Misgivings and skepticism about Muslim reach out By Abdus Sattar Ghazali An open letter from 138 Muslim scholars and religious leaders to the Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders, calling for greater understanding between the two faiths, has received mixed response. The letter was welcomed by various leaders and institutions, including the Baptist World Alliance and the Most Rev. Rowan …

The recent media firestorm over Ann Coulter’s comments on whether or not the Jewish people require “perfection” follows the predictable pattern. Like Captain Renault in the movie Casablanca, the hosts of various news programs professed themselves “shocked, shocked” to discover that Coulter had said something hateful. (Meredith Viera on “The Today Show” being a particularly egregious example.) This was despite …

FrontPageMagazine.com In a move eerily reminiscent of the Soviet “peace offensives”, 138 leading Muslim scholars have composed a letter to Christianity’s leaders, with Pope Benedict’s name heading the list, requesting a meeting to discuss the “common essentials of our two religions.” The authors warn that “the survival of the world” is at stake if the two religions do not make …

HARVARD SCHOLARS JOIN YALE DIVINITY SCHOOL COUNTERPARTS IN WELCOMING DOCUMENT FROM MUSLIM COMMUNITY NEW HAVEN, CT – The leaders of Harvard Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary have joined scholars at Yale Divinity School in endorsing a statement that warmly embraces the open letter A Common Word between Us and You, released worldwide on Oct. 11 and signed by 138 …

New York, October 15, 2007 – “We welcome the letter of these Islamic leaders and scholars,” said the Rev. Michael Livingston, president of the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), in response to a document, “A Common Word between Us and You,” released by 138 moderate Muslim leaders on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr, the concluding day of Ramadan, the month-long …

In what can only be described as a historic event, prominent Muslims from around the world extended an olive branch to Christianity on the eve of the Eid, the Muslim holy day marking the end of Ramadan. In an open letter to the heads of all Christian churches — including Pope Benedict XVI — and to all Christians around the …

A ‘historic’ letter from 138 prominent Muslims speaks to a desire to defuse tensions between the faiths. Who speaks for Islam? The answer to that lament, heard often in the West since 9/11, came last week in the form of a letter from mainstream Muslim leaders to leaders of the world’s Christian churches. The open letter from 138 prominent Muslims …

Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto …

Many of the western values we think of as superior came from the East and our blind arrogance hurts our standing in the world About 100 miles south of Delhi, where I live, lie the ruins of the Mughal capital, Fateh-pur Sikri. This was built by the Emperor Akbar at the end of the 16th century. Here Akbar would listen …

Muslim scholars from around the world have called for better understanding between Islam and Christianity in an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders. The letter, published on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr celebrations throughout the Muslim world, says “the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake” if Muslims and Christians fail to make …

The master teacher who follows John Paul is a moral leader who’s begun an unprecedented conversation with Islam. According to a title first used by Gregory the Great (590–604), the Bishop of Rome is the “Servant of the Servants of God.” The Roman Catholic Church recognizes 265 of those servants as legitimate popes. Some were historical titans; others labored in …

They apologize for the ‘sins of Christians,’ leave the deity of Christ open for discussion. An attempt by leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) to win friends and influence Muslims is alienating another group — evangelical Christians. Reactions have been negative and strong. Islam expert Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo has called it a “betrayal” and a “sellout.” Dr. Albert …

On October 11, at the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, 138 Muslims from around the world addressed a letter to Pope Benedict XVI and numerous other Christian leaders. Entitled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” the letter was released in a media-savvy rollout in several world capitals and was welcomed with enthusiasm by one of the addressees, …

We certainly need more understanding and dialogue between Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other faiths. When someone launches an attack against another religion, often against Muslims, I cringe at the oversimplified and stereotyped presentations. Such simplistic and unfair assumptions are made by all sides in trying to get an easy handle on those we do not fully understand. Recently, 138 Muslim …

