Amid the Russia-Africa Summit hosted by Moscow, while security, development, the fight against extremism and terrorism, and cooperation between Russia and African countries top the leaders’ agenda, another equally important issue has emerged: religious coexistence and the fight against Islamophobia and extremism.
In this context, an account of a previous meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the late former Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak was recalled. It carries a message that goes beyond politics and opens an important perspective on understanding the true nature of Islam and its relationship with Christianity.
The account describes Putin sitting in one of the official halls, which featured paintings depicting scenes from the lives of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, peace be upon them. President Mubarak reportedly explained the details of those paintings and their stories to him.
According to the account, Putin expressed his astonishment at Mubarak’s detailed knowledge of these stories and asked him how he had come to know them despite being a Muslim. According to the account, Mubarak’s answer was that this was entirely natural, since Christ and Mary, peace be upon them, hold an important place in Islamic belief. Muslims believe in Jesus as one of God’s messengers and also believe in Mary and hold her in high esteem, as mentioned in the Holy Quran.
A Message to Africa in the Face of Extremism
The importance of recalling this account lies in its timing and African context. The African continent faces challenges in several of its regions related to religious extremism, armed groups, and sectarian and ethnic conflicts. These phenomena sometimes exploit religion to achieve political or ideological objectives.
Therefore, presenting Islam away from the image that extremist groups attempt to attach to it represents one of the most important intellectual approaches to combating Islamophobia. Islam is not synonymous with extremism, just as Muslims cannot be reduced to the actions of groups that speak in the name of religion while practising violence and terrorism.
More dangerous than extremism itself is the transformation of extremists’ actions into a pretext for judging an entire religion and hundreds of millions of people.
Islam and Christianity: A Broad Space for Understanding
Muslims’ knowledge of Christ and Mary, peace be upon them, offers a clear example of the common ground that exists between Islam and Christianity. The Holy Quran speaks about Jesus, peace be upon him, and the Virgin Mary. In fact, one of the Quran’s chapters bears the name Mary. This chapter addresses part of her story and the birth of Jesus, peace be upon him.
These religious facts can form a foundation for dialogue between Muslims and Christians, rather than allowing doctrinal differences to become a cause of hatred or hostility. Coexistence does not mean eliminating differences, but rather ensuring that differences remain within a framework of mutual respect.
Islamophobia and Extremism: Two Sides of the Same Crisis
In confronting Islamophobia, extremism must not be ignored, just as extremism must not be used as a pretext for hatred of Islam. Extremism that kills in the name of religion and rhetoric that hates Muslims because of their religion meet at one point: rejecting the other and turning differences into hostility.
Therefore, the real battle is against ignorance, fanaticism, and hatred, regardless of their source or the religion or ethnicity invoked as a pretext.
From Moscow to Africa: A Message That Goes Beyond Politics
If the story of Putin and Mubarak was recalled in the context of discussing coexistence, the message that can reach African leaders and peoples goes beyond Russian-African relations themselves. Africa needs a discourse that confronts extremism without turning into religious hatred and fights Islamophobia without ignoring the danger posed by extremist groups.
It also needs to teach new generations that knowing others does not mean adopting their religion and that respecting another person’s beliefs does not mean abandoning one’s own convictions. This is where culture, knowledge, and dialogue become essential tools in confronting extremism.
An Egyptian Lesson in Confronting Islamophobia
Regardless of the political assessment of the late President Hosni Mubarak’s period in office, the lesson attributed to him in this account carries a value that goes beyond individuals and political regimes. A Muslim knowing about Christ, a Christian understanding what Muslims believe, and followers of different religions discussing their common ground rather than focusing exclusively on their differences are among the ways through which stereotypes that fuel hatred can be dismantled.
At the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, amid leaders’ discussions about Africa’s future, security, and stability, this message takes on even greater importance. Extremism cannot be confronted through ignorance, Islamophobia cannot be confronted through hatred, and coexistence cannot be built without genuine knowledge of the other.
Perhaps the most important lesson that can reach both Africa and the Arab world is that religion, when properly understood, can become a bridge to coexistence, while ignorance about religion becomes fuel for extremism and hatred.
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