Christian – Muslim Consultation Supports Peace Efforts

October 28, 2002

GENEVA – "We condemn the exploitation of religious sentiment and the distortion of the teachings of our two faiths," says a report from an international consultation of representatives of Christian and Muslim organizations, scholars and activists who met 16-18 October in Geneva.

The consultation, hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC), brought together 40 participants for "a critical examination of the present state of relations between their respective communities and an assessment of what has been achieved." The event was co-chaired by Dr Mohamed S. El-Awa, an author and lawyer from Egypt, and the moderator of the WCC Central Committee, H.H. Aram I, Catholicos of the See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

"Because of the globalization of information... events where Muslim and Christians are perceived to be in conflict are translated to other parts of the world, where they often contribute to the worsening of unrelated situations," the report points out. This happened, it suggests, after the "terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, the threats of war against Iraq, and the pain and suffering in Palestine."

The consultation identified some priorities for joint efforts in the next five years, particularly in education "by and for our communities as a key arena in which to create the trust and mutual understanding which are essential to resist attempts to exploit religious differences for destructive ends."

At the end of their discussions, participants expressed their joint commitment to search for justice, prevent conflict and overcome violence. They called on political leaders "to resist the temptation to resort to simplistic and populist assignations of blame and demonization of whole communities." Religious leaders, they said, should "draw attention to the social, economic and other injustices which influence their environment, and resist the exploitation of these injustices to rouse religious hatreds."

According to the WCC staff person for Christian-Muslim dialogue Dr Tarek Mitri, "the consultation did not shy away from sensitive, and divisive, issues." Building on previous dialogue efforts, "it made significant progress in developing a common, and rather elaborate, approach to related questions of citizenship and human rights as well as to those of injustice and violence." For Mitri, the message of the consultation was "to move beyond classical dialogue."

All Africa News Agency (from WCC Reports)