On Friday, a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and 137 other Muslim leaders and scholars sent a unique, 29-page open letter titled “A Common Word Between Us and You”, intended to further understanding between Muslims and Christians worldwide, to Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and more than 20 other Christian leaders. Within the unprecedented …

VATICAN CITY, Oct. 13 A large group of Muslim scholars have written to Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City as part of an attempt to improve relations between their two religions. The letter from more than 130 Muslim scholars details how improving understanding between Catholics and Muslims worldwide could be the key to finally achieving world peace, the BBC reported …

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has given an intial positive response to the ‘A Common Word’ document from Muslim scholars and religious leaders addressed to Christian leaders. Dr Anas S. Al-Shaikh-Ali, Chair of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, and one of the signatories to the letter, presented it to the Archbishop at Lambeth Palace before the weekend. The …

Letter to Christian Church Leaders Seeks Common Ground Dozens of Muslim leaders from around the world released a letter yesterday to “leaders of Christian churches everywhere” emphasizing the shared theological roots of the two faiths and saying the survival of the world depends on them finding common ground. The document, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” was signed by …

After the attacks of 9/11, many people in the West, including Christians, were asking, “Where are the moderate Muslims?” They may have showed up last fall. A group of what appeared to be moderate Muslim leaders sent a conciliatory message to representatives of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant faiths, offering to work toward a more peaceful coexistence between the …

Message of peace, understanding got help from area priest TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS A letter from Islamic scholars and leaders to Christian leaders this week urging peace and understanding between the two faiths was crafted with help from an Episcopal priest in Richmond. The Rev. William L. Sachs, who directs the Center for Reconciliation and Mission at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church …

The letter, which was signed by Sunni and Shia scholars from almost every Muslim country, is addressed to all Christian leaders. “If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace.” The letter, which was signed by Sunni and Shia scholars from almost every Muslim country, is addressed to all Christian leaders. “If Muslims and Christians …

The Guardian Unlimited: Comment is Free Today’s letter from Muslim academics invites Christians to question some long-held myths and discover our similarities. Today’s letter from 138 Muslim scholars and academics around the world, addressed to Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Christian leaders is an invitation “to come together with us on the common essentials of our …

Oct. 11, 2007 – Getting religious leaders to agree on anything is notoriously difficult. So this morning’s announcement—that 138 of the world’s most powerful Muslim clerics, scholars and intellectuals from all branches of Islam (Sunni and Shia, Salafi and Sufi, liberal and conservative) had come together to write a letter to the world’s Christian leaders—is being hailed as something of …

You can find a pdf of the letter from the Muslim scholars here. My immediate impression is that while saying it wants to build on common ground, the letter (amid copious Qur’an quotes) never mentions Qur’an 5:17, which says that those who believe in the divinity of Christ are unbelievers, or 4:171, which says that Jesus was not crucified, or …

Prominent Muslim scholars are warning that the “survival of the world” is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace with each other. In an unprecedented open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim 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.” …

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times The intentions of the 138 leading Islamic scholars who today wrote to Christian leaders urging reconciliation, are praiseworthy – who among us does not want world peace? – but I fear that the theological analysis underpinning their intervention might not light many candles in the Christian world. Unfortunately, the road to misunderstanding is …

A statement by leading Muslim scholars setting out the mainstream Islamic view on peace among the religions “for the sake of the world” has been described as “a historic breakthrough” by a leading Cambridge academic working on inter-religious issues. Dr Aref Ali Nayed, visiting fellow at the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies in the faculty of Divinity at …

We have “a Common Word,” say 138 Muslim scholars in a letter to the Pope. The letter, which was signed by Sunni and Shia scholars from almost every Muslim country, is addressed to all Christian leaders. “If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace.” London (AsiaNews) – “A Common Word between Us and You” …

An open letter signed by 138 Muslim religious leaders was sent to Christian churches throughout the world today, seeking a common ground “to make peace and come together in harmony.” The letter titled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” is remarkable first for its diverse signatories: clerics, scholars, politicians and academics representing virtually every Muslim nation. “There are Sunnis, …

