October 5, 2011

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia/GENEVA – Muslims and Christians at a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) sponsored consultation on structural greed have agreed to common ground for tackling the "death-bound" neoliberal economic system.

"In this monumental struggle, we should work with people of other faiths and those who may not belong to a particular faith community," the 40 scholars and religious leaders said following the 25-30 September dialogue on "Interfaith Dialogue Engaging Structural Greed Today," in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

"In the course of this Muslim-Christian interfaith dialogue, there arises a convergence on the need to provide constructive, systemic alternatives to the current dominant reductionist, ‘death-bound' neoliberal system," added a dozen Muslim delegates from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, who met as a group and put together a report, "Muslim Understanding of the Issue."

Many of the plans the Muslim group proposed were similar to "common-good initiatives" undertaken by Christian churches and secular initiatives, said Adi Setia, assistant professor at the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur.

"I believe Muslims can and should work in tandem with them, since we are all engulfed in this hailstorm of structural greed, and we need to work together to escape and chart a new course," he noted.

In an interview with LWI, Setia added that "Both Islam and Christianity profess that humankind is only the custodian of God's creation. This lies at the root of our unity on social equality."

This theme was addressed by Benjamin R. Quinones, a development expert and member of the Christ the Living Stone Fellowship in the Philippines, who said, "The stewards not only manage the resources but also return what belongs to God."

Noting the parallels between Islamic and Christian thought on economics, Quinones pointed out that the Quran baned the charging of interest and the Bible condemned greed and usury.

"In this contemporary era, usury refers to the practice of charging excessive and often illegal interest rates on loans," added Quinones.

Lifeline

Participants in the consultation noted that there was a great deal of unity of thought among Christians and Muslims at the event.

"I thought we [Muslims] might have to quarrel on an ideological level with the Christians," remarked Intan Syah Ichsan, an Indonesian Muslim economist. "But to my surprise, I find that there is great unity (of thought) among us (Muslims and the Christians) on the problem."

"The common elements between Christianity and Islam on economic issues are very high," said M. Hum Hulwati, professor of Islamic Economics at the Institute of Islamic Studies at Padang in Indonesia.

"Economy is the lifeline of the people and religions should speak out more for the people on such issues," she noted.

Rev. Pedro Bullion Moreano of the Peruvian Lutheran Evangelical Church pointed out that until he came to the interfaith conference, he knew little of Islam.

"The presentations of Muslim scholars here have shown that their thinking on social issues is very close to us. They are also equally concerned about the impact of the greedy market economy on the lives of ordinary people," said Moreano, professor of theology at the Latin American Biblical University in Lima.

For Esha Faki Mwinyihaji, a Muslim economic lecturer at the Maseno University in Kenya, the interfaith dialogue affirmed the conviction that "Humanity is one and we should work together."

The final message from the consultation will be made available on the LWF Web site.

Read more about the consultation at: http://www.lwf-assembly2003.org/lwf-interspire/link.php?M=2227&N=516&L=110&F=T.

Lutheran World Information