VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican on Tuesday rejected condemnation by al Qaeda of a historic meeting between Pope Benedict and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, saying the militants were afraid of inter-religious dialogue. Al Qaeda’s second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, referred to Benedict as a Pontiff who had “insulted Islam and Muslims” and criticized King Abdullah‘s meeting with him last month. Vatican …

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI never gives the impression of being overburdened, yet a look back at 2007 reveals a long list of papal activities and achievements. The pope’s output included four major documents and a lengthy book, more than 200 speeches and sermons, two foreign trips and three in Italy, the creation of new cardinals, and encounters …

Vatican City In response to a letter from Muslim leaders seeking better relations with the Christian world, Pope Benedict XVI Nov. 29 invited those leaders to the Vatican for a “working meeting” on interreligious dialogue. Writing on behalf of the pope, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, expressed Benedict’s “gratitude” and “deep appreciation” for an open letter that …

TO INTENSIFY the promotion and pursuit of its vision of dialogue, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement now has a Silsilah Forum in 16 places, 15 of which are in Mindanao – Basilan, Bongao, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato City, Davao, Iligan, Jolo, Kidapawan, Midsayap, Pagadian, Pikit, Siasi, Sibugay, Siocon, and one in Cebu. The forum in each of these places has …

Congress returned to Washington this month to close out the first session of the 110th Congress in an unusually sloppy and incomplete manner. Congressional leadership still has plenty of unfinished business to take care of, which could mean that Congress will remain in session right up until Christmas. I urge my party, and in fact our nation, to begin thinking …

More than 100 U.S. Christian leaders, mainline and evangelical, have endorsed a favorable response to an unprecedented Muslim call for churches to help initiate international dialogue between the two faiths. Among the endorsers were three megachurch founders: Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life; Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral and Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church. Released …

Visiting one of Italy’s most crime-ridden cities, Pope Benedict XVI told ayatollahs, rabbis, priests and patriarchs from around the world Sunday that religion must never be used to justify violence. Benedict condemned the ”deplorable” mob violence that he said permeated life in Naples, home of the notorious Camorra organized crime syndicate — the local version of the Sicilian Mafia. The …

Fourteen leaders of the main Christian Churches in West Yorkshire have welcomed an Islamic report for its peacemaking efforts, and urged Christians to use it to build bridges with their Muslim neighbours. The joint statement from the church leaders followed the publication of ‘A Common Word Between Us and You’ a report which brought together 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and …

Vatican City – Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 has done much to promote interfaith dialogue, especially with Muslim nations, while the struggle between right-wingers and liberals in the Catholic Church goes on and reformed Christians remain snubbed. After being elected pope in 2005, Benedict stressed he wanted open dialogue both within his own Church and with other faiths and cultures. …

Comments on Response to Muslim Letter VATICAN CITY, DEC. 9, 2007 (Zenit.org) – As demonstrated in his response to the letter sent by 138 Muslim scholars, Benedict XVI believes in “sincere and frank dialogue” with Islam, according to a Vatican spokesman. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the press office of the Holy See, said this in the most recent …

Peaceful relations between Muslims and Christians stand as one of the central challenges of this century, according to leading Christian leaders. Responding to an open letter in October signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world, the Christian leaders also asked the Muslim world for forgiveness… Following is the text of the letter: As members …

VATICAN CITY — Almost two months after their inter-faith dialogue offer, Pope Benedict XVI invited on Nov. 29, Muslim scholars and intellectuals to a meeting at the Vatican. “The Pope has asked me to convey his gratitude to Your Royal Highness and to all who signed the letter,” Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone wrote in a letter to …

Pope Benedict has invited a delegation of senior Islamic scholars to the Vatican, as a positive response to the October letter they sent to initiate dialogue. AFP reports that the letter – titled A Common Word between Us and You – was signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, to appeal to the Pope for a strengthening of ties, and increasing …

