In response to all the frenzied talk in the West of a clash with Islam, more rational voices are calling for understanding and dialogue with Islam both on a religious and cultural basis.
Religious people are today in need of mutual understanding and cooperation in order to coexist in peace and security and collectively confront many of the images of corruption and extremism in modern society.
Therefore we have to welcome rather than ignore these invitations for inter-religious dialogue. This dialogue by no means implies that anyone has to give up his or her religion or for one party to impose their religion on the other. A true and useful dialogue is one that reveals a true picture of Islam and paves the way for others to come to understand the religion and its values.
Some may be wary of the term “dialogue between religions,” arguing that it could imply harmonization between religions, or uniting and diluting their principles. This wariness is not misplaced, for it is unimaginable that the religions could unite except if one of those religions prevails over the others. So long as each side believes in the truth of the religion they follow, they will not relinquish it.
What is required is not to avoid dialogue with other religions or to question the motives and intentions behind it, but instead to believe in the necessity of such a dialogue, for our religion is one of dialogue and debate. Moreover, the reality of the current situation imposes the need to look for common denominators in order to peacefully coexist and to cooperate with followers of other religions so as to confront the atheist trend, the tendency toward materialism and the moral perversions that threaten all inhabitants of the planet, regardless of creed.
Well-rounded inter-religious dialogue should be supported by a dialogue between civilizations and cultures.
No doubt they face numerous challenges, the most dangerous being the growing tendency of perverted societies in all religions and cultures to destroy differences and impose upon everyone an atheist vision that neither accepts differences nor admits to dialogue.
A beneficial dialogue, whether between religions, civilizations or cultures, is conditional upon this: That the dialogue be based on common humanitarian principles and mutual respect, and that the goal should not be to do away with differences between people but preserve and celebrate those differences as sources of strength and wealth.
Invitations for beneficial dialogue are worth considering in a positive manner. We must invest in the new climate where Islam has become subject to query and interest in order to present our religion in its true form and introduce our rich culture. This will not happen simply through talk — but with real planning for thoughtful work founded on a deep understanding of others and crystallized in a modern discourse capable of attracting such dialogue.
