Muslim World League: At first G20 Religious Forum (R20), Faith Leaders call for Global Alliance of Religious, Social & Political Leaders to tackle global crises

BALI, Indonesia, Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 2^-3, R20 (the Religion 20), an engagement group of the G20, convened prominent global religious leaders in Bali to leverage the power of world religions to tackle pressing global challenges.

The forum's opening remarks were delivered by Dr Muhammad Abdulkarim Al Issa, Head of the world's largest Islamic NGO, the Muslim World League, and Yahya Cholil Staquf, Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama which boasts a membership of over 40 million, in addition to Indonesian President, Joko Widodo.

Speakers at the R20 included:

• Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia
• Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of Muslim World League
• Yahya Cholil Staquf, General Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama
• Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican)
• Thomas Schirrmacher, Secretary General of the Protestant World Evangelical Alliance
• Archbishop Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, Primate of the Church of Nigeria
• Reverend Yoshinobu Miyake, Chairman of International Shinto Studies Association
• Swami Govind Dev Giri
• Rabbi Silvina Chemen, Professor at Latin American Rabbinical Seminary
• Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayah, Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies
• Bashar Matti Warda, Archbishop of Chaldean Catholic Church, Iraq
• Andrés Pastrana, Former Colombian President

A virtual address from His Holiness Pope Francis was also delivered.

The first R20 was organised by two of the world's largest Islamic non-governmental organisations, the Muslim World League (MWL) and the Indonesian Nahdlatul Ulam (NU).

The final communique stated: "We, religious leaders from G20 Member States and elsewhere throughout the world, are deeply concerned by global challenges such as environmental degradation, natural and man-made disasters, poverty, unemployment, displaced persons, extremism, and terrorism."

The communique also called for, "religious and political leaders… to join in building a global alliance founded upon shared civilizational values."

Tangible initiatives were also announced at the R20.

R20 Co-Chair and Secretary General of the Muslim World League, HE Muhammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa said, "I announce the launch of the 'East-West Bridge Building Initiative' here at the R20 – a new NGO designed to use religious diplomacy to build bridges between diverse groups around the world."

He also announced, "a new humanitarian fund for the victims of war everywhere - including in Ukraine."

HE Muhammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa also added: "Major global challenges today are not merely political or economic challenges. They are moral challenges…That is why this year, the world's religious leaders are for the first-time part of one of the world's biggest political and governmental policy forums, the G20. It is time we acknowledge that religion and faith must be part of the solution for global political crises."

Yahya Cholil Staquf, General Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama and co-Chair of the R20 said, "The R20 is an initiative with the intention of infusing geopolitical and economic power structures with moral and spiritual values so that humanity can pursue effective solutions to its many crises."

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1941737/R20_Stage_Image.jpg

SOURCE Muslim World League