BEIRUT LEBANON 20TH JUNE 2012 – SAINT GEORGES CATHEDRAL
CHRISTIAN ISLAMIC SUMMIT
Presence Of:
Prof. Doctor ROBERT CHAHINE President American Lebanese Foundation USA
Ex WLCU President Mr ANIS GARABET
Ex WLCU Vice President ANTOINE MENASSA
Find more details, a full report by nationalcathedral.org
THE SECOND CHRISTIAN MUSLIM SUMMIT
BEIRUT, LEBANON
June 18-20. 2012
“Christians and Muslims Building Justice and Peace Together in a Violent, Changing World”
A Brief Overview of Christianity and Its Roots in the Middle East Christianity originated in the Middle East with the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. His birth occurred in Bethlehem of Judea at the
beginning of the new millennium referred to in this paper as the Common Era or CE. Christianity was a derivative of Judaism with Jesus a Jew, embraced as rabbi and elevated by his followers as fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets, especially Isaiah who proclaimed the eventual coming of the Messiah, “the anointed one” of Israel.
Following the crucifixion of Jesus estimated to be in 33 CE his followers engaged in synagogue worship with those who did not hold to the belief that he was the anointed one. However,
following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE Jews who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah disassociated themselves with those who did to retain their identity as Jews of the,
synagogue, the Torah and historic Judaism. This break was in many ways the distinct beginning of a worshipping community that eventually came to be called the Christian Church
Today Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank is a holy city to Christians from around the world who flock to the Church of the Holy Nativity thought to be built over the cave where Jesus was
born to Mary his mother. Likewise, Jerusalem is sacred to Christians throughout the world because of its place in the narratives of Christ’s confrontation with Jewish religious
authorities and the Roman political authority, a confrontation that eventually led to his death by crucifixion at the quarry and his bodily resurrection into heaven. The Garden of Gethsemane, the
Mount of Olives, the believed site of Jesus’ crucifixion at the quarry referred to as Golgotha where the Church of the Resurrection stands today are significant and essential holy sites
for Christians and the connecting points in embracing the historic beginnings of their Christian faith. They have become centers of pilgrimage for Christians and many hold to the importance of visiting these holy places at least once in their lifetime.
The fear generated by Roman authorities during Jesus active ministry before his death was caused by how his followers referred to him as Son of God, a phrase that was always used to refer to the Roman Emperor. No other human being within the Roman Empire could be referred to in this way. Also, Jesus’ followers referred to him often as a King, the anointed one which was also a distinctive threat to the Roman authorities. There could only be one king, and that king was the Roman Emperor.
The earliest followers of Jesus during his short but active ministry and then following his crucifixion and resurrection were viewed with deep suspicion and as a threat by pagans. This was especially true for the Roman authorities who believed Jesus and his followers and their faith to be a quasi political movement. Their suspicion was based on the content of the four Gospels and on the teachings of the first theologian of the early church, Saint Paul.
Jesus was clearly being spoken of as the Son of God and the Messiah as predicted by the Old Testament prophets. The practical theology and mission of the early church were centered on care of the poor, the widows and children, the sick and outcasts. The early followers of Jesus lived a life that would be defined today as active socialism, where everyone had a responsibility to all who were in need and where wealth was not determined by financial gain, but by giving what one had to help others who were in need in the community.
Roman authorities especially during the time of Emperor Nero were fearful of a revolt of the masses stirred up by the practices of the early followers of Jesus and therefore were engaged in pogroms, persecution and the torture and murder of those who refused to recant their belief in the new religion. It was really the pagans and Romans who referred to the followers
of Jesus as Christians. This has been documented by references found in the history of Antioch in the mid 40’s CE. Pagans interfacing with the followers of Jesus did not know what to call
them and confused the word Christus with the Greek chrestus; chrestus meaning good and kind. Tertullian, an apologist, saw this mistranslation as an opportunity. For him it was a good thing.
Chrestus in a sense defined the attributes of Jesus and his followers and so Christian as a name and a faith was not worthy of punishment and was an appropriate name for Jesus followers and the faith. Saint Ignatius of Antioch who was preparing for his own martyrdom said; “let me not merely be called a Christian, but found one.”
