1 - 7 November 2001
Issue No.558
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 1 - 7 November 2001 Issue No.558 |
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In the name of peace
Breaking down stereotypes and fostering inter-faith dialogue were among the topics that fuelled a well-attended seminar on religious dialogue this week. Gihan Shahine samples the Muslim-Christian discussions
Guests at the Sheraton Heliopolis Hotel were treated to a heartening scene on Sunday when religious leaders and intellectuals gathered for a generous sampling of inter-faith dialogue. Muslim and Christian leaders from various parts of the world could be found sitting together sharing their views and absorbed in friendly conversation. Inspired by the drive to overcome the divide riven between cultures following the 11 September terrorist attacks, the jumble of different languages, nationalities, cultures, colours and religions could not hinder the august exchange.
Pope Shenouda III and Sheikh Youssef El-Qaradawi share the podium at the World Islamic Seminar for Dialoguephoto: Medhat Abdel-Meguid
The two-day World Islamic Seminar for Dialogue was organised by the Cairo-based NGO International Islamic Council for Da'wa (propagation) and Relief and the Jeddah-based International Islamic Forum for Dialogue, under the auspices of Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi. Participants included Egypt's Grand Mufti Sheikh Nasr Farid Wassel; Pope Shenouda III, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church; Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa; Bishop Michael Fitzgerald, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue at the Vatican; the Geneva-based International Council for Churches; and a number of international Islamic and Christian NGOs.
The seminar was held to address the consequences of the 11 September attacks and the subsequent US-led bombardment of Afghanistan. "The world is burning and we are here to put out the fire through promoting dialogue between religions," explained Hamed El- Refa'i, secretary-general of the International Islamic Forum for Dialogue.
Discussions focused on terrorism: its definition, causes and remedies. Delegates were at pains to draw a distinction between terrorism and legitimate resistance and emphasised the importance of eliminating Western misconceptions of Islamic teachings. All representatives unanimously condemned terror tactics, biological warfare and the use of other weapons of mass destruction.
Agreeing on a definition of terrorism has plagued many a government and international body, but delegates agreed that terrorism implies the illegitimate use of violence that poses a threat to the lives of innocent civilians. It was stressed that this definition extends to the 11 September attacks on the US as well as Israeli atrocities in the occupied Palestinian lands. Similarly, many speakers expressed condemnation of the US bombing of Afghan civilians as "countering terrorism with terrorism."
"Why should an entire impoverished nation be punished for the sake of a small extremist group, which has not even been proven guilty?" exclaimed Iran's Ayatollah Mohamed Ali Taskhiri, head of the International Centre for a Rapprochement between Islamic Sects. "We are not behind the Taliban, but by waging war on poor civilians the US is breeding more terrorism in the world. And civilians are always the ones to pay for their government's injustice." Islamic scholar Youssef El-Qaradawi concurred: "The US is now implementing Osama Bin Laden's extremist ideas by killing innocent, impoverished civilians in Afghanistan," he said.
"We all share the view that military action is an inadequate instrument to fully address the challenges we confront," said William Vendley, secretary-general of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, a US NGO that includes some 150 Muslim members. Vendley noted that the perpetrators of terrorist acts should be brought to justice through international laws and under the auspices of UN organisations. "The process of bringing terrorists to justice must not result in the loss of more innocent lives," he said.
Participants agreed that to fight terrorism there is a pressing need to work collectively and eliminate the root causes of injustice -- poverty and oppression. They also reiterated the need for a clear distinction between terrorism and the struggles of oppressed or occupied peoples. "The US has labelled the Jihad, Hamas and Hizbullah groups as terrorists in its annual report, but they are definitely not," El-Qaradawi said. "Those groups are engaged in a legitimate struggle to defend their lands and people."
Similarly, many participants attacked the US for forcing its own definition of terrorism on the world. "This has given Israel a greater opportunity to kill Palestinian leaders and fuelled an international war against Islamic relief agencies, whose only goal is to extend help to refugees," argued Kamel Sherif, secretary-general of the International Islamic Council for Da'wa and Relief. "The war is not against terrorism; it is against Islam."
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa expressed great disenchantment with what he called a Western media campaign to stigmatise Islam and Arabs, saying that the link being drawn between Arabs, Islam and terrorism is catastrophic. "Terrorism has no home or religion. There is a clear misunderstanding of the teachings of Islam in the West, but there is also an eagerness to know about it. It is our role, both as individuals and as organisations, to disseminate the true principles of Islam." He added: "It should also be the role of the Vatican and the International Council of Churches to stand up to these antagonistic waves that drive wedges between Muslims and Christians."
Vendley and Bishop Fitzgerald conceded that there are "regrettable examples of bias" in the West, but said that this should not be abused to condemn entire religious communities. "No religion should be hijacked by terrorism," Vendley told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Our religions and cultures share much in common -- certainly more than what divides us."
Sheikh Tantawi and Pope Shenouda agreed that Islam and Christianity share common principles, noting that both religions promote the virtues of tolerance, cooperation and love. "God ordained that Muslims should have peace with those who are peaceful, and that they defend themselves in the case of aggression," Tantawi explained. Saying that "human life is sacred in Islam" Tantawi condemned the killing of innocent civilians, regardless of their religion or nationality. "The perpetrators of the 11 September attacks should be brought to justice through legitaimate channels. But no country has the right to punish a whole nation and kill civilians."
El-Qaradawi insisted that there was no room in Islam for acts of violence like hijacking airplanes and killing civilians "no matter what the purpose." He added: "All religions promote principles of peace, but peace that is based on justice."
In a concluding statement, seminar participants were united in condemning terrorism and rejecting war as the solution. War, they insisted, would only breed more terror. Instead, the statement stressed the importance of eliminating poverty and injustice, settling the Arab- Israeli conflict, strengthening the role of the United Nations and implementing the principles contained in its charter.
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