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February 3, 2021oday — February 4, 2021 — marks the first United Nations International Day of Human Fraternity. However, the seeds of this day were sown exactly two years ago when Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mosque Ahmad Al-Tayyib signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together in Abu Dhabi.
The event held at the Founder’s Memorial in the capital wouldn’t have captured the public imagination as much as the Pope’s actual touching down on Arabian soil the previous day — a first by a sitting Pontiff — or his celebration of Holy Mass at the Zayed stadium together with around 180,000 Catholics on February 5. The pope’s visit marked the 800th anniversary of the fruitful meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil of Egypt, an encounter that paved the way for understanding and dialogue between followers of Christianity and Islam.
No to war
However, two years on, the far-reaching significance of the Document on Human Fraternity and the commitment its signatories made towards an end to war and violence in the name of God are becoming apparent.
The intent of the document is very clear. End all forms of violence, particularly those motivated by fanatical religious views; actively spread the message of tolerance, respect and healthy co-existence; support minority rights and those of women and create conditions now that ensure future generations live in peace and unity. The document affirms: “Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved”.
For Christians, the document is “an important step forward at how we look at other beliefs, especially the belief of the Muslim world, and this is an ongoing process,” said Bishop Paul Hinder, OFM Cap., the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia. He is at present the spiritual leader of the roughly 3.5 million Catholics in the Arabian Peninsula. “I think it helps to overcome many prejudices, which have to be surmounted, without giving up our own identity, or the others their identity, but that we correct our look towards the other.”
Concrete steps taken subsequently to realise the goals of the document included trying to integrate them in school curriculums — especially in Catholic schools all over the country, and within church teaching. “The most visible sign is the encyclical letter of Pope Francis Fratelli Tutti released on 4 October 2020, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi - there several times within the encyclical, Pope Francis refers to the Document on Human Fraternity,” Bishop Paul said.
Undoubtedly, the UN resolution on December 21, 2020 making February 4, the annual UN Day of Human Fraternity is a major milestone in these efforts. “We are all one human family, and we have responsibility, one for the other, independent of our communitarian belief. We cannot anymore reduce our actions or our ideology to our own group. We have to look beyond the fence of our own garden. If there are weeds in the neighbour’s garden, my own garden is affected. The wind is bringing everything everywhere. So we have to collaborate,” said Bishop Paul.
This collaboration cannot be limited to a few areas, he stressed. “Pope Francis has made it clear: there are questions of climate, violence, war, traffic of weapons … another very important issue is human trafficking, and the whole issue of migration. No religion, no country, no superpower can resolve these issues by itself.”
“We have to foster this understanding that though the resolution of these critical issues is beyond the reach of any world superpower, but there is the power of God at work, the Creator of heaven and earth, and I think we share this faith also with our brothers the Muslims. This gives us common ground, to not look at each other with suspicion, but to look with a common goal towards the future, to look towards better conditions for ourselves and for future generations. We have a responsibility not only for now; we are co-responsible for what happens tomorrow, and our good or bad actions are going to shape and affect future generations. Though we may not get great miracles or immediate results, I feel it is necessary for us to take the small, yet necessary steps: starting with being friendly, open, welcoming to each other, solving small local problems together… though the real and lasting fruits may only be enjoyed by the generations to come.”
The significance of the UN Day
Bishop Paul believes that with the adoption of the UN Day of Human Fraternity, the goals of the Human Fraternity Document have reached the level of the world community and as such encourages the member nations of the UN to work towards realizing them. He highlighted the UAE’s efforts in this regard.
“The UAE is presently No. 2 worldwide in the administration of the vaccine against the Coronavirus. This is a sign of its care for the whole population. Beyond this, the UAE is contributing to the healing of wounds in the human community, helping people affected by calamities, be it the pandemic or natural calamities or wars. The UAE is also involved in rebuilding wounded societies; they have shown this in Iraq, Lebanon and in Yemen and other places in the world. I take this not only as a question of political policy, but I take it also as a sign of a serious will to do what needs to be done under the aspect that we are one human family, that everyone who is in need deserves to be helped when possible.”
UN resolution
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 21, 2020, establishing February 4, 2021 as the first International Day for Human Fraternity, to be commemorated annually. This was through the initiative of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, based on their aspiration to celebrate together “their shared values of acceptance, openness, empathy, and love towards other human beings”.
“The proposal’s acceptance is a victory against violence and extremism, in favour of the principles of human fraternity and peace,” said Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE’s Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence. “The move is a victory against violence, hate, religious and ethnic extremism and all forms of discrimination, in favour of the principles of human fraternity, tolerance, compassion and peace.”
The resolution denounces all acts of religious hatred that undermine the spirit of tolerance and respect for diversity. It stresses the need to continue public awareness activities and campaigns aimed at promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue at every level. The resolution underscores the role education can and should play in furthering tolerance and eliminating discrimination based on religion or belief.