The general image of the Islam is very deteriorated since 2000. It is not only because of the attacks on the 11th of September 2001 but also by image building by some media. In general it is said, that Muslims miss a critical view on their own religion, they don’t know democracy and they are not active in dialogue.
At the end of the Ramadan 138 Muslim Scholars from all over the world directed a letter to Christian leaders worldwide. They wrote on the Occasion of the Eid al-Fitr al-Mubarak 1428 A.H. / October 13th 2007 C.E., and on the One Year Anniversary of the Open Letter of 38 Muslim Scholars to H.H. Pope Benedict XVI.
They wrote this letter to the Pope and 26 other named Christian Leaders and to Leaders of Christian Churches, everywhere. The title of the Letter is: A Common Word between Us and You It is a letter looking for what is common between Islam and Christianity.
It refers to the Qur’an and to the Bible, the Hebrew and the Christian one. The opening of the letter is as following:” Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.
The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour.”
To support this fundamental expression the letter mentions Markus 12: 29-31with the classic Jewish prayer‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.’ And the addition by Jesus ‘And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
The monotheism of the Islam is well known. The letter writes some pages about this centrepiece of the Muslim faith.
Also the Islam has the love of the neighbour. The writers of the letter refer to the Hadith or tradition of the prophet: “None of you has faith until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.”
It seems to me very helpful to look what we have common in stead to emphasise the differences. For the sake of peace in our world this is very necessary. (The letter is in English and I can send it to you: louisbohte@yahoo.com)
The second issue is the matter of democracy. It seems to me honest first to look how the West deals with democracy, before we criticise others. I feel shame, if I see the record. Democratic elected governments were removed because they were leftists. Examples: Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954 followed by a decennia lasting horrible civil war, Chili 1973, the Iran-contra scandal against Nicaragua and so on. The outcome of the elections in Palestine in January 2006 was rejected, because the West didn’t like the outcome. At the other side the West supported dictators like Mobutu for about 40 years, Saddam Hoessein in his war against Iran, Pinochet of Chile and so on. We have to be modest.
As a sociologist of religion I realise that the Arab society makes it difficult to create a western like democracy. The society is a collection of clans. Each clan has its own interests. This makes cooperation difficult. The religion is not the problem. For instance, Indonesia is the country with the biggest number of Muslims. The Indonesian culture is one that people talk as long as it is necessary to find a common agreement. The one, who blocks an agreement, has a problem. This is another kind of democracy than in the West and less violent. Violence in some areas of Indonesia is always imported from elsewhere and not caused by the local situation.
The third issue is a critical view on their own religion. Again we have first to look at our own position. How critical we are to our own faith? Then we realise that it is difficult to criticise our faith. It is more helpful, if we look at a way to understand better our faith. It is normal, that other people raise questions about our faith as we have question about the Muslim faith. Such questions can be helpful, if we try to look through their eyes in order to understand them better vice versa. I remember that when I was a child, at school about Islam was spoken as if it was an obscure religion without any respect. It was in the fifties. This is very recently. In such circumstances it is difficult for Muslims to accept questions about their faith. An attack provokes defence.
Acceptance of each other has the opposite effect. In the last week of November, when I left the monastery around sunset, nine Muslim boys between 10 and 17 years came to me. I know the most of them from my work in Al Doha. They have to walk about 45 minutes to reach Nativity Square. Obviously they want to visit the Nativity Church, but they know also that they will send away, because they are a group of teenager boys. Seeing me they knew that they have the chance to see the Church and so they asked me to join them. Of course I entered with the Nativity Church, visited the Nativity Grotto, our Church. I showed them the statue of Mary and the grotto’s beneath the Church. They were happy for this chance.
Since March 2006 there is published a series of articles about the origin of the Islam in a Dutch newspaper. I find it a very interesting series. Until now 17 articles have been published. If I understand these articles well, it has also an impact on our faith, because they show a closer relation between Christianity and Islam. It is for me not a real surprise, because there are many things common: the great respect for Jesus and Mary, many parts of the Bible, the common patriarch Abraham. Once a Christian Palestinian told me that sometimes, when he hear the muezzin, it is as if hear our own Bible.
It needs a separate article to write about findings published by this series. There is an interesting book about Francis and the Islam, originally written in Dutch, but also translated in English, Italian and German.