On the eve of Eid al Fitr at the end of Ramadan, 138 Muslim scholars from all over the world representing both Sunni and Shia, Salafi and Sufi, and all of the madhabs (schools of thought) have signed and sent out a letter entitled “A Common Word Between Us and You” to 25 Christian leaders calling for peace and reconciliation …

WorldNetDaily, OR An open letter issued by a group of 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and academics issued an “invitation” to the Vatican, the archbishop of Canterbury and other Christian leaders to “make peace” with Islam. At least, that is the way most mainstream news reports styled it – “an invitation to make peace.” It was actually more of an ultimatum …

Ecumenical News International, Switzerland Geneva (ENI). More than 130 Muslim scholars have said in a letter to Christian leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI and the head of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, that world peace depends on cooperation between Christianity and Islam.  “Our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is …

Pope Benedict XVI got off on the wrong foot last year when he delivered an address about the role reason might play in driving interfaith dialogue. Garnering the most attention were his inflammatory opening lines, which quoted a 14th Century Byzantine emperor’s criticism of the Prophet Muhammad. The pope contended that listeners misunderstood his intent: to encourage interfaith dialogue. But …

A total of 138 of the world’s top Muslim leaders, clerics and academics have written an open letter to the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other leaders of the Christian world. It warns that world peace depends on better dialogue between them, and points to the fundamental beliefs each have in common. But the real significance of the initiative …

WASHINGTON – A group of Muslim clerics and scholars worldwide called on Christian leaders yesterday to recognize similarities between Islam and Christianity as a way of fostering mutual understanding and respect between the two religions. In an open letter to major international Christian patriarchs, including Pope Benedict XVI, 138 Muslim clerics, theologians, and academics said they hoped fundamental theological ties …

WASHINGTON –  Prominent Muslims have extended an olive branch to Christians around the world on the eve of Eid Al Fitr, the feast marking the end of Islam’s month-long fast of Ramadan. In an open letter addressed to Pope Benedict XVI, to the heads of all Christian churches, and to Christians in general, prominent Muslim leaders stated that “the future of …

Prominent Muslim scholars have sent an open letter to Christian leaders across the world in an attempt to help defuse religious-based tensions. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and Pope Benedict have been sent copies of the document, which calls for greater understanding between the two faiths. The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, a non-governmental organisation based …

TIMES Online 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 …

Amman, Oct. 11, 2007 (CWNews.com) – “The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.” That was the message of 138 Islamic leaders, in an appeal for cooperation with the world’s Christians. Noting that Christians and Muslims together account for more than one-half of the world’s population, the Islamic leaders called for cooperation between these two religious …

LONDON (AP) — The leader of the world’s Anglicans on Thursday welcomed a letter from Islamic scholars and leaders urging Christians and Muslims to develop their common ground of belief in one God. The letter carried 138 signatures, including those of Muslim leaders from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Europe and the United States. “The theological basis of the letter …

Telegraph.co.uk The survival of the world is at risk if Muslims and Christians cannot make peace, more than 130 senior Muslim leaders warned the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday. The warning came in an unprecedented open letter to Church leaders signed by some of Islam’s most influential scholars, including the Grand Muftis of Egypt and Syria. “If Muslims …

Muslim scholars have addressed Pope among other Christian leaders in a letter, urging peace and understanding between the two religions. “If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more …

Abu Dhabi: World peace and harmony can only be established through peace and justice between Muslims and Christians, who together make up more than 55 per cent of the world’s population, according to leading Muslim scholars. “If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims …

Muslim leaders send letter to pope proposing theological similarities WASHINGTON (CNS) — For the first time, more than 100 senior Muslim leaders from around the world sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders proposing theological similarities as a basis for peace and understanding. “Finding common ground between Muslims and Christians is not simply a matter for …

An unprecedented Muslim appeal to Christianity to underpin world peace The letter sent by more than 130 Muslim scholars to the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Christian leaders around the world is as unprecedented as it is welcome. Rarely have Muslim leaders from all the main sects and theological schools in Islam and representing so many countries joined …

