Dr. Cerić addressed the conference of Islamic scholars in Toronto

Dr. Mustafa Cerić, reis-ul-ulema emeritus and president of the World Bosniak Congress, delivered a notable speech at one of the largest traditional, annual conferences of Islamic scholars in North America – Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS), in Toronto, Canada, reports the BH News Agency Patria.

Dr. Cerić, who is the keynote speaker and one of the moderators for three sessions, opened the discussion last night with a speech on the topic "When Zealots Rule: Devil's Work in the Name of Islam", where he addressed the dangers of the increasingly present extremism in religion, which seriously threatens global stability and security.

- There are certainly zealots who are doing the devil's work in the name of religion... What they are doing is harmful and contrary to our faith, our culture, contrary to our morals, our children; it is against our future and our entire ummah - said Dr. Cerić, adding:

- If they think that destroying entire cities, expelling people from their homes, beheading journalists in front of cameras, spreading fear throughout the world in the name of Islam and shouting the holy name - Allah, ... if they think that in this way they are fighting evil and for good – jihad, then we must say that they are very wrong and that they are doing bad, devil's work!"

Dr. Cerić compared today's radical and militant movements in the name of faith to the false prophet Musaylimah, emphasizing that the Islamic world in the time of Musaylimah had forces that managed to preserve Islam from devilish harm, while, unfortunately, it seems that today's ummah lacks sufficiently strong and decisive forces to resist contemporary evil.

Speaking about the harmfulness of what they are doing, he recalled one of the greatest Muslim scholars, Imam Shams al-Deen al-Dhahabi, who listed the greatest human sins, including: killing innocent people, suicide – which also applies to suicide bombers, denying freedom of movement, hate speech, denying children's rights, misusing God's name, deceiving naive and honest people for personal gain, arrogance, empty boasting, lies, theft, fraud, offending neighbors, bribery and corruption...

The sins and ailments of society were pointed out not only by Muslim religious scholars, he added, but also by religious scholars and leaders of other religions, in order to warn about mortal personal and social sins or ailments.

In this context, Dr. Cerić recalled the words of Mahatma Gandhi, as well as the recent speech of Pope Francis, in which he sharply criticized the Vatican Curia.

- We Muslims do not have such a global voice that will warn us where we are and where we are going wrong, so that we can find appropriate answers and take appropriate measures to correct it. Instead, we have this important, annual conference in Toronto - said Dr. Cerić.

The messages from the RIS conference, he added, "do not have to remain only within the framework of its sessions, but must have a concrete impact throughout the ummah, for which I have identified 21 ailments: love without respect; religion without faith; faith without morals; spirituality without meaning; superiority without achievement; inferiority without need; state without legitimacy; communities without society; education without purpose; knowledge without use; consumption without production; preaching without resonance; prayer without sincerity; zakat without fruits; Hajj without a message; fasting without humility; power without limits; brotherhood without trust; words without meaning; energy without benefit; right without strength!".

In addition to the aforementioned topic, Dr. Cerić also participated in the discussion on Islamophobia and Islam profanity, and will deliver a speech at today's closing session "He Came to Teach You Your Religion", where attention will be focused on the importance of true faith and correct, traditionally established religious teachings, and on the dangers lurking from misinterpretations, abuse, and radicalization of religion.