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Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
PRESS RELEASE
Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI by 38 Leading
Muslim Scholars and Leaders.
In an unprecedented move, an open letter signed by 38 leading
Muslim religious scholars and leaders around the worldwas sent to
Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 12, 2006. The letter, which is the
outcome of a joint effort, was signed by top
religious authorities such as Shaykh Ali Jumuah (the Grand Mufti
of Egypt), Shakyh Abdullah bin Bayyah(former Vice President of
Mauritania, and leading religious scholar), and Shaykh Said Ramadan
Al-Buti (fromSyria), in addition to the Grand Muftis of Russia,
Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Slovenia, Istanbul, Uzbekistan, and Oman,
aswell as leading figures from the Shia community such as Ayatollah
Muhammad Ali Taskhiri of Iran. The letter wasalso signed by HRH
Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan and by Muslim
scholars in the West such asShaykh Hamza Yusuf from California,
Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr of George Washington University in
Washington,D.C., and Professor Tim Winter of the University of
Cambridge.
All the eight schools of thought and jurisprudence in Islam are
represented by the signatories, including a womanscholar. In this
respect the letter is unique in the history of interfaith
relations.
The letter was sent, in a spirit of goodwill, to respond to some
of the remarks made by the Pope during his lecture at theUniversity
of Regensburg on Sept. 12, 2006. The letter tackles the main
substantive issues raised in his treatment of adebate between the
medieval Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian,
including reasonand faith; forced conversion; jihad vs. holy war;
and the relationship between Christianityand Islam. They engage the
Pope on an intellectual level concerning these crucial topicswhich
go well beyondthe controversial quotation of the emperorpointing
out what they see as mistakes and oversimplifications in thePopes
own remarks about Islamic belief and practice.
The Muslim signatories appreciate the Pope's personal expression
of sorrow at the Muslim reaction and his assurancethat the words of
the Byzantine emperor he quoted did not reflect his personal
opinion. By following the Quranic preceptof debating in the fairest
way, they hope to reach out so as to increase mutual understanding,
reestablishtrust, calm the situation for the sake of peace, and
preserve Muslim dignity.
Christianity and Islam make up more than half of humankind in an
increasingly interconnected world, the letter states,and it is
imperative that both sides share responsibility for peace and move
the debate towards a frank and sinceredialogue of hearts and minds
which furthers mutual understanding and respect between the two
religious traditions.Indeed, the scholars point out, both religions
teach what Christianity calls the two greatestcommandments. The
commandment that the Lord our God is one Lord and that we shall
loveHim with all we are is enshrined in the first testimony of
faith in Islam, There is no god but God. Thesecond commandment to
love thy neighbor as thyself is also found in the words of the
Prophet,None of you believes until he desires for his neighbor (in
another version, his brother) what he desires forhimself. The
signatories also point out the positive contacts the Vatican has
had with the Islamic world in thepast, with a hope that they will
continue and even grow in the future. [end]
The official and full English version of the text along with the
complete list of signatories is available now on the
IslamicaMagazine website (www.IslamicaMagazine.com).
Islamica Magazine
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If you would like further information or interviews with
Professor Tim Winter in the UK and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in theUSA
regarding issues related to the open letter, please contact
Islamica Magazine in the USA on (703) 962-1741,Jordan on
+962-6-464-1179 or +962 777 608 449 or email
[email protected].
Click here to view Islamica Magazine's dossier on the Vatican
from issue #18
Click here to view the full version of the letter in English
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
English
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
Arabic
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
German
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
Italian
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
Albanian
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
French
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
Russian
Click here to view a printable pdf version of the letter in
Spanish
Islamica Magazine
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