DOHA, 28 May 2004 — A conference on Muslim-Christian Dialogue opened here yesterday with an official call to broaden the forum to include Judaism. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah ibn Khalifa Al-Thani set the stage for two days of inter-faith talks by drawing parallels between those who believe in the oneness of God. “Perhaps it is wise to widen the dialogue to a Muslim-Christian-Jewish dialogue,” next year, he told the gathering of some 200 delegates from around the world.
The Doha conference should “exalt the sublime values of Islam and Christianity,” the prime minister said. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, archivist and librarian of the Catholic Church, picked up on “the sound of warfare which is heard not far from us,” in a reference to Iraq, but went on to lay out the essential closeness of “children of the same God.” Tauran, who was involved in the opening of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Qatar as Vatican secretary for relations with states, moved on to the importance of religious freedom and mutual respect in Muslim-Christian relations.
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Cairo, Sheikh Mohammad Sayed Tantawi, also spoke out about religious freedom, noting that no one should be forced into a particular faith.
“Coercion and belief are two contradictory elements,” he said.
Muslim cleric Sheikh Yussef Qaradawi, meanwhile, asked the gathering: “Do all Christians recognize Islam as a divine religion?”
He also reiterated his criticism of France’s decision to ban Muslim head scarves in public schools. “We are for religious freedom but we strongly oppose banning the head scarf,” said Qaradawi.
Among other prominent speakers and guests are Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Anba Pope Shenouda III and Archibishop Michael L. Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
The conference has been organized by Qatar’s Gulf Studies Center and the Vatican’s commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, part of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The emir of Qatar has called for a permanent dialogue between the Islamic world and the West, particularly the United States.
