Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric: AN APPEAL OF COVENANT

In the name of One and Same God, the Beneficent the Merciful.
In the name of peace of humanity.
In the name of human fraternity for peace.

In the Name of the Word of the Old Covenant, the Torah
Your Eminence Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of European Rabbis,
Your Eminence Berel Lazar, the Chief Rabbi of Russia,

In Name of the Spirit of the New Covenant, the Gospel
Vostra Santità Pope Francis, the Head of the Catholic Church,
Your Eminence the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Cyril,

In the Name of the Peace Code of the Last Covenant, the Qur’an
Your Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb,
Your Eminence Grand Mufti of Russia Rawil Gaynuddin,

Let us read in the name of our Almighty Lord: — Whoever kills an innocent person it is as if he has killed all of humanity, and if anyone saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity — Qur’an 5:32. — Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world — Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:1 (22a).

Your Eminences, I am writing this letter to you because I believe that you are fully aware of the significance of the Commandment of the Old Covenant: — You shall not kill.

Of course, I am aware that I am a too small Mufti from Bosnia to advise your Eminences what to do, but, on the other hand, my Bosnian message about what is happening in Ukraine is too important to be ignored by anyone, let alone by your Eminences.

My Bosnian message is very simple: — Raise your joint voice, your Eminences, against the killing of innocent people in Ukraine. This is what the innocent humanity at risk nowadays is expecting from you. It is expecting from you to be unified human voice of the primordial covenant with Almighty God against killing of an innocent human anywhere.

Who can do that, Your Eminences, if not you?

Who can turn his face to Almighty God to ask for forgiveness and mercy if not you by your united humble voice against tyrants who are capable to mercilessly kill us all?

Who can tell these heartless and arrogant politicians that “enough is enough” of these endless terrible wars that threaten the very existence of our planet, if not you who possess the key to open their petrified hearts?

Who can give the hope of peace and security to humanity by means of the voice of heart and mind that is presumably in touch with God, if not you who claim to have divine blessings?

You can do it, Your Eminences!

You must do it because that is your mission which you have pledged to God and you have sworn your duty and service to God and humanity.

Don’t you see, Your Eminences, that those who possess thousands of nuclear warheads are obsessed by their imagined and real power.

Don’t you notice that they are blind to see that the weapons they have invented against their imagined and real enemies will ultimately kill them themselves: — Man has thought and decided. However, he killed himself the way he measured. Yes, indeed — he killed himself the way he calculated. Then he looked frowningly and scowlingly — Qur’an 74:18–23.

Your Eminences, allow me to ask you humbly that you meet as soon as possible, anywhere on this endangered planet of ours, for the sake of stopping the war against humanity in Ukraine before it is too late.

I feel I have the right to ask you because the disregard of the sanctity of human life, which resulted in genocide, has recently taken place in my country of Bosnia and continued later in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and now in Ukraine.

Your Eminences, humanity is faced with a madness of the human mind that has never been seen before in human history.

Therefore, we must demonstrate the soundness of the human heart and mind that has never been seen before in human history.

In order to achieve that noble goal at this time, humanity needs sound guidance, it needs mindful and courageous spiritual and moral leaders.

Your Eminences, I see this guidance, mind, and courage in you — provided that you ready to perform the role of Noah who had bult the Ark for Human Salvation when it had been faced with a global flood.

Indeed, today’s humanity is in a similar situation of a flood of human blood and tears. It is clear that the only way out is the Ark of global peace and security for all humanity.

May God Almighty give you and us all wisdom and courage to build the Ark of peace and to be a beacon for human salvation! Amen!

Mustafa Ceric, Ph.D.
Grand Mufti of Bosnia in war and in peace
Winner of the 2003 UNESCO Peace Prize