I have the first two translations. They are available for who is interested in it.
Fra Louis Bohte ofm
At the end of the Ramadan 138 Muslim Scholars from all over the world directed a letter to Christian leaders worldwide. They wrote on the Occasion of the Eid al-Fitr al-Mubarak 1428 A.H. / October 13th 2007 C.E., and on the One Year Anniversary of the Open Letter of 38 Muslim Scholars to H.H. Pope Benedict XVI.
They wrote this letter to the Pope and 26 other named Christian Leaders and to Leaders of Christian Churches, everywhere. The title of the Letter is: A Common Word between Us and You It is a letter looking for what is common between Islam and Christianity.
It refers to the Qur’an and to the Bible, the Hebrew and the Christian one. The opening of the letter is as following:” Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.
The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour.”
To support this fundamental expression the letter mentions Markus 12: 29-31with the classic Jewish prayer‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.’ And the addition by Jesus ‘And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
The monotheism of the Islam is well known. The letter writes some pages about this centrepiece of the Muslim faith.
Also the Islam has the love of the neighbour. The writers of the letter refer to the Hadith or tradition of the prophet: “None of you has faith until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.”
It seems to me very helpful to look what we have common in stead to emphasise the differences. For the sake of peace in our world this is very necessary. (The letter is in English and I can send it to you: louisbohte@yahoo.com)
The second issue is the matter of democracy. It seems to me honest first to look how the West deals with democracy, before we criticise others. I feel shame, if I see the record. Democratic elected governments were removed because they were leftists. Examples: Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954 followed by a decennia lasting horrible civil war, Chili 1973, the Iran-contra scandal against Nicaragua and so on. The outcome of the elections in Palestine in January 2006 was rejected, because the West didn’t like the outcome. At the other side the West supported dictators like Mobutu for about 40 years, Saddam Hoessein in his war against Iran, Pinochet of Chile and so on. We have to be modest.
As a sociologist of religion I realise that the Arab society makes it difficult to create a western like democracy. The society is a collection of clans. Each clan has its own interests. This makes cooperation difficult. The religion is not the problem. For instance, Indonesia is the country with the biggest number of Muslims. The Indonesian culture is one that people talk as long as it is necessary to find a common agreement. The one, who blocks an agreement, has a problem. This is another kind of democracy than in the West and less violent. Violence in some areas of Indonesia is always imported from elsewhere and not caused by the local situation.
The third issue is a critical view on their own religion. Again we have first to look at our own position. How critical we are to our own faith? Then we realise that it is difficult to criticise our faith. It is more helpful, if we look at a way to understand better our faith. It is normal, that other people raise questions about our faith as we have question about the Muslim faith. Such questions can be helpful, if we try to look through their eyes in order to understand them better vice versa. I remember that when I was a child, at school about Islam was spoken as if it was an obscure religion without any respect. It was in the fifties. This is very recently. In such circumstances it is difficult for Muslims to accept questions about their faith. An attack provokes defence.
Acceptance of each other has the opposite effect. In the last week of November, when I left the monastery around sunset, nine Muslim boys between 10 and 17 years came to me. I know the most of them from my work in Al Doha. They have to walk about 45 minutes to reach Nativity Square. Obviously they want to visit the Nativity Church, but they know also that they will send away, because they are a group of teenager boys. Seeing me they knew that they have the chance to see the Church and so they asked me to join them. Of course I entered with the Nativity Church, visited the Nativity Grotto, our Church. I showed them the statue of Mary and the grotto’s beneath the Church. They were happy for this chance.
Since March 2006 there is published a series of articles about the origin of the Islam in a Dutch newspaper. I find it a very interesting series. Until now 17 articles have been published. If I understand these articles well, it has also an impact on our faith, because they show a closer relation between Christianity and Islam. It is for me not a real surprise, because there are many things common: the great respect for Jesus and Mary, many parts of the Bible, the common patriarch Abraham. Once a Christian Palestinian told me that sometimes, when he hear the muezzin, it is as if hear our own Bible.
It needs a separate article to write about findings published by this series. There is an interesting book about Francis and the Islam, originally written in Dutch, but also translated in English, Italian and German.
I have the first two translations. They are available for who is interested in it.
Fra Louis Bohte ofm