ABU DHABI- The Muslim Council of Elders launched an international initiative titled "We Publish to Coexist" during its participation in the London Book Fair 2022.

The initiative, launched in London in coordination with several publishing houses, aims to select ten books on coexistence in various languages, including English, French, German and Italian.

The council’s pavilion at the fair also organised its first event of the year, under the theme, "Confronting Hate Speech and Spreading the Values of Coexistence," with the participation of many intellectuals and scholars with interest in peaceful coexistence, denouncing hate speech and combatting terrorism and extremism.

The event was attended by Baroness Manzalat El-Din, Member of the House of Lords of the UK, Dr. Muqtedar Khan from the College of Delaware in the US, and Sarah Snyder from the Ruth Citadel Basis, who spoke about the state of coexistence and peace around the world.

On the occasion, Mohammed Abdel Salam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, said similar events promote the values of coexistence and human fraternity and denounce hate and terrorism, noting that such international fairs are real opportunities for exchanging cultural experiences and sharing leading practices.

Coexistence is a lifestyle and not just a project, and the council's work is based on encouraging intellectual moderation, he added. These are among the principles of the Human Fraternity Document signed in the UAE in 2019 by His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, he stated.