Let’s talk, says a letter from Muslim leaders: the survival of the world is at stake “THERE will come a day when we will agree with one another.” Those were the parting words of a Muslim participant in one of the classic medieval texts of Islamic-Christian dialogue, describing a conversation about matters of faith between Saint Gregory Palamas, a 14th-century …

TIME It is time that Muslims and Christians recognized just how similar they are — the fate of the world depends on it. That’s the message being sent out today by 138 Muslim leaders and scholars in an open letter to their Christian counterparts saying that world peace hinges on greater understanding between the two faiths. The 29-page letter is …

TIME It is time that Muslims and Christians recognized just how similar they are — the fate of the world depends on it. That’s the message being sent out today by 138 Muslim leaders and scholars in an open letter to their Christian counterparts saying that world peace hinges on greater understanding between the two faiths. The 29-page letter is …

A year ago, Muslim clerics wrote to the Pope, disagreeing with his characterization of Islam in a speech given at the University of Regensburg. Today, on that anniversary and coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, a larger group of Muslim scholars have written another letter to the Pope and “leaders of Christian churches everywhere.” …

CAIRO — A galaxy of 138 top Muslim scholars issue on Thursday, October 11, an open letter to the world’s Christian clergy, including Pope Benedict XVI, highlighting common essentials between the two Abrahamic faiths. “The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbor is thus the common ground between Islam and …

Amman/Rome – For the sake of world peace there must be greater contact and understanding between the Muslim and Christian faiths, a group of Muslim leaders said Thursday in an open letter addressed to Christian leaders including Pope Benedict XVI. Both religions accept that there is a sole God and both stress the importance of living in peace with neighbours, …

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 in creating peace and understanding in the world. The basis of the letter is the shared belief of both Muslims and Christians …

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) – More than 130 Muslim scholars from around the globe called on Thursday for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity, saying “the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake”. In an unprecedented letter to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders, 138 Muslim scholars said finding common ground between the world’s biggest faiths …

More than 130 Muslim scholars called Thursday for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity, saying “the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake.” In a letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders, Muslim scholars from around the world said finding common ground between the world’s biggest religions was not simply a matter for polite …

Dean It’s a bit repetitive (as documents like this tend to be) but it’s generally excellent. You can read the entire PDF of the document here. No cheap ecumenecism. As the Pope himself has said, there’s little value in theological “debate” with Muslims, but conversations based on shared values are not just desirable, but vital to the future of the …

138 of the world’s leading Muslim scholars and intellectuals from all branches of Islam (Sunni and Shia, Salafi and Sufi, liberal and conservative) had come together to write a letter entitled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” to the world’s Christian leaders. The drafting of the letter was organized by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in …

Asserting that “the future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians,” an ad-hoc group of 138 Muslim clerics and scholars from around the world have appealed to Pope Benedict XVI and 25 other Christian leaders “to make peace and to come together in harmony.” The 28-page appeal was released on Thursday during news conferences in Dubai, London, …

Rome, 11 Oct. (AKI) – Distinguished Muslim scholars have written to Pope Benedict XVI warning global security is at risk if Muslims and Christians cannot make peace with each other, said the British newspaper, The Daily Mail, on Thursday. A total of 138 scholars from every Muslim sect sent the letter to the pope and other Christian leaders. “As Muslims, …

Reuters is reporting on an “unprecedented” letter, signed by 138 Muslim scholars, sent to Pope Benedict, leaders of Orthodox Christian churches, Anglican leader Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the heads of the world alliances of the Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist and Reformed churches. The letter’s authors represent the Sunni, Shi’ite and Sufi schools of Islam, and state their belief that …

All Headline News Vatican, Rome (AHN) – A letter from more than one hundred thirty scholars was addressed to Pope Benedict XVI and the rest of other Christian leaders, recommending better understanding between two faiths. World harmony could depend on progressed relations and settlement between Muslims and Christians as stated in the letter. It recognizes the philosophy of accepting only …