Filed under: WASHINGTON, Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, DC Opinion   WASHINGTON (Map, News) – Little did Teddy Roosevelt know what a storm would one day break over the renaming of a bear carrying his name. Earlier this month, a British teacher working in Sudan allowed her pupils to name the class teddy bear “Muhammad.” As a result, Gillian Gibbons was convicted of …

Chiesa (chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it) An analysis by Sandro Magister of an important address given by the President of the Pontifical Council for Christian unity, Cardinal Kasper on ecumenical efforts. OMA (Chiesa) – Eight days before it was published on the last day of November, Benedict XVI had announced the release of the encyclical on hope, “Spe Salvi,” to the cardinals gathered in …

GARRISON, N.Y. (CNS) — During Advent, Catholics are called to “put on the armor of light, to be peacemakers beating swords of war and anger into plowshares, and to poke holes of light into the darkness which often seems to permeate our lives,” according to Dominican Sister Anne Tahaney. “The common themes of Advent, expectation and waiting in joyful hope …

Posted in: Opinions   As I have traveled the world the last two years on behalf of America’s public diplomacy, I have often met people whose faith has inspired them to do great good. I’ve met Muslim American doctors who traveled to Pakistan to help victims of the earthquake there, Catholic nuns who helped families left homeless by mudslides in Central …

Positive Christian response to recent Muslim outreach must be one of many steps to peace. An unprecedented outreach from top Islamic leaders to Christians is meeting a positive response. This budding dialogue has the potential to correct misunderstandings and foster trust among each faith’s followers – which the world sorely needs. The overture began in October with a letter from …

Expressing his deep appreciation, Pope Benedict XVI is inviting a delegation of Islamic scholars, who earlier signed a letter urging greater dialogue between Christianity and Islam, to visit the Vatican to attend the Pontifical Council for inter-religious dialogue. Expressing his deep appreciation, Pope Benedict XVI is inviting a delegation of Islamic scholars, who earlier signed a letter urging greater dialogue …

Read Libby Purves on Faith Central on the Pope’s response The Pope has invited senior Muslim figures for ground-breaking talks at the Vatican in a potential breakthrough at a time of tensions between Islam and the West. Pope Benedict XVI, in a response to a letter from 138 Muslim scholars and leaders from around the world, emphasised the common belief …

http://www.opednews.com I was born in Islam.  I spent the first twenty-three years of my life in the shadow of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem which, according to the Quran, Islam’s holy book, Prophet Muhammad had journeyed to, ascended to heaven and returned home to Mecca in Arabia, all in one night.  Some influential Muslim scholars …

Pope Benedict has invited leading Islamic authorities to discuss a letter they sent to Christian leaders last month urging a search for common moral ground. The pontiff’s formal reaction was made public yesterday as the Vatican published his latest encyclical, in which he said atheism had “led to the greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice”. Replying to Prince …

Pope Benedict XVI, in response to the letter sent by Muslim scholars, said he is willing to meet with Muslim representatives, announced the Vatican this week. In the reply letter, the pope expressed “deep appreciation for this gesture, for the positive spirit which inspired the text [of the letter] and for the call for a common commitment to promoting peace …

One year ago Pope Benedict XVI quoted a 14th-century emperor: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman.” The pope did not endorse the quote, but without regard to context or intent, Islamic communities promptly erupted in violence, burning churches and murdering Christians on the street. Not all Muslims …

The Pope has invited senior Muslim figures for ground-breaking talks at the Vatican in a potential breakthrough for relations between Islam and the West. Pope Benedict XVI, in response to a letter from 138 Muslim scholars and leaders from around the world, emphasised the common belief of Christians and Muslims in one God. He also praised the “positive spirit” behind …

«Ero molto con­tento della let­tera inviata a ot­tobre a firma di 138 perso­nalità musulmane ai leader delle Chiese e comunità cri­stiana e sono sicuro che que­sta risposta del Santo Padre verrà accolta con gratitudi­ne ». Il cardinale Jean-Louis Tauran, dal primo settembre alla guida del Pontificio Con­siglio per il dialogo interreli­gioso, è visibilmente soddi­sfatto della piega che sta prendendo il …

