2025-08-21 Time: 04:36:53 (Jerusalem)
Organized by the Institute of West Asian and African Studies – Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)
Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, has hosted the closing session of the international symposium “Illusion and Reality: Religious Inclusion and Combating Discrimination in the Context of the Global Civilization Initiative”. The event took place at the Institute of Chinese History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and organized by the Academy itself, the symposium was convened by several of its institutes, including the Institute of Border Studies, the Institute of West Asian and African Studies, the Institute of World Religions, and the Institute of Philosophy.
The symposium brought together around one hundred scholars, academics, religious leaders (clerics), and media representatives (professionals) from China, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia, France, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia and Palestine. Among the participants was Palestinian media figure Ali Al-Santrisi - Director General of the Human Rights Offices in the governorates - who attended on behalf of the Department of Human Rights and Civil Society of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
At the opening ceremony, Zhao Zemin, Secretary-General of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, emphasized that strengthening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and working together towards building a community with a shared future for humanity, represents the only viable path to overcoming common challenges and moving towards a better future. He underlined the vital role of academic dialogue in the field of religious beliefs plays a pivotal role in deepening understanding and fostering exchanges between different cultures and civilizations.
Mr. Zemin went on to stress that the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stands ready to work with experts and scholars from across the globe to deepen both bilateral and multilateral cultural exchanges and cooperation. The aim, he said, is to jointly explore cultural heritage and development, while generating further insights to highlight the diverse, equal and inclusive nature of human civilizations. He also extended an invitation to participate in future academic exchange activities organized by the Academy.
From Egypt, Sheikh Abbas Shoman, Secretary-General of Al-Azhar’s Islamic Research Academy, for his part, urged that disputes should be resolved through dialogue rather than conflict. Similarly, Sheikh Dr. Mohamed El-Gendy, Secretary-General of Al-Azhar’s Foundation for Islamic Research, stressed that civilizations are built on openness and tolerance, not on prejudice or discrimination. He called for respect for the individuality and rights of every person.
Meanwhile, Kirat Baytybayev, Executive Director of the Eurasian Association for International Studies in Kazakhstan, warned of the growing dangers of cultural misunderstandings in an increasingly fragmented world, adding that the forum had come at a crucial moment to reinforce inter-civilizational exchanges.
Discussions at the symposium revolved around the ways of moving beyond the so-called “clash of civilizations”, highlighting the value of the mutual learning between Confucianism and Islam, and the contribution of Islamic civilization to world culture.
Speaking on behalf of the PLO’s Department of Human Rights and Civil Society, Al-Santrisi conveyed the greetings of Ahmed Saeed Al-Tamimi, PLO Executive Committee member and head of the Department. In his message, he expressed gratitude and warm regards to the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese leadership, and to the participants, while also thanking the organizers for the invitation, and extended best wishes for the conference’s success in producing recommendations that match the gravity of today’s global events, particularly those unfolding in Palestine and the Middle East.
Al-Santrisi’s intervention carried the weight of lived suffering. He described the anguish of the Palestinian people, who, he said, continue to endure the consequences of a unipolar world governed by double standards. He urged the international community to implement recognition of the Palestinian state as a benchmark for assessing the extent of global commitment to the ethics enshrined in international humanitarian law, rather than allowing such principles to remain mere words in the United Nations Charter, detached from practice. He expressed his gratitude to the People’s Republic of China for its longstanding support of the Palestinian revolution since its early days, its backing of the transition towards statehood, and its consistent defense of Palestinian rights in international forums.
Al-Santrisi declared: “I bring you the greetings of the people of Palestine, a people who carry a profound civilizational memory on their shoulders while at the same time enduring open wounds that deepen daily under the weight of Israeli occupation policies, in the shadow of international silence, and overt American sponsorship. This important conference - which seeks to dismantle the illusions of a clash between civilizations and to promote the value of inclusion and religious pluralism - is urgently needed at a time when human conscience retreats in the face of power and hegemony. At the heart of this complex scene stands Palestine, as a double victim of occupation and religious discrimination.”
He added that the Palestinian cause has never been treated as a legitimate human rights struggle worthy of justice, but rather as a so-called “problematic file” managed through the interests of the US–Israeli alliance. He stressed that what is unfolding in Palestine, is not a political dispute but an existential assault - a system of colonial domination, racial discrimination and clear religious bias on an entire people, punished simply for being Arab, Muslim, Christian, and above all, Palestinian.
Al-Santrisi noted that for more than seven decades the Palestinian people have endured occupation, displacement, ethnic cleansing and the relentless expansion of settlements, built daily on the ruins of Palestinian villages and lands in blatant violation of international law. He spoke of religious discrimination at holy sites in occupied Jerusalem, and described the Gaza Strip as “an open arena of extermination and genocide,” executed with U.S. weaponry and full diplomatic cover. For nearly two years, the Gaza Strip has endured near-total destruction, claiming the lives of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, including thousands of children and women.
He concluded by stressing that just as civilizations come together at this conference, so too can humanity chart an alternative path based on mutual recognition, equality among nations, and the primacy of human dignity above all else. “From Palestine, he affirms, we extend our hand in dialogue, not to ask for sympathy, but to build a new partnership free from discrimination, based on truth rather than illusion.”
Al-Santrisi expressed deep gratitude to the organizers of the conference for providing the opportunity to participate and to engage, as he put it, “in a dialogue from heart to heart”, singling out for special thanks the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the State of Palestine, Mr. Zeng Jixin, together with the entire embassy staff, who witness first-hand the suffering of the Palestinian people. He reiterated appreciation for the active role of China’s leadership and government, commending its tireless efforts to bring about peace in Palestine and to end the protracted suffering of its people. He concluded by calling for an end to what he described as “the world’s longest and last occupation,” urging all nations to recognize the State of Palestine as an independent state with full membership in the United Nations.