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams Thursday welcomed a letter from over 130 Islamic scholars calling for better understanding between Muslims and Christians to defuse tensions in the world. “There is much here to study and to build on,” the archbishop said in response to the 29-page letter which was also sent to the pope and other Christian leaders. He said …

Vatican has rebuffed a massive outreach effort by 138 Muslim religious leaders and scholars who sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI in an attempt to improve Christian-Muslim relations. The letter, titled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” which is also addressed to Christianity’s other most powerful leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the heads of the Lutheran, …

Muslims have conveyed in a letter to Pope Benedict what they describe as an “Unprecedented Muslim call for peace with Christians” More than 130 Muslim scholars from around the globe called on Thursday for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity, saying “the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake”. In an unprecedented letter to Pope Benedict …

THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today welcomed a letter from more than 100 of the world’s most senior Muslim leaders calling for greater dialogue and co-operation between Christianity and Islam. The clerics base the letter on the shared belief of both Muslims and Christians in the principles of ‘love of one God’ and ‘love of the neighbour’, and …

The first Crusade was a thousand years ago when Pope Urban II marched his Christian Army across Europe slaughtering every Jew in his way to reclaim the Holy Land from Islam until the Christian soldiers stood knee deep in Muslim blood in Jerusalem. In 2003 President George Bush publicly declared another Christian Crusade. President George Bush subsequently conquered Muslim Afghanistan, …

Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, have been sent copies of the document, which focuses on the shared beliefs of the religions, such as the worship of one god, and the requirement to live in peace with one’s neighbours. The letter says: “Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. …

On October 10, 2007, BBC Radio broadcast a report of an open letter from the Ulama to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders. I found this article on their web site. The article contains a link to the official website of the Amman Message. That page contains a summary of King Abdullah’s message. At the bottom of the right side …

Battute finali a Napoli per il 21.mo Meeting interreligioso di pace organizzato dalla Comunità di Sant’Egidio. La chiusura questa sera vedrà, dopo la preghiera e la processione, la cerimonia conclusiva con la proclamazione e la firma di tutti il leader religiosi dell’appello di pace 2007. Da domenica ad oggi il capoluogo partenopeo è stato travolto dalla presenza di esponenti delle …

Ha destato ampia eco la Lettera inviata da 138 dotti musulmani a Benedetto XVI e agli altri leader cristiani. In questi giorni, il Consiglio Ecumenico delle Chiese ha espresso apprezzamento per la Lettera, nella quale si ritrova il tentativo di un sincero dialogo tra cristiani e musulmani. Proposito, questo, ben visibile fin dall’impostazione del documento. A sottolinearlo è il padregesuita …

AT THE core of both Christianity and Islam is the double command to love God and neighbour. Last week 138 Islamic leaders wrote to the Pope and “leaders of Christian churches everywhere” saying world peace depended on recognising that. The letter, which some scholars hailed as unprecedented, was signed by Grand Muftis, theologians and academics from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, …

ROME (UCAN): Muslim scholars have followed up their groundbreaking letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders with Christmas greetings to Christians around the globe. “Peace be upon you,” begins the message, in which the scholars present a passage in the Qur’an that cites Jesus and attributes a quotation to him. Earlier, in October, 154 Muslim scholars — 138 …

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks on Islam are a blow to the dialogue between the Muslim world and the Roman Catholic Church that his predecessor John Paul II did much to encourage, theologians and scholars have agreed as experts appeared divided on whether the statements were politically motivated or just a call for reflection. “It was very tactless, …

Despite recent provocations against Islam in the West, many Muslims seem weary of the same old tit for tat. Pope Benedict XVI, an exiled Egyptian journalist, a bleach-blond Dutch parliamentarian and Danish cartoonists all have something in common with a Teddy bear named Mohammed. They have been at the center of that seething storm called Muslim rage in the last …