FAITH leaders more than anybody else bear the greatest responsibility in the way they interact not only with people of other faiths, but perhaps more importantly with people of their own faith. It is true that Catholicism over the centuries has had an uneasy relationship with Islam, as it has with Judaism and Protestantism. But in recent years, especially under the reign of John Paul II, the relations between the Vatican and the Muslim world have improved considerably through interfaith dialogue.
It would indeed be unfortunate if Pope Benedict XVI’s comments this week in a lecture to students at Regensberg Univeristy in his native Bavaria, seemingly criticizing Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, signals a departure from his late predecessor’s interfaith vision. Similarly, it would be unfortunate if the Muslim world overreacts to this faux pas in a wave of emotion, or worse, as we saw with some of the responses to deeply offensive anti-Islamic cartoons earlier this year.
The Vatican quickly moved to assure Muslims that the pontiff, renowned for his conservatism and religious orthodoxy, did not intend any disrespect for the Muslim faith, and is upset by the way his remarks have been interpreted. The pope, according to his spokesman, was merely discussing the issue of violence in religion, and was indeed examining the history of relations between Islam and the Catholic Church. It is, however, surprising that he chose to refer to Islam selectively, especially when history is littered with excesses executed in the name of Catholicism, Protestantism and Judaism. Perhaps the best response is for the Muslim world to rise above the occasion. Those who are calling for the cancellation of the pope’s visit to Turkey in November this year — his first official visit to a Muslim country — are simply misguided and wrong. On the contrary, Jews, Christians and Muslims must leverage this incident and this visit by redoubling their efforts in interfaith dialogue and to dispel misconceptions about each other’s faiths. In this respect, the visit assumes an even greater importance, and let us hope the Sheikh-ul-Islam in Ankara takes the opportunity to regenerate the spirit of dialogue between Islam and Catholicism. As the grand mufti of Syria Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun stressed in a speech to the Three Faiths Forum in London, “Jews, Christians and Muslims all worship one God, who is the Creator of all. Religions should always be a voice for peace, and children should be taught the morals and ethics which all great religions affirm.”
In a post-9/11 world, the terminology of faith has unfortunately regressed on all sides. Neoconservative politicians, in particular, talk about new “crusades”, “jihadists”, and “Islamo-fascism” with a scant regard for religious and historical sensitivities. Faith leaders themselves espouse hatred of “infidels” and “holy war” as if the “clash of civilizations” has now made way to a “conflict of religions”. The truth is that Judaism, Christianity and Islam share a common Abrahamic heritage. Would it not be the ultimate triumph of interfaith dialogue, if the world started talking about a Judeo-Christian-Muslim ethic, instead of a seemingly chauvinistic and selective Judeo-Christian ethic?
