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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, May-June 2008, page 68 Muslim-American Activism What Next for Muslim-Christian Relations?
ON MARCH 13 and 14, the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) at Georgetown University hosted an international conference on “The Future of Muslim-Christian Relations: Where Do We Go From Here?” In four panels, eight Muslim and eight Christian scholars discussed the content of “A Common Word Between Us and You”—an open letter written in October 2007 by 138 scholars, representing all branches of Islam, addressed to Christian leaders of all major denominations—and how it can inform future dialogue between Christians and Muslims. The letter, an Islamic invitation to Christians for dialogue, is a broader follow-up to the 2006 “An Open Letter to the Pope,” which was itself a response to Pope Benedict XVI’s September 2006 speech that became controversial for including quotations highly critical of Islam. Jesuit Father Thomas Michel, current fellow at Georgetown’s Woodstock Theological Center, praised the letter for not treating religion as a simple factor in the geopolitical equation. “Instead, the focus is on what religion is about, which is the way we relate to God,” he explained. “The questions it asks are what does God want and how does God want us to act to others?” Indeed, these questions are the foundation of “A Common Word.” The first chapter explores Christian-Muslim ideas and similarities pertaining to the love of God, while the second chapter addresses love of neighbor. The final chapter sets out a plan whereby religious leaders of both faiths can set a precedent of understanding and open the door for others to move forward. The way may take time, however. “In my experience, the main reason dialogues fail is because of a lack of patience. Trust is a fragile thing. It takes time to build and is easily broken,” cautioned Fr. Thomas. “It has to contend with resentments that go back for centuries, yet are still alive.” Professor John Esposito, director of ACMCU, declared that although the present task of dialogue may seem daunting, people should remember that remarkable strides have been made in the last 30 years. “Many organizations have made great headway, even since 9/11,” he said, pointing to the World Economic Forum and the United Nations as alliances of civilizations that until recently did not exist. One particularly poignant panel decried the narrow presentation of Christendom and Islam as major historical adversaries. The panelists noted that the vast majority of wartime deaths in Europe have come from wars between Christian kingdoms and nations; likewise for the Middle East, far more Muslims were killed at the hands of fellow Muslims than by Christians. The panel emphasized that, centuries ago, Christian and Muslim scholars all dealt with civilization, empire and religion by interacting on a massive scale. These thinkers reveal that today’s challenges are not historically unique. Quar-Ul Huda, a senior program officer at the United States Institute for Peace, noted that once we recognize our shared experience, we can “Take the Habitat for Humanity approach and build something together.” For more information visit <www.acommonword.com> and <www.cmcu.georgetown.edu>. —Josh Walsh |
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