Seminar at CIBF Commends MCE' Role in Promoting Peace in Africa

See - Sada Elbalad

26-01-2025

Mohamed Mandour
The Muslim Council of Elders' stand at the Cairo International Book Fair hosted its third cultural seminar, titled 'A Review of the Book 'Peace in Africa'', published by Al-Hokama Center for Peace Research.
The seminar featured contributions from Prof. Dr. Hamdy Abdelrahman, Professor of Political Science at Zayed and Cairo Universities, and Dr. Samir Boudinar, Director of Al-Hokama Center for Peace Research.
At the beginning of the seminar, Dr. Hamdy Abdelrahman emphasized the complexity of studying Africa and the need for interdisciplinary research to gain a proper understanding. He noted that various conflicting frameworks have produced inaccurate readings of Africa. For example, Eurocentrism views Africa as having no history before its contact with Europe, while Afrocentrism, in turn, has dismissed others, offering a biased perspective on Arabs and Muslims. He added that the book under discussion reflects the cultural interconnection between the Arab-Islamic world and Africa.
Dr. Abdelrahman outlined a framework for studying Africa based on three key components. The first is the cultural component, which has shaped the mindset and emotions of Africans. The second is the civilizational component, representing the shared heritage and interaction between Arabs, Muslims, and Africans, highlighting their numerous human commonalities. He stressed that Africa cannot be detached from its Arab and Islamic heritage. The third is the Western component, marked by the impact of colonialism, which left institutions that significantly shaped modern Africa.
Dr. Abdelrahman praised the Muslim Council of Elders, in collaboration with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, for its efforts in sending peace convoys to Africa, which contribute to building cultural and intellectual frameworks for peace. He specifically highlighted the significant impact of the peace convoys sent to the Central African Republic.
For his part, Dr. Samir Boudinar noted that the book discussed in the seminar, which comprises multiple volumes, is the outcome of collaborative research as part of the African Studies Program at Al-Hokama Center for Peace Research. This program is a broader initiative by the Center, involving around thirty researchers and experts in African studies from across the globe. Their contributions include scholarly works in both Arabic and English.
Dr. Boudinar further elaborated that Islam's presence in Africa dates back to the early days of the Prophetic mission, more than 1,400 years ago. He reminded attendees that the first migration of the Prophet's companions, seeking safety from persecution, was to East Africa—historically known as the Migration to Abyssinia—well before the Prophet's migration to Medina. This makes Africa the destination of Islam's first migration, even before its spread to neighboring Asia (the Arabian Peninsula). He stressed that Muslims have always held a deep appreciation for the noble humanitarian stance of the African leadership of that era. Since its early entry into Africa, Islam has remained one of the most prominent and widely practiced religions across the continent.