By the 4th century CE Christianity was the state religion of Armenia, Georgia, the Aksumite Empire and the Roman Empire. By the Middle Ages it had spread throughout Europe and then
spread throughout the world during the European years of exploration and colonization. Today the largest branches of Christianity are the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican
Communion, the Orthodox Church followed by other protestant and evangelical churches. Although it is difficult to extract exact numbers of adherents it is fair to say that today there are between 2.0-2.2 billion Christians in the world. Yet in the Middle East the following population percentages are somewhat disconcerting given that Christianity had its origins there and was an influential force.
The following is a table of percentages of Christians who make up the populations of countries within the Middle East or have some correlation with Christianity and its ancient roots.
CHRISTIAN POPULATION MUSLIM POPULATION
Egypt……10% Egypt……90%
Iraq……..2.3% Iraq………97.7%
Jordan…..3.0-6.0% Jordan……93-95%
Lebanon…39% Lebanon…61%
Iran……..1.25-2.0% Iran……..98%
Saudi Arabia…4.5% Saudi Arabia…95.5%
Palestinian Authority…4.7% Palestinian Authority…83.54%
Syria……10% Syria…….90%
Libya……2.4% Libya……97%
Israel……1.6% Israel……2.3%
The Christian Exodus from the Middle East
Christians have been leaving the Middle East in alarming numbers.
Over 2 million have left in the last few years with the end result being that throughout the region there are fewer than 12 million Christians left. In Lebanon, half the Christian population which
once numbered a million souls has left that country in the last 20 years. Since the Civil War in Lebanon (1975-90) Christians have been leaving in record numbers.
In Egypt the flight of Coptic Christians from that country is increasing on a daily basis. The only reason that the base population still remains somewhere in the vicinity of 6 million
adherents is because of significant increases in the birthrate. Those who remain in the country are impacted by violence against them by radical Sunni Muslims. In Egypt the state religion is Islam, and because of that there are many laws and prohibitions that target Coptic Christians.
In Iraq, there has been a precipitous drop in the Christian population since the two US pre-emptive wars, the destruction of the Baathist political party and the execution of Sadaam Hussein. The American intervention militarily has been one factor in the destabilization of relationships and balances within the Sunni and Shi’a Muslim community and the Kurds in the north of the country.
In Palestine, Christians have departed so rapidly that it has been difficult to acquire reasonable and accurate numbers which define this frightening exodus. A primary reason for this huge loss is the social, cultural and economic impact of the Israeli occupation and a lack of security for the Palestinian population as a whole. Security and the establishment of a justice peace and a realized Palestinian State with secure and clearly established borders is an absolute necessity if there is to be a reduction in the numbers of Christians leaving historic Palestine.
Violent attacks against Christians have been on the increase in the Middle East at the hands of Islamic extremists from both the Sunni and Shi’a traditions. Christianity is too often seen by radical Muslims as a repressive derivative of Judaism. Therefore Christianity is problematic because of that connection and also because of its perceived identity with the expression of Zionism interpreted by current Israeli politics. Also from an early first century historical context, Christianity was viewed by the dominant Greek civilization and its schools of philosophy as an absurdity.
For some Muslims today Christianity is seen as a blasphemy against God because of its definition of the nature of Jesus as fully man, and fully God and the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Christian theology is also interpreted by some Muslims as a repudiation of the Prophet Muhammad and his place in line with the great prophets of the Abrahamic religious tradition and the status of the Prophet as the fulfillment of the prophetic tradition and as the last
prophet of God.
Christianity is rarely seen by its critics as being oriental, but rather is viewed as occidental in nature. Christianity is too often seen as the past, present and future bearer of colonialism, western values and human behavior that is unacceptable in the broad Muslim
world. With its western connection, Christianity is too often associated with American politics and the United States Government’s unwavering support of Israel at the expense of the
Palestinian people and the broader Muslim context throughout the Middle East.
Jerusalem in 1948 had a population base that was 20% Christian.
Today that number stands at less than 2%. Historically Christians in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank of Palestine numbered over 80% of the total population. Today that percentage has
decreased to approximately 30%.