“Peace be upon you,” began the Muslim message to Christians this year on the occasion of the birth of Christ. The message continued by citing the words of Christ reported in the Holy Qur’an: “Peace be upon Jesus Christ who says ‘Peace is upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am resurrected.’” …

Moscow, November 30, Interfax – The Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations completes a response to the letter of the 138 Muslim leaders, the priest Georgy Roschin, an officer of the DECR, reported to the Interfax-Religion website on Friday. The letter was sent to leaders of the main Christian confessions. Roman Silantyev, Secretary of the Synod Group of the …

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has replied to a letter from Muslim scholars, stressing the need for dialogue between Islam and Christianity and saying he would be willing to meet Muslim representatives, the Vatican said Thursday. The pope expressed “deep appreciation for this gesture, for the positive spirit which inspired the text (of the letter) and for the call …

After a long wait, the Muslim leaders who wrote the ‘letter of peace” get a response from Pope Benedict.  Courteous and cautious,  he says that it is important not to ignore or downplay the difference between Christians and Muslims.  But  “We can and therefore should look to what unites us, namely, belief in the one God, the provident Creator and …

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071130/NATION/111300085/1002 An Oct. 13 letter from 138 Muslim leaders to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders asking for dialogue got a warm but noncommittal response from the Vatican yesterday, while a similar missive from Protestants apologized for the Crusades. The Vatican, in a letter dated Nov. 19 but posted yesterday on the Vatican Web site, affirmed the desires of …

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org) VATICAN CITY (CNS) – By inviting a varied group of Muslim scholars to meet with him, Pope Benedict XVI has opened the possibility for a higher-level dialogue between Catholic and Muslim leaders, the Vatican newspaper said. The newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, commented Nov. 30 on a letter to the pope from 138 Muslim scholars and the pope’s invitation …

The Vatican announcement welcoming the appeal by 138 Muslim scholars opens the way to a broad and deep dialogue between Christianity and Islam. The Roman Catholic Church — with more than half the world’s 2 billion Christians — could have scuttled the whole thing if it had said “no, thanks.” That first hurdle is now out of the way, but …

ROME (UCAN) — The Vatican on Nov. 29 released its much-awaited response to the letter of 138 Muslim scholars concerning the need for Christians and Muslims to come to a “common word” on essential matters of faith. The Muslims’ letter of Oct. 13 stressed the centrality of the twin duties of love of God and love of neighbor as being …

Almost two months after their inter-faith dialogue offer, Pope Benedict XVI invited on Thursday, November 29, Muslim scholars and intellectuals to a meeting at the Vatican. “The Pope has asked me to convey his gratitude to Your Royal Highness and to all who signed the letter,” Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone wrote in a letter to Jordanian Prince …

Muslim and Christian dialogue has entered a new phase as Pope Benedict XVI replied to a landmark letter sent by 138 Muslim scholars.  The original letter entitled “A common word between Us and You” was sent on October 13. It was signed by 138 scholars from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Europe and the United States. The letter said that …

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has replied to a letter from Muslim scholars, stressing the need for dialogue between Islam and Christianity and saying he would be willing to meet Muslim representatives, the Vatican said Thursday. The pope expressed “deep appreciation for this gesture, for the positive spirit which inspired the text (of the letter) and for the …

Pope Benedict has invited a delegation of senior Islamic scholars to the Vatican, as a positive response to the October letter they sent to initiate dialogue. AFP reports that the letter – titled A Common Word between Us and You – was signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, to appeal to the Pope for a strengthening of ties, and increasing …

Vatican City – Pope Benedict XVI has thanked Muslim religious leaders for an October letter to Christian leaders in which they stressed better relations between the two faiths, the Vatican announced Thursday. In a letter dated November 19 and signed by the Vatican’s second highest official, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, the pontiff also invited the 138 Muslim leaders to …

