March 2010

Grand Mufti of Egypt Meets President Niwano

On March 9, President Nichiko Niwano, as president of the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, conferred with Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the grand mufti (the highest official of Islamic law) of Egypt, at a hotel in Tokyo during his visit to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The mufti has a strong interest in religions in Japan, and they met at his request. The meeting was also attended by the Egyptian ambassador, Dr. Walid Mahmoud Abdelnasser; the president of the Japan Muslim Association, Mr. Kimiaki Tokumasu; and the director of Rissho Kosei-kai's General Affairs Bureau, Rev. Takeshi Kawabata.

Mufti Gomaa spoke about the importance for world peace of face-to-face interreligious dialogue, not only between Christians and Muslims, but including adherents of Asian religions. He said he hoped such dialogue would help the participants discover the beliefs they hold in common. President Niwano described the committee's work for peace, including a conference held in Japan in November titled "Roundtable Discussion on Reconciliation and Peace Prospect for Shared Security in Afghanistan." It was a forum for American and Afghanistan civic and religious leaders to discuss confidence-building measures for peace in Afghanistan.

Mufti Gomaa also emphasized the importance of dialogue between Muslims and people of other faiths in Japan, and the importance of exchanging religious literature. He concluded by saying that he would like to contribute to a bright future for generations to come through exchanges at the grass roots between people of different cultures.

After their meeting, Mufti Gomaa met with board members of Religions for Peace Japan.

[back to News Archive]