Muslim leaders urge Christians to focus on similarities

More than 130 Muslim clerics and scholars worldwide called on Christian leaders Thursday to recognize similarities between Islam and Christianity as a way of fostering mutual understanding and respect between the two religions.

The 138 clerics, theologians and academics said in an open letter to international Christian leaders including Pope Benedict XVI that they hoped highlighting theological ties between Islam and Christianity could promote peace among their believers.

“It’s hoped that the recognition of this common ground will provide the followers of both faiths a shared understanding that will serve to defuse tensions around the world,” said John L. Esposito, director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. Esposito and other scholars discussed the letter, titled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” at the National Press Club.

Delivered two days before the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the letter said followers of Islam and Christianity share a commitment to love one God and to love their neighbors, which include members of different religions.

“There is no one who does not accept these two principles as being essential to the Christian way of life,” said Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, who signed the letter.

Nasr said violent actions often overshadowed the principles of compassion held by a mainstream majority of Muslims. Conversely, he said, many Muslims know the violent history of the Crusades and fail to recognize that Christian teachings include principles of love.

“The demonization is from both sides,” Nasr said.

Some scholars called the letter unprecedented.

“This is really the first time in history that we’ve had an initiative where Muslims have collectively come together and agreed to what binds them theologically with Christians,” Esposito said. “And it’s a group of Muslims that run across the spectrum.”

The letter, whose addressees included the general secretary of the World Methodist Council and the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, draws on passages from the Bible and the Koran.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican Communion’s spiritual leader, said in a statement that the letter’s emphasis on peace and harmony was “indicative of the kind of relationship for which we yearn in all parts of the world, and especially where Christians and Muslims live together.”

Organized by the Royal Academy in Jordan, the letter’s release comes one year after 38 Muslim scholars sent an open letter, also spearheaded by the academy, to Benedict in response to a speech he made in September 2006 at the University of Regensburg in Germany.

Benedict angered much of the Muslim world when he linked Islam to violence and quoted a Byzantine emperor who regarded the religion founded by the prophet Muhammad as “evil and inhumane.”

Esposito said the latest letter sought not to be reactive but to offer a platform for discussion.

“The open letter gives compelling reasons why Muslims and Christians should work together,” said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “As Catholics, we look forward to a broader dialogue of civilizations and cultures that will take up the challenges and hopes of the distinguished Muslim authors of this important ‘common word.’ ”

The letter, including its list of signatories, can be found at www.acommonword.com.

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theo.milonopoulos@ latimes.com