Muslim leaders write to Pope asking interfaith understanding

The Guardian:

Quote:

[...]
"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," it says.
[...]

Steve,

History shows that religious organizations are divergent and prone to splinter movements, not convergent. Islam's own internicene slaughter between Sunni and Shia is an extreme present day example of this. The "letter" is merely a politically palliative reaction to the vilification of Islam which its extremists have imposed upon its moderates. For the average muslim, "the brotherhood of man" means a muslim brotherhood.(period).

If "moderate" Muslims or religious people are upset by criticism of their creed, they have only their creed and the fanatics it attracts to blame, not me for pointing out the obvious.

It is blindingly obvious that our small and overcrowded island has not been able to assimilate some of the immigrant communities that have been here for several decades, let alone new ones.

Steve 41oo wrote:

If "moderate" Muslims or religious people are upset by criticism of their creed, they have only their creed and the fanatics it attracts to blame, not me for pointing out the obvious.

Haven't I heard such before? Those young girls who dress that must be raped? Those Jews, Socialists, Roma ... who behave that they must be thrown in concentration camps?

fresco wrote:

Steve,

History shows that religious organizations are divergent and prone to splinter movements, not convergent. Islam's own internicene slaughter between Sunni and Shia is an extreme present day example of this. The "letter" is merely a politically palliative reaction to the vilification of Islam which its extremists have imposed upon its moderates. For the average muslim, "the brotherhood of man" means a muslim brotherhood.(period).

I agree. Sometimes I feel I should apologise for my strident remarks on religion.

Sometimes I think well each to his own, live and let live, one shouldnt criticise someone's deeply held religious belief...its rude if nothing else. But then the religious fanatics dont think that way at all.

Muslims or religious people are upset by criticism of their creed, they have only their creed and the fanatics it attracts to blame, not me for pointing out the obvious.

It irks me to hear the term "radical" or "fundamentalist" before a religion. We need to stop talking about these people as if they're some perversion of the "real" Christianity or Islam. They are people who simply believe what their holy books actually say.

Pope to meet top religious leaders in Naples
(AFP)

21 October 2007

ROME - Pope Benedict XVI was to meet in Naples on Sunday with leaders of several of the world's main religions on the sidelines of an inter-faith peace summit.

The pope is making a pastoral visit to the impoverished southern Italian city at the same time as the summit organised by the Sant'Egidio community, in what the lay Catholic association called a "happy coincidence."

The pontiff will lunch with the heads of the delegations to the summit including Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Israel's chief rabbi Yona Metzger and the imam of the United Arab Emirates, Ibrahim Ezzeddin
[...]
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will attend the luncheon and help inaugurate the three-day Sant'Egidio summit, which has the theme "A World Without Violence: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue" and will include some 200 speakers.[...]

I am supposed to talk on World Peace beyond the 40th anniversary of the United Nations.

Mankind, man, has lived on this earth over fifty thousand years, and perhaps much longer, or for less duration. During all this long evolution man has not found peace on earth - 'pacem in terris' has been preached long before Christianity, by the ancient Hindus and the Buddhists.

And during all this time man has lived in conflict, not only conflict with his neighbour but with people of his own community, with his own society, with his own family, he has fought, struggled against man for the last five thousand years, and perhaps more. Historically there have been wars practically every year. And we are still at war.


I believe there are forty wars going on at the present time. And the religious hierarchy, not only the Catholics but the other groups have talked about 'pacem in terris', peace on earth, goodwill among men. It has never come about - to have peace on earth. And they have talked about peace when you die and go to heaven and you have peace there.

One wonders, if one is at all serious, why man kills another human being - in the name of god, in the name of peace, in the name of some ideology, or for his country - whatever that may mean - or for the king and the queen, and all the rest of that business. Probably we all know this: that man has never lived on this earth, which is being slowly destroyed, and why man cannot live at peace with another human being.

Why there are separate nations, which is after all a glorified tribalism. And religions, whether it be Christianity, Hinduism, or Buddhism, they are also at war with each other. Nations are at war, groups are at war, ideologies, whether it is the Russian, or the American, or any other category of ideologies, they are all at war with each other, conflict.

Nationalities give certain security, man needs security and he invests in nationalism, or in a particular ideology or belief. Beliefs, ideologies and so on, have separated man. And organizations cannot possibly bring about peace between man and man because he believes in something, he believes in certain ideologies, he believes in god and others don't."

March 5, 2008

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI will meet later this year with Muslim religious leaders and scholars as part of a push for dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, the Vatican said Wednesday.
The occasion for the meeting will be a Nov. 4-6 seminar in Rome. Two dozen leaders and scholars from each side will participate in the Catholic-Muslim forum.

Church officials have said such a papal audience would be "historic."
The Vatican is eager to improve relations with moderate Islam. A speech by Benedict in 2006 about Islam and violence angered many in the Muslim world.

A group of Muslim scholars who have called for greater dialogue with Christians wrapped up two days of talks Wednesday at the Holy See, including with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, to prepare for the audience.

Tauran, who heads the Vatican's council for inter-religious dialogue, has said the planned papal audience could inspire the start of historic dialogue between the faiths.

The group included representatives of 138 Muslim scholars and intellectuals who wrote to Benedict and other Christian leaders last year to encourage Christians and Muslims to develop their common ground of belief in one God.

In a 2006 speech in Germany, Benedict cited a medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

The pope later said he was "deeply sorry" about the reactions his remarks sparked and stressed that they did not reflect his own opinions.

Muslim participants at this week's meetings included the editor of a magazine base in Jordan and officials of foundations or scholarly organizations, including in Britain and Turkey.

The Vatican did not say which representatives would meet with the pope in November.