Vatican City, 29 Nov. (AKI) – The Vatican has issued a much-awaited reply to a letter that 138 top Muslim scholars sent in October to Pope Benedict XV1 and other Christian leaders warning that global security was at risk if Muslims and Christians could not make peace. The letter is addressed to Jordanian Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal and …

In a letter signed by Cardinal Bertone, Benedict XVI expresses his appreciation for the initiative by the Muslim scholars, inviting its initiator and a delegation of signatories to the Vatican. Jointly, both sides must promote mutual respect and acceptance amongst the younger generations. Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Benedict XVI has replied to the letter sent on 13 October by 138 …

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 29, 2007 (Zenit.org) – In a response to an open letter sent by 138 Muslim scholars to Benedict XVI and Christian leaders, the Pope affirmed the importance of dialogue and mutual respect and acceptance. The Muslims’ letter, sent Oct. 13, was written on the occasion of the end of the month of Ramadan, and titled “A Common …

Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI has responded to a letter from 138 Muslim scholars by inviting a group of them to meet with him and with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The papal response, released Nov. 29, came in a letter to Jordan’s Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, president of the Royal Aal …

Vatican City, Nov 29, 2007 / 10:18 am (CNA) – Dialogue between Muslims and Catholics entered a new phase today as Pope Benedict replied to the October 13 letter from the 138 Muslims leaders and proposed that the dialogue be centered on human dignity and religious freedom. The Pope’s reply to the Muslim initiative, “A Common Word between Us and You”, …

Vatican – Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news) has answered a call for dialogue between Christian and Islamic leaders, inviting a group of 138 Muslim officials to Rome to continue the exchange. The Pope’s answer to the Muslim leaders– who had released their open letter on October 13– came in the form of a letter to Jordan’s Prince Ghazi bin …

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict has accepted an unprecedented call by Muslim scholars for dialogue between Christians and Islam, inviting them for meetings in Vatican City, the Vatican said on Thursday. Some 138 Muslim scholars wrote to the German-born Pontiff and other Christian leaders last month, saying “the very survival of the world itself” may be depend on dialogue. …

VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI has invited senior Muslim figures, who signed an appeal for greater dialogue between religions, to a meeting at the Vatican, in a letter released Thursday. The pope praised the “positive spirit” behind the October 11 message signed by 138 top Muslims from around the world and sent to Christian leaders, said Vatican Secretary …

Interview with Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini VENICE, Nov 28 (IPS) – The daily work of ordinary people committed to building dialogue both within and outside their communities make for less spectacular news reports than stories about communities at odds, says Imam Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini. These ordinary people are the majority, and they are more open to productive communication with …

The recent “Muslim Initiative,” the unprecedented letter sent to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders proposing Christian-Muslim conversations focusing on “belief in one God and love of neighbor,” will be the focus of Sunday Vespers during Advent at Graymoor in Garrison on December 2, 9, 16, & 23 at 4pm. http://www.pcnr.com/news/2007/1128/General_Stories/016.html See also: Advent series of reflections on A …

NewsWithViews.com Once again, leaders from the so-called “church growth movement” are demonstrating for us the Hegelian Dialectic – that transformational Marxist process of compromise and consensus made famous by Georg William Friedreich Hegel which seeks to rid the world of its divisive absolutes in the interest of global peace and unity. Here’s the formula: Thesis + Antithesis = Synthesis The …

On November 18, the New York Times ran a full-page ad entitled “A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You.” A Common Word is an October letter from 138 Muslim scholars and clerics “to leaders of Christian churches, everywhere.” It reads like an invitation to ecumenical tolerance and “peace and understanding” based on “the very foundational principles …

It was predictable in this age of wishful thinking. After 138 Muslim leaders last month wrote an open letter to Christendom calling ostensibly for peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding, self-proclaimed Christian leaders and other celebrity Christians took the bait. The appropriate response would have been to search their own Scriptures, to get down on their knees to beseech God to …

