stated, “The 2022 judging committee is eager to follow the trail of human fraternity blazed by HE Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and HH Pope Francis, who were both chosen as honorary co-recipients of the ZAHF 2019 award. Our jury has a responsibility to select worthy 2022 honoree(s) who embody human fraternity values established and presented to our world through the two great religious figures.”

ZAHF is a global independent award recognizing individuals and entities that make profound contributions to human progress and peaceful coexistence. It is awarded annually by the HCHF on February 4, the UN-recognized International Day for Human Fraternity, which marks the anniversary of cosigning the Human Fraternity Document. The award is named in honor of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates. The values celebrated by the award reflect Sheikh Zayed’s dedication to working closely with people from all backgrounds, his moral legacy, his humanitarianism, and his respect for others and helping them regardless of their religion, gender, race, or nationality.

The Grand Imam has applauded the Zayed Award as “a global initiative to achieve the objectives of the Human Fraternity Document.”

The 2022 ZAHF nomination process is scheduled to close on December 1, 2021 and the honoree(s) will be announced on February 4, 2022. Nominations can be made by qualified nominators through the following ZAHF official website:  https://zayedaward.org