Today it is a sad fact that Muslims who live in the West have experienced a much harder road to assimilation and acceptance since the tragedy of 9/11. They have rightly clamored for respect,
acceptance, equal treatment under the rule of law and freedom from religious discrimination, violence and hate crimes. But Muslims from the Middle East and other parts of the world must
also be more vocal and active in the western countries where they now reside in supporting the same desires, expectations and rights for Christians who still live in the Middle East and who are being threatened and attacked on a daily basis. It would be a wish and devoutly to be desired, if Muslims who have emigrated to the West would speak out forcefully to the leadership of the countries from whence they came demanding the same rights and protections for Christians.
Today for Christians living in the Middle East, their religious freedom is under attack. Over 70 Christian Churches have been burned and almost 1000 Christians have been murdered in the city of Baghdad alone. As a result, over half a million Christians have left the country since the Gulf War. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration and Statistics from the United States Department of State, more than half of the Christians in Iraq have left the country since the US invasion in 2003. The Catholic Church through its work in the region notes that Christians once composed 30% of the population of Jerusalem but as of 2012, Christian Arabs represent a paltry 1.5%. The exodus of Christians from the Holy Land and the Levant must stop!
Violence against Christians must be challenged by Islamic religious leaders in every country in the Middle East. And Christian leaders in the West must be far more forceful in expressing their dismay at the current population trends and violence against their brothers and sisters in the Middle East.
Common Beliefs and Practices of Christianity and Islam with Some Major Divergences
Christianity and Islam are part of the Abrahamic faith community along with Judaism. The three are linked together through the monotheist and patriarch Abraham who was rewarded for his
unquestioning faith in the one God.
Both Christianity and Islam adhere to the belief in one God and are therefore monotheistic. I can remember a day at Washington National Cathedral when the United States Department of State had arranged to have a group of Muslim high school students visit.
Approximately 70 were present. All were from the Middle East and all had been in the United States for a year living with Muslim families attending public high schools in the communities where they were living. The gathering of these students and our conversations was being televised live on the CNN television network. It was an open forum where the students could ask questions about American religious life and culture. One of the students, a young man who said he was 17 years old and a Palestinian from Ramallah, said to me; “you Christians are not like us Muslims because you believe in three Gods and we believe in the only one and true God. You believe in the Gods of the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit….three Gods” he emphasized. After trying to explain the complexity of the Holy Trinity, and that God
was one and that Christians knew that one God through the unifying elements of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the young man sat down. And as he was doing so said; “I never heard that
before”. So Christians and Muslims believe in the one God.” I nodded my head. His response after sitting down was, “thank you so much for helping me understand.”
Muslims consider Christians to be “people of the Book” and regard the Bible as central to Christianity as the Qur’an is for Islam. Some scholars of monotheism and the Abrahamic faith
traditions share their belief that the Bible was a work in progress over many centuries and probably thirteen hundred years from its oldest writings to the end of the New Testament. The Qur’an on the other hand is what Dr. Philip Jenkins of the Pennsylvania State University calls “a work of its time.” He writes that the Qur’an assumes the political values of Christianity of the late and early Byzantine world that would include the assumptions about the toleration of deviance and enforcement of morality. There are classical scholars representing both Christianity and Islam who see with the Qur’an elements of Arabic, Judaism, Christianity and Gnosticism given its written form probably during the lifetime of the great prophet Muhammad. This is quite reasonable given the presence of the Old Testament, the Gospels and Epistles of the
New Testament that were already in written form and were embraced by their followers in the Middle East. Some scholars believe that the present Qur’an was arranged and written down during the recension of the Caliph Uthman between 643-656 CE.
Christians believe that what is contained in the Scriptures is the Word of God and Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the verbatim word of God as communicated directly to the prophet
Mohammed.
Angels are seen as messengers sent from God to both Jesus and Muhammad. Interestingly all three Abrahamic faiths share the same belief. In Judaism the Angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament. In the Gospels and New Testament the Angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary and Zechariah. In Islam, the Angel Gabriel is viewed as the source for dictating the word of God to the prophet Muhammad in the formation of the Qur’an.
Christianity bases its theology on the kerygmatic teaching of Jesus often referred to as the Summary of the Law as contained in the Gospel of Mark 12:29-31. Jesus said, “The first commandment is this: Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Islam defines the purpose of life to love and to serve, very similar to the teachings of Jesus within the format of The Summary of The Law.