Nov. 27, 2007 (CWNews.com) – Bishop Paul Hinder, the apostolic vicar for Arabia, has responded to an open letter addressed by 138 Muslim leaders to the Holy See. The Muslim leaders’ letter, released October 13, called for a broader dialogue between Christianity and Islam. The Chiesa web site, in a perceptive essay by Sandro Magister, has explained that the Vatican …

Chiesa (chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it) Because the kind of dialogue he wants is completely different… The pope is asking Islam to make the same journey that the Catholic Church made under pressure from the Enlightenment. Love of God and neighbor must be realized in the full acceptance of religious freedom ROMA (Chiesa) – The letter from the 138 Muslims addressed last month to …

Vatican City, Nov 26, 2007 / 10:59 am (CNA) – Before adding new members to the College of Cardinals, Pope Benedict held a meeting with its current members on the topic of ecumenism. With all of the cardinals gathered, the Pope introduced the theme he had chosen for the day’s discussion, “ecumenical dialogue in the light of prayer and of …

They’re responding to the A Common Word Between Us and You, a letter from 138 Muslim scholars etc to Christians. They apologize for the Crusades and the “excesses” in the war on terror. A war that was started by Muslims against innocent men, women and children, for whatever that might be worth. Responding to an open letter in October signed …

http://www.clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/ The Vatican plans to respond positively and very soon to an appeal by Muslim scholars for an unprecedented dialogue between Christianity and Islam, Roman Catholic cardinals and Islam experts say. The Catholic Church, representing more than half the world’s two billion Christians, has not yet officially answered the call made last month and hailed by most other Christian leaders. …

Abu Dhabi: More than 300 Christian clergymen signed a letter, apologising to Muslims for Crusades and the consequences of the war on terror, which resulted in human and faith damages. In a letter titled ‘Loving God and Neighbour Together’, the Christian clerics replied to an earlier letter from 138 Muslim scholars titled ‘A common Word Between Us and You’. Unprecedented …

ABU DHABI—Peaceful relations between Muslims and Christians stand as one of the central challenges of this century, according to leading Christian leaders. Responding to an open letter in October signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world, the Christian leaders also asked the Muslim world for forgiveness … “We want to begin by acknowledging that …

A week ago, four Yale Divinity School scholars and administrators issued an affirmative response from the Christian community to the Muslim community’s statement “A Common Word Between Us and You,” a call for a rehabilitated religious dialogue through the use of common principles. On Nov. 18, Divinity School Dean and New Testament professor Harold Attridge and three Divinity School professors …

Based in Abu Dhabi, Bishop Paul Hinder has responsibility for Catholics throughout the Arab peninsula. He called for permission for foreign priests to enter Saudi kingdom to minister to the faithful. 1.2 million Christians in Saudi Arabia. The Catholic Bishop of Arabia has published an article examining the call to dialogue made by 138 Muslim scholars in an open letter …

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican plans to respond positively and very soon to an appeal by Muslim scholars for an unprecedented dialogue between Christianity and Islam, Roman Catholic cardinals and Islam experts say. The Catholic Church, representing more than half the world’s two billion Christians, has not yet officially answered the call made last month and hailed by most …

Cardinals Gather With Pope in Pre-consistory Meeting VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2007 (Zenit.org) – Cardinals meeting with Benedict XVI before Saturday’s consistory noted positive steps in the relationship between the Church and Islam. Last Friday was dedicated to prayer and reflection for the cardinals in Rome on the occasion of the elevation of 23 new members to the College of …

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The importance Pope Benedict XVI places on the search for Christian unity was evident in his decision to focus on ecumenism during a Nov. 23 meeting with members of the College of Cardinals, said two U.S. cardinals. Cardinal William H. Keeler, the retired archbishop of Baltimore who has been involved in ecumenical and interfaith activities for …

