Thought this was a very 'good news' story. Those who have seen my comments about certain muslim 'scholars' in the past will appreciate why. This is a REAL attempt at interfaith understanding and co-operation!
"More than 130 Muslim scholars have written to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders urging greater understanding between the two faiths.
The letter says that world peace could depend on improved relations between Muslims and Christians.
It identifies the principles of accepting only one god and living in peace with one's neighbours as common ground between the two religions.
It also insists that Christians and Muslims worship the same god."
Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention and it was a wonderful initiative by all those Muslim scholars. The world desperately needs peace imitatives, and it needs people to respond in a positive way. Here are four separate replies from the Vatican, The World Council of Churches, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Lutherans.
We must pray that this work continues.
MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT OF PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE TO MUSLIMS FOR THE END OF RAMADAN
Christians and Muslims:
called to promote a culture of peace
Dear Muslim Friends,
1. It gives me special pleasure to send you for the first time friendly and warmest greetings from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on the occasion of your joyful feast of ‘Id al-Fitr, with which the month-long fasting and prayer of Ramadan ends. This month is always an important time for the Muslim community and gives to each individual member a new strength for their personal, family and social existence. It matters that all of us witness to our religious beliefs with a life increasingly integrated and in conformity with the Creator’s plan, a life concerned with serving our brothers and sisters in ever increasing solidarity and fraternity with members of other religions and all men of good will, in the desire to work together for the common good. http://www.zenit.org/article-20618?l=english
Lutheran world chief welcomes Muslim peace letter
The Rev Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and
president of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva,
has responded positively to letter sent to him and
several global Christian leaders by 138 Muslim world
leaders.
The 29-page open letter, 'A Common Word Between
You and Us', calls for Muslims and Christians to work
more closely together for peace.
Archbishop of Canterbury responds to 'A Common Word'
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has
given an intial positive response to the 'A Common
Word' document from Muslim scholars and religious
leaders addressed to Christian leaders.
Dr Anas S. Al-Shaikh-Ali, Chair of the Association of
Muslim Social Scientists, and one of the signatories to
the letter, presented it to the Archbishop at Lambeth
Palace before the weekend.
WCC welcomes letter from Muslim leaders
"This letter is most welcome," said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, especially at a time when "all of humanity is looking to religious leaders for guidance as to how to respond to the situation of violence in the world". Kobia was commenting on the letter "A Common Word between Us and You," saying that it "gives a lot of hope".
Thank you brother noname55. Next time I will use my wisdom and try to convince a person who attacks Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and NOT follow the way of Salaf.
Thank you brother noname55. Next time I will use my wisdom and try to convince a person who attacks Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and NOT follow the way of Salaf.
The Pope didn't attack anyone, but people who wish to believe he did aren't concerned with reality anyway. It was an academic discussion in which the Pope quoted something an old Byzantine emperor said, and like most academics, was oblivious as to how people might not understand that.
Anyway, as to the topic, I suppose any worthwhile discussion is beneficial.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
You will probably not understand like many non-muslims. I can try and explain it then I would probably be wasting my time.
If you are referring to the speech thing, then no. It is not an insult unless you are an idiot. As mentioned above, he was quoting an old text for academic reasons and as usual, hypersensitivity in the muslim community led to a violent reaction by burning churches. The irony of course was that not all the churches were catholic.
Diversity should not mean division, Christian agency says
By staff writers
23 Oct 2007
Difference between faiths and life-stances do not have to lead to division, but can be part of a rich blend of perspectives working for the common good, says a leading Christian service agency responding to a bridge building letter from Muslim scholars.
Faithworks, a UK Christian agency with thousands of partners, has welcomed the letter 'A Common Word Between Us And You' issued recently to Christian leaders by a globally representative group of Muslim scholars.
The group is involved in a wide range of education and social provision, drawing in evangelical Christians in particular. Unlike some other faith groups it has affirmed the need for equal access and treatment, including the Sexual Orientation Regulations (SoRs).
Joy Madeiros, Public Policy Advisor to Faithworks, said in a statement issued last week: "We welcome and applaud the recognition of the need – for the sake of peace – to identify common ground between two of the world’s leading religions. There is much that Christianity and Islam have in common: loving your neighbour, a commitment to peace, and respect for others, to name but a few. By recognizing these similarities and working together, greater cohesion and more peace could be achieved in the world."
