In an unprecedented move, an open
letter signed by 38 leading Muslim religious scholars and leaders
around the world was sent to Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 12, 2006. The
letter, which is the outcome of a joint effort, was signed by top
religious authorities such as Shaykh Ali Jumu‘ah (the Grand Mufti of
Egypt), Shakyh Abdullah bin Bayyah (former Vice President of
Mauritania, and leading religious scholar), and Shaykh Sa‘id Ramadan
Al-Buti (from Syria), in addition to the Grand Muftis of Russia,
Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Slovenia, Istanbul, Uzbekistan, and Oman,
as well as leading figures from the Shi‘a community such as
Ayatollah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri of Iran. The letter was also signed
by HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan and by Muslim
scholars in the West such as Shaykh Hamza Yusuf from California,
Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr of George Washington University in
Washington, D.C., and Professor Tim Winter of the University of
Cambridge.
All the eight schools of thought
and jurisprudence in Islam are represented by the signatories,
including a woman scholar. In this respect the letter is unique
in the history of interfaith relations.
The letter was sent, in a spirit
of goodwill, to respond to some of the remarks made by the Pope
during his lecture at the University of Regensburg on Sept. 12,
2006. The letter tackles the main substantive issues raised in his
treatment of a debate between the medieval Emperor Manuel II
Paleologus and an “educated Persian”, including reason and faith;
forced conversion; “jihad” vs. “holy war”; and the relationship
between Christianity and Islam. They engage the Pope on an
intellectual level concerning these crucial topics—which go well
beyond the controversial quotation of the emperor—pointing out what
they see as mistakes and oversimplifications in the Pope’s own
remarks about Islamic belief and practice.
The Muslim signatories
appreciate the Pope's personal expression of sorrow at the Muslim
reaction and his assurance that the words of the Byzantine emperor
he quoted did not reflect his personal opinion. By following the
Quranic precept of debating “in the fairest way”, they hope to reach
out so as to increase mutual understanding, reestablish trust, calm
the situation for the sake of peace, and preserve Muslim dignity.
Christianity and Islam make up
more than half of humankind in an increasingly interconnected world,
the letter states, and it is imperative that both sides share
responsibility for peace and move the debate towards a frank and
sincere dialogue of hearts and minds which furthers mutual
understanding and respect between the two religious traditions. Indeed,
the scholars point out, both religions teach what Christianity calls
“the two greatest commandments”. The commandment that “the Lord our
God is one Lord” and that we shall love Him with all we are is
enshrined in the first testimony of faith in Islam, “There is god
but God.” The second commandment “to love thy neighbor as thyself”
is also found in the words of the Prophet, “None of you believes
until he desires for his neighbor (in another version, his
brother) what he desires for himself.” The signatories also
point out the positive contacts the Vatican has had with the Islamic
world in the past, with a hope that they will continue and even grow
in the future. [end]
The official and full English
version of the text along with the complete list of signatories is
available now on the Islamica Magazine website (www.IslamicaMagazine.com).
If you would like further
information or interviews with Professor Tim Winter in the UK and
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in the USA regarding issues related to the open
letter, please contact Islamica Magazine in the USA on 213-291-7191,
in the UK on +44 (0)20-7993-2966, Jordan on +962-6-464-1179 or +962
777 608 449 or email
editor@islamicamagazine.com.
pour les autres signataires voir 