Resurrection is central to the kerygmatic teaching of the Christian Faith. Christians believe and teach that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is believed to be the place where Muhammad ascended into heaven. Both Christianity and Islam believe that there will be a time of judgment for all adherents of their respective faiths. All persons will be judged for their earthly deeds both good and bad
and that charity and faithfulness in prayer are important gateways to heaven. And both Christianity and Islam believe that a broad definition of heaven is a place of ultimate joy and bliss free from the anxieties and cares of the faithful person’s earthly existence. Both Christianity and Islam believe that in all things, God is in charge and in control. And yet both faith traditions believe that human beings possess free will to choose between right and wrong
and are ultimately responsible for their behavior. Prayer is central to both religions. I can clearly remember a conversation I had with a cab driver a few years ago when traveling back from the National Airport in Washington, DC to my office on the Close of Washington National Cathedral. The driver was a Muslim and by my dress as an Episcopal bishop he had figured me out to be a Christian. The conversation was not confrontational but was quite pointed. It went something like this:
“I see that you are a Christian religious person by your dress.” I responded; “yes and you are taking me to my office on the grounds of Washington National Cathedral.” “What do you do
there asked the driver.” “I’m the Bishop of Washington and my diocese has jurisdiction in the District of Columbia and in four counties in the State of Maryland.” My answer seemed to end the conversation for a minute or two when people receive that answer. But then the cab driver said; “you know I don’t think Christians are very religious people because they only pray once a week on Sunday.” I replied; “you know that is not correct. Episcopal Christians and others of the broad catholic tradition pray six times each day; we have Morning Prayer, Mid Morning Prayer, Midday
Prayer or Prayers at Noon, Mid Afternoon Prayer, Evening Prayer, and then before bedtime we pray what we call the prayers of Compline. Many Christians pray 6 times each day. Sundays are
referred to as The Lord’s Day and on Sundays, everyone who is a believer and is able, attends their church for corporate worship very much like your Friday Prayers in the Mosque.” The driver was silent for a few moments and then said; “well I have learned something about you Christians and your faithfulness to God today. Thank you for helping me understand!” The Roman Catholic, Anglican/Episcopal and other Orthodox Christian churches believe that there are 7 sacraments or “signs of grace given by Jesus to the church. They are the Holy Eucharist,
Holy Baptism, Holy Matrimony, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Penance and Unction. Churches in the broad catholic tradition view the sacraments as necessary for salvation. Holy Baptism and
the Holy Eucharist are seen by most as the two central sacraments of the Christian Church. The Episcopal Church and others believe that once a person is baptized, their baptism is indissoluble.
The 5 pillars of Islam, “shanadah” (creed) “salat” (prayers) “zakah” (almsgiving) “fasting” during Ramadan “pilgrimage” to Mecca-Haj once in a person’s lifetime do for the most part share some things in common with orthodox Christian practice. Christians are bound together by the Nicene Creed, by the prayers of the Daily Offices, by alms giving and living into the biblical tithe of 10%, fasting during the 40 days of Lent preceding Easter and during Advent which some observe as the Winter Lent, visiting the places in the Holy Land, especially Bethlehem and Jerusalem. There are significant differences, however, in the creedal statements of Christians and Muslims that find their way in how each interprets Jesus and Muhammad.
A Brief Synopsis of Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad and Eschatology
A departure from commonly held beliefs shared by both Christians and Muslims is centered on the person and nature of Jesus by Muslims and the Christian understanding of the Prophet
Muhammad and the eschatological vision held by both faith traditions.
Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet and accord him deep honor and respect. Likewise Mary his mother is highly respected and mentioned more than 70 times in the Qur’an, far more than in the New Testament. Muslims do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God but view him as one of the great prophets of God. In 325 CE the Nicene Creed was established as a means of attempting to unite the squabbling elements of the Christian Church and inhibiting its heretics in defining the nature of Jesus, God and eschatology. The Creed paraphrased, claims Jesus as the Son of God, immaculately conceived through his mother Mary by
the Holy Spirit. Christians therefore believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God, begotten by his Father before all worlds. Jesus is God of God, Light of Light and Very
God of Very God. Jesus was begotten, not made and is of one substance with the Father. Jesus suffered under the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate, was crucified, suffered and was buried and then arose on the third day from the dead and ascended into heaven. Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus will come again in Glory and will judge the living and the dead. Christians believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life who emanates from the Father and the Son. And God does speak through the prophets. Christians believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, in one Baptism for the remission of sins and in
the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting. Christians believe that in time Jesus will return to earth at the Second Coming and bring peace, justice and life in all its fullness to all believers.