In the spirit of praying for greater interfaith friendship
PARIS — Several Muslim scholars are disappointed at the Vatican's apathetic response to an earlier appeal for a high-level dialogue to bridge the Muslim-Christian gap, which is already supported by several non-Catholic leaders.
"Muslims are still awaiting a proper response from His Holiness Pope Benedict," said a new letter, reportedly signed by the same 138 signatories of the first, cited by Reuters.
"We call upon him to embrace the initiative that our scholars made with the same good will that has already marked its reception by so many Christians."
Aref Ali Nayed, a senior advisor to the Cambridge Interfaith Program and one the signatories, said their stance had been conveyed to the pontiff in person.
Sheikh Izzeldine Ibrahim, a cultural adviser to the United Arab Emirates government, personally expressed the disappointment to the pope on Sunday, October 21, over a lunch the Vatican hosted for religious leaders attending a three-day inter-faith meeting in the southern Italian port city of Naples.
Earlier this month, the 138 Muslim scholars addressed an open letter to the world's Christian clergy, including Pope Benedict XVI.
Themed "A Common Word Between Us and You", the 29-page letter offers interpretation from the Noble Qur'an and the Bible on similarities between the two religions.
The Muslim initiative was backed by a host of non-Catholic leaders including Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Lutheran World Federation head Bishop Mark Hanson, World Council of Churches head Rev.Samuel Kobia, and US Presbyterian Church head Clifton Kirkpatrick as well as several leading theologians, including Catholics.
Different Views
The new letter also criticized remarks by the Vatican's top official for inter-faith relations, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, that a serious theological dialogue with Muslims would not be possible as long as they continue to believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God.
"This attitude, it seems to Muslims, misses the very point of dialogue," it read.
"Dialogue is by definition between people of different views, not people of the same view.
"Dialogue is not about imposing one's views on the other side, nor deciding oneself what the other side is and is not capable of, nor even of what the other side believes."
The new letter also said the Vatican's annual message to Muslims for 'Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, had been made "polemical of late".
Once devoted mostly to religious themes, the messages last year and this year included calls for different religions to fight terrorism and violence.
Last year, the pope angered Muslims worldwide in speech in which he hinted that Islam was violent and irrational.
Benedict expressed regret for the reaction to his speech, but stopped short of a clear apology sought by Muslims.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has since been boycotting the Vatican.
.................................................. .................................
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has since been boycotting the Vatican.
We are all created by the same God, and we all worship the God who created us, despite all our differences in worship we are all brothers and sisters together.
The message of peace might not be quite what the Pope wants to hear from Muslims, and the response might not be quite what Muslims want to hear from the Vatican. This leaves choices, do we tear up the letters and go our separate ways, or do we search through all the good bits from both sides and strive to build something more positive?
Bridge building and peace is a gradual process, after all there is fourteen hundred years of history between us. It would be just a bit too optimistic to put everything right in two letters. If it was that easy I am sure it would have been done fourteen hundred years ago.
Here is the conclusion of Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran’s letter, the full reply is here
To achieve this, I appeal to you with all my heart to heed my words, so that, by means of encounters and exchanges, Christians and Muslims will work together in mutual respect for peace and for a better future for all people; it will provide an example for the young people of today to follow and imitate. They will then have a renewed confidence in society and will see the advantage in belonging and taking part in its transformation. Education and example will also be a source of hope in the future for them.
5. This is the ardent hope I share with you: that Christians and Muslims continue to develop increasingly friendly and constructive relationships in order to share their specific riches, and that they will pay particular attention to the quality of the witness of their believers.
Dear Muslim Friends, once again I give you my warmest greetings on the occasion of your festival and I ask the God of Peace and Mercy to give you all, good health, serenity and prosperity.
I still believe the collective offer of dialogue by the Muslim scholars was right and just despite all our past and recent history.
We are all creat5ed by the same God and I firmly believe we have a duty of care towards all of God’s creation and that means each other. We either believe striving for peace is from God, and creating conflict between people is not.
There is the great need for all of us to be forgiving, if we cannot forgive and let go of the past, how can we hope that God will forgive us?
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