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| CURRENT ISSUE: October 22, 2007 VOL. 45, NO. 18 • Oakland, CA |
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| Muslim leaders seek
dialog with Christians |
They propose
finding
common theological
ground as basis for peace
 |
| A Palestinian woman prays in front of the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. CNS PHOTO/REUTERS 2001 |
WASHINGTON (CNS) — For the first time, more than
100 senior Muslim leaders from around the world sent a letter to Pope
Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders proposing theological similarities
as a basis for peace and understanding.
“Finding common ground between Muslims and Christians is not simply
a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders,”
said 138 Muslim leaders in a letter released Oct. 11 in Washington.
Christians and Muslims “make up more than 55 percent of the world’s
population, making the relationship between these two religious communities
the most important factor in contributing to meaningful peace around the
world,” they said.
“If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be
at peace.”
As Muslims, “We say to Christians that we are not against them and
that Islam is not against them — so long as they do not wage war
against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them
out of their homes,” they said.
The leaders from Asia, Africa, Europe and North America called for Christians
and Muslims to “vie with each other only in righteousness and good
works.”
The letter analyzed particularly two theological similarities found in
the Quran and the New Testament: belief in one God and love of neighbor.
French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council
for Interreligious Dialogue, told Vatican Radio Oct. 12 the letter is
“a very encouraging sign because it demonstrates that good will
and dialogue are capable of overcoming prejudices.”
The cardinal said all religious leaders must call on their followers to
affirm “the three convictions contained in the letter: that there
is one God; that God loves us and we must love God; (and) that God calls
us to love our neighbor.”
“It is a spiritual approach to interreligious dialogue,” he
said, and one that calls upon Muslims and Christians to respond to one
basic question: “Is there really only one God in your life?”
He said the letter was particularly important because it was written and
signed by both Sunni and Shiite Muslim leaders.
Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury “welcomed the letter
as a clear reaffirmation of the potential for further development of existing
dialogue and common action between Christians and Muslims and other faith
communities,” said an Oct. 11 statement on his Web site.
The Muslim leaders’ letter, sponsored by the Jordan-based Royal
Academy, was released a year after 38 Muslim leaders sent a letter to
Pope Benedict in response to his remarks in Regensburg, Germany, referencing
Islam and violence.
In contrast to that letter, this letter “seeks not to be reactive
but instead to initiate” theological discussion, said John Esposito,
professor and founding director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center
for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in Washington.
At a press conference to release the text, he said the letter is addressed
to Christians but will resonate with Muslims around the world.
The letter was signed by representatives of various sects of Islam, a
religion not centralized around a hierarchical structure, such as Catholicism.
“The next step is for Christian leaders themselves to come together
in a response,” said Esposito.
When asked why Jews were not sent the letter, Sayyed Hossein Nasr, a professor
at George Washington University in Washington and a letter signatory,
said it is “a theological letter and not a political letter.”
He said he hoped a letter reaching out to all faiths from Muslim leaders
would be sent in the future.
(Contributing to this story was Cindy Wooden
at the Vatican.)