A wide range of Christian theologians and leaders has endorsed a document calling for increased efforts to work with Muslims for peace and justice. The move responds to an earlier call from Muslim leaders seeking common ground. The new document, “Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to ‘A Common Word Between Us and You,’” was signed by almost …

VATICAN CITY — Two months after a galaxy of Muslim scholars and luminaries sent a letter to all Christian religious leaders worldwide, Roman Catholic cardinals say the Vatican will have a positive response in the near future. “The Vatican will respond positively, and quite soon,” Dakar Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr told Reuters on Sunday, November 25, during a ceremony to install …

It is called A Common Word Between Us and You. It is a letter, signed last month by 138 Muslim scholars from around the world and addressed to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders. It stresses the importance of finding common ground between the two faiths. Priscilla Huff reports. From Friday prayers in a mosque in Iran to Sunday services in …

It is called A Common Word Between Us and You. It is a letter, signed last month by 138 Muslim scholars from around the world and addressed to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders. It stresses the importance of finding common ground between the two faiths. Priscilla Huff reports. From Friday prayers in a mosque in Iran to Sunday services in …

Abu Dhabi, Nov 23, 2007 / 11:08 am (CNA) – The Catholic Bishop of Arabia has published an article examining the call to dialogue made by 138 Muslim scholars in an open letter to Christian leaders worldwide. Swiss-born Bishop Paul Hinder, based in Abu Dhabi, has responsibility for Catholics in the entire Arabian Peninsula. He has called for more freedom …

by Louis Sako* A day before the patriarch of Baghdad becomes cardinal, the bishop of Kirkuk looks at the signs of hope that appear on the horizon of Iraqi Christians. Security in the country is improving and moderate Muslims are more open to dialogue. Christians’ cultural and economic contribution is essential for Iraq. Kirkuk (AsiaNews) – There is a tangible …

Christian Leaders Invite Muslims to Love God, Neighbors Together Fri, Nov. 23 2007 09:18 AM ET Christian leaders across denominational lines responded to the unprecedented open letter signed last month by 138 representative Muslim leaders with their own letter, calling on the two Abrahamic faiths to love God and neighbors together. Over 100 theologians, ministry leaders, and prominent pastors have …

19/99 is a date which will live in infamy. Homicidal crusaders swept into Jerusalem — on July 19, 1099 — shedding so much Muslim blood that it swilled around their horses’ kneecaps. 9/11 is a date which will live in infamy too. Payback time. A simplistic statement? Sure. Offensive? Quite possibly. One of those black-and-white illustrations to show that medieval …

Wednesday, 21st November 2007 There was a riveting discussion in London yesterday evening, hosted by the Centre for Social Cohesion, between Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Ed Husain. Both of these courageous people have been warning the world about the dangers of Islamic extremism, but there is a crucial division between them. Hirsi Ali, the former Dutch MP who has lived …

Religion part and parcel of human existence: Papal Nuncio KUWAIT : “If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace,” says the Papal Nuncio Sunday during a talk he delivered at the AWARE Center in Surra. HE Archbishop Mounged El Hachem, the Vatican Ambas-sador to Kuwait, was quoting from a common letter sent by Muslim …

Christianity and Islam comprise the world’s largest communities of faith – 2.1 billion Christians and 1.5 billion Muslims. If these two religious traditions cannot find ways to keep peace between themselves, the world will be in very serious trouble. As Brian McLaren posted earlier on the God’s Politics blog, a group of 138 Muslim scholars and clerics recently sent an …

The Vatican responded Friday to the open letter sent at the end of Ramadan by 138 Muslim scholars to Pope Benedict XVI and a wide array of other Christian leaders. The response was somewhat deflating, given the mainstream media’s enthusiasm over the Muslim letter — an enthusiasm which the senders must have anticipated. Noting the Muslim scholars’ declaration that “the …

