The Doha Forum held its 21st edition in Doha, Qatar, from December 10 to 11, 2023. It was inaugurated by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. This year the theme of the forum was “Building Shared Futures.” The two-day event at Sheraton Doha Hotel successfully gathered heads of state, government officials, diplomats and representatives from regional and international organizations.
Notably, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also attended. As the discussions at the forum are primarily focused on addressing various ongoing crises, this year the focus was on the situation in Gaza, Palestine.
During the opening ceremony, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered a rousing speech beseeching the international community to act on Gaza immediately. The Qatari PM introduced the aim of creating the Doha Forum was to create a platform for dialogue among communities, not only to facilitate dialogue during times of peace, but also during the darkest times when polarization is increasing worldwide.
He hoped that the current theme of the forum would facilitate a discussion on our shared future in a positive manner and one that reflected the ambitions and aspirations of people around the world.
Pointing to the situation in Gaza, the HE Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani said, “The Gaza Strip is currently experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, which raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of international systems and legal instruments.
“These questions become even more important and urgent as we witness horrifying scenes that are sometimes too difficult to bear. Yet, we must acknowledge that this is the reality faced by over 2 million people every day for the past 60 days.
“It is unfortunate that there are arguments being made to justify the targeting of civilians, which are accepted by some. However, it is crucial to reject any targeting of civilians, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, or cultural background. International law, humanitarian principles, and religious values compel us all to protect them and condemn any attempts to besiege or starve them.”
Analyzing the crisis, Al Thani pointed out that the crisis in Gaza has exposed the significant gap between the East and the West, as well as the double standards within the international community. Delving further, he indicated, “The world is divided between those advocating for an end to the war and the “War Machine”, and those who hesitated to even call for a ceasefire.”
In a subtle reference to the apartheid and racist regime of South Africa, the Qatari Foreign Minister said, “Those who previously called for global action against occupation are now hesitant to condemn the crimes in Gaza and call for an international agreement to stop these atrocities. Some individuals are attempting to portray this conflict as a religious war, but it is fundamentally a matter of occupation and the denial of self-determination for decades.”
Dwelling on the reasons for peace evading the region, Al Thani indicated, “The option of peace has always been available, but it has been hindered by continuous obstruction. We must question who is responsible for consistently impeding efforts to achieve peace. If we genuinely desire to work together towards a shared future, we must acknowledge the shortcomings of our global order. These deficiencies perpetuate conflicts and hinder the attainment of a fair, just, and comprehensive solution.”
Proposing a solution to the crisis, Qatar’s PM suggested, “We must intensify our sincere efforts to reimagine the global world order in line with present circumstances. We must let go of outdated beliefs and work towards building a future by thoroughly examining our past and present. This will enable us to construct a new global order that upholds justice and equality, where no individual or group holds more power or receives preferential treatment based on affiliation, religion, or politics.”
Concluding his speech on a positive note, Al Thani said, “Despite the suffering and despite the accumulation of pain as a result of conflict and war in our world today, we must remain hopeful. We must hope for a brighter future and for a shared future. Together we stand at this pivotal moment when humanity is being challenged and we need to keep the hope alive amongst our people and Humanity’s ability to face war with peace to face conflict with dialogue and face destruction with construction.”
This year’s edition of the Doha Forum featured discussions and debates over the question of Palestine. In the “Closing Panel: Building Shared Futures”, renowned American Islamic Scholar, Umar Sulaiman, coming down heavily on the American administration, said, “Speaking as a Palestinian American, America has lost credibility long before the last three weeks in terms of having a meaningful voice on what global human rights actually are. I think that the image of the United States vetoing the ceasefire will forever go down,… in history in which we failed every single moral claim that we have made about where we stand in the world.”
Making a personal reference to Joe Biden, Sulaiman lamented, “Look this is a situation in which you not only have a President that is using dehumanizing language that is having consequences abroad but we are seeing a rise in anti-Palestinian bigotry, that has led to the murder of six-year-olds and the shooting of young students for simply wearing a keffiyeh in the streets of Vermont. The dehumanizing rhetoric of the President of the United States has led to actual hatred domestically and abroad and so America is failing globally and domestically.
Suggesting on how to move forward, Dr Umar said, “There has to be a consistent framework by which we hold governmental powers accountable whether that’s the United States or China or Russia when it comes to minorities and the treatment of minorities, specifically when it comes to global extensions of Islamophobia. We need frameworks where people have the right to self-determination, where people have the right to freedom, where people have the right to live not just without airstrikes and without their necessities of life being taken away from them but also with the full realization of their territorial integrity and their self-determination.”
After nearly 70 days of warfare, more than 18,800 Palestinian deaths and 50,000 plus injured, the world is still unable to enforce a ceasefire. One is reminded of the Hadith in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so then with his tongue. If he cannot do so then with his heart, which is the weakest level of faith.” The Doha Forum should be applauded for resisting evil with the tongue. With global unity and an Islamic renaissance, the first stage of stopping evil with the hand may also be possible.