The “survival of the world” is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace with each other, leaders of the Muslim world will warn the Pope and other Christian leaders today.
In an unprecedented open letter signed by 138 leading scholars from every sect of Islam, the Muslims plead with Christian leaders “to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions” and spell out the similarities between passages of the Bible and the Koran.
‘…the Muslims plead with Christian leaders “to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions”
Sure. Shall we meet in Hagia Sophia or in Riyadh Cathedral?
I can’t get the link to work, however this article is much the same:
http://tinyurl.com/2ebsbf
The reader views section is well worth reading too. My favorite:
Sounds a bit like “Make peace with us or we’ll kill you.”
– R M, London, UK
Gordian
Just out of interest. What has lead you to this hostility towards Muslims? Personal experience? Not poking fun, I am truly interested.
[blockquote]The scholars state: “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.” [/blockquote]
These gentlemen are obviously irony-proof. A quick glance at the passing scene will show precisely one (1) religion’s members the past 40 years “waging war on account of their religion” and it sure isn’t Christianity.
#2. Koranic rules require the “unbelievers” to be given a generous opportunity to submit to islam of their own free will, before they are compelled to do so either by subjection, or by elimination.
This “invitation” out of the blue looks suspiciously similar.
#3 Do you understand the point that Gordian was making in re: Hagia Sophia and Riyadh Cathedral or are you simply assuming hostility on his part? Do [i]you[/i] have any particular feelings about the precarious existence of Christian communities in much/most of the Islamic world or is that not somehow relevant to this discussion? Many would say that gestures like this one, offered by a significant cross-section of Muslim leadership, needs to be grounded in some kind of reality. Pretending that everything is fine might be comforting for the few and the lucky who live in the West… but it won’t be very comforting to those Christians living in the Middle East, North Africa, ,Central Asia and Pakistan, Indonesia etc.
# 6: thank you for making my point for me. The truth is, I never gave Islam much thought before 9/11, then my latent knowledge was reactivated and I went on to learn a considerable amount more about the history of Islam and its conquests, the life of Muhammad, the condition of dhimmis in Islamic-ruled lands (jizya, janissaries etc; the writings of Bat Ye’or), the miserable state of people in the west trying to leave Islam, as well as murtads in Malaysia, and the absurd claims supremacist Islam makes about Christianity. In the years since, I have witnessed an endless stream of violent and contemptuous acts by extremist Muslims against the west, along with craven efforts to appease any Muslim complaint by the liberal-left. I am good friends with an ex-Muslim from Iran who grew up under Khomenei, who feels more severely than I do, from personal experience. If you know any non-Muslims in Malaysia, you will understand how they feel about being second class citizens in their own country.
# 3 Brian, I don’t know if you know much about Islam (I have yet to meet a liberal who professes to know much or wants to know much), but if you study the history and personalities, you will find it quite an eye opener.
Gordian and Farstrider
I teach Islam as part of a Homeland Security course. I am familiar with the progression of Muhammad toward a more violent view towards infidels and dhimmis. The problem is that not all Muslims have this view. Many Muslims see the writings of Muhammad on war as contextual to his time and place. Certainly the majority of Muslims do not practice holy war. Those who choose to live in a Muslim country do so knowing their position.
# 8: Muhammad was involved in aggressive military activity for the last few years of his life (Khaybar oasis, Battle of the Ditch, Banu Qurayza etc); I’m sure you’ll be familiar with the details. If ‘many Muslims see his writings on war as contextual to his time and place’, many more don’t since Muhammad is THE exemplary figure of Islam; Islam has been jihadist throughout most its history, whether under Arab leadership (Middle East, North Africa and Spain conquests), Turkish (Byzantine Empire), or Mughal.
The Christians of the Middle East and the native non-Malays of Malaysia didn’t ‘choose’ dhimmi status in the land of their own birth. I take it you condemn their oppression by Islam?
Relax, Gordian. [i]Pace[/i] Brian, we don’t have to worry about this until the majority of Muslims are jihadis (as opposed to the 10-15% that are now).
Brian,
I’ve spent a number of years ministering and living in the Muslim world (although I am now back in the West). There are two different issues here (more than two, really, but…): militancy and intolerance. Militancy is a significant concern for obvious reasons. Contra Jeffersonian, I think the lines separating jihadis from non-jihadis are more blurred than most Westerners would like to think. There [i]are[/i] moderate Muslims, particularly in the West, but the worldview shared by the majority of Muslims is one that a non-Muslim should find somewhat unnerving. Islam is “the thing” and the world will eventually submit to its tenets, willingly or unwillingly.
But it is the second concern that I was focusing on. To be a Christian in a Muslim nation– or even a predominately Islamic region– is not a happy thing for most people. Problems range from “mere” social ostracism (as [i]dhimmi[/i]), to imprisonment, torture, murder, the enslavement of women and children and, in some instances, genocide, depending on where in the Muslim world you live. With the exception of genocide the above situations are far more common than most Western Christians seem to realize.
If Islamic leaders want to appeal to commonalities between the monotheistic religions, great. But let them show us what they mean by their deeds. Start with granting Christians the freedom to worship and live in peace in Muslim territories– and allowing the Jews to enjoy security and prosperity in Israel.
Just heard on CNN that ‘the religion of peace’ has issued another death warrant on a Swiss cartoonist, for daring to satarize ‘The Prophet’ in print.