On 13 October, on the occasion of the end of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr), a group of 138 Muslim Religious Guides addressed an open letter to the Holy Father Benedict XVI and to the heads of other Christian Churches and confession, entitlled, “A Common Word Between Us”.  The Holy Father has responded with a letter, signed by his Cardinal Secretary of …

CONTACT:  Gustav Spohn, Director of Communications and Publications, 203-432-3466, 203-464-8335 (cell), [email protected] For immediate release:  November 18, 2007 Historic unanimity of major Christian leaders, liberal and evangelical alike, marks response to unprecedented overture by influential Muslims to Christians worldwide NEW HAVEN, CT—Nearly 300 prominent Christians representing a broad spectrum of theological perspectives have endorsed Loving God and Neighbor Together—a document calling …

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital in northern Virginia. The hospital was home to a handful of Muslim patients from other countries. Most patients were Christian. Soon after the 9/11 attacks, a handful of Christian patients attacked some of the Muslim patients. Name-calling escalated to fistfights. Staff restrained and separated the men before grave …

The government’s position on combating Islamist extremism now ranges from the farcical to the dangerously flawed. First we had the spectacle of the security minister, Admiral Lord West, saying he didn’t see the need for more than 28 days’ detention before charge for terrorism suspects and then, an hour later, being forced to say that he did. I’m sure that …

PLACES of worship will be issued with guidelines as part of the government’s new anti-terrorism strategy which will see security boosted at major airports and railway stations across the UK. As part of a wide-ranging review of security announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday, the UK’s anti-terror budget will go up from £2.5 billion this year to £3.5 billion …

138 of world’s most senior Muslim leaders write to heads of Christian churches proposing cooperation in creating peace in world. WASHINGTON/DUBAI – In a dramatic and groundbreaking display of inter-religious solidarity, 138 of the world’s most senior Muslim leaders have written to the heads of all Christian churches proposing a solid base upon which the two global faiths can cooperate …

Rome, 14 Nov. (AKI) – The United States has become a “national security state” that is using the so-called war on terror as a disguise to promote opposition to Islam, according to one of Indonesia’s leading Muslims. Din Syamsuddin, head of the Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim organisation, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the Bush administration was exacerbating tensions with Muslims, …

An articulated and peculiar text which could open a new season: this is the letter, one year after the Pope’s discourse at Regensburg, 138 Muslims addressed to the Pope entitled A Common Word Between you and us. In this issue Oasis Newsletter proposes some comments on the Appeal’s contents: that of Card. Angelo Scola, the Patriarch of Venice, of Bishop …

Last month, 138 Muslim scholars addressed an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders in which they call for a new dialogue between Christianity and Islam based on sacred texts. Entitled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” the document claims that the shared Muslim and Christian principles of love of the One God and love of …

The most impressive thing about “A Common Word Between Us and You,” an open letter to the world’s Christian leaders signed by 138 Muslim scholars, is that it exists. (See news report.) The second most impressive thing is the economy of its argument. The scholars resist the innate desire to touch on everything pertinent to Christian-Muslim dialogue and instead invite …

When Mark Hanson, who heads the 66-million-member Lutheran World Federation, read the open letter sent to Christian leaders by an unprecedented range of Muslim clerics and scholars last month, the Chicago-based bishop was not surprised at the erudition and content of the document. On a 2005 trip to Jordan, he spent two hours with the letter’s chief architect. “We talked …

Otranto, 12 Nov. (AKI) – Many of Italy’s immigrants were turning to crime because they were given a poor reception and too little support, according to a priest honored for his scholarly work. Father Enzo Bianchi, who founded the Monastic Community of Bose outside the northern Italian town of Turin, was one of two authors awarded the Premio Grinzane prize …

Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) told members of the Pachyderm Club on Monday that “it is in our national interest to have a foreign relations surge in diplomacy like never before.” His reference was to countries throughout the world that have large Islamic populations. The good news, he said, is that 92% of Islamic people do not support terrorism. The other …