Christians do not confirm the role of the 12th Imam. And within Islam there are levels of disagreement between its Sunnis and Shi’as elements.
Although there is disagreement between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims about the Mahdi, there are some shared common elements. The
12th Imam, Imam Muhammad ibn al Hasan al Mahdi was born in 869 CE. Shi’a generally believe that the Mahdi, is the savior of humankind and is the last of the Imams, “The Twelver,” hidden by God and whose life was not ended by death. The hidden Mahdi at some unspecified time will return to earth with Jesus to fulfill their shared mission to bring justice and peace to the world. Some Muslims also say that when that day comes all in the world will become Muslim.
Most Sunni Muslims do not believe that Imam Muhammad ibn al Hasan al Mahdi to be the Mahdi. The belief is that the Mahdi will come through the family lineage of the prophet Muhammad. Sunnis believe that the Mahdi has not yet been born and is known
only to God.
The question is how will Christians and Muslims live together with the expectation of their near equal expansion in global membership in the 21st Century? How will differences within each
faith tradition in understanding the person of Jesus and the prophet Muhammad impact the future of interfaith partnerships?
A divisive and challenging issue facing these two great Abrahamic faiths in the 21st century is how can they as conversional religions live together in peace when Islam has strong opposition to the conversion of Muslims to Christianity and where such can warrant
death to the evangelicals and the converted? Will such disagreements make it impossible to go deeper into interfaith relationships between Christians and Muslims? And will such
disagreements make it difficult, if not impossible, for these two great faith traditions to work for an end to religious violence, mutual respect and trust bringing justice and peace to a weary,
broken and war torn world?
Both Christianity and Islam face the common challenges that are the product of rapid globalization and interdependent economic forces that impact the financial stabilities of nations and states. Rapid globalization has occurred as the result of huge developments in communications technology with satellite and wireless communication systems. Such developments have made it possible for almost instantaneous communication anywhere in the
world by cell phone, email and satellite television. The impact of this aspect of globalization was demonstrated with the blossoming of the Arab Spring and its impact on Middle Eastern governments.
The cell phone, (“tweeting” “texting”) and remote emailing, all products of the internet explosion have emerged as instantaneous sources of global information and event sharing. The internet has
now become the 21st centuries version of the Guttenberg Bible and Johann Guttenberg’s invention of the typecasting machine in the 1400’s CE. The printed newspaper as a source of information has become overshadowed by the transmission of instantaneous news by various sources on the internet.
Another challenge dramatically impacting both Christianity and Islam is that of Post Modernism and the challenges each religion faces with the rapid rise of secularism and consumerism. There are many theories generated about the huge impact that secularism is having on the belief systems of both religions. But the biggest one appears to be indifference and the emergence of a culture of disbelief. Dr. Stephan Carter in his book “The Culture of
Disbelief” writes: “The real danger is that citizens in general will accept the culture’s assumptions that religious faith has no real bearing on civic responsibility. Should that happen, prevailing cultural mores will have a higher claim on us than do privately held convictions of conscience, however arrived at. When faith is removed from public life, when we divorce religion from politics, we marginalize religion to the point that the values that ultimately guide and help society behave in a reasonable and compassionate fashion are lost to current and prevailing values of the culture.”
It is commonly understood that once faith is either removed from public life or is challenged as a guide for compassionate care of the other through the values of kindness and goodness, values shared by both Christianity and Islam, then a vacuum is created. When such a vacuum occurs, fringe elements from both religions corruptly reinterpret time honored core teachings and religious values in order to support their own personal or political needs and desires. Therefore, for these impactful fringe elements, the “end justifies the means” and human beings can do horrible things to one another in the quest for power, personal gain and political
cooption.
The Dangers of Religious Fundamentalism
The term Fundamentalism was derived from the writing and teaching of R.A. Torrey a Christian revivalist of the latter part of the 19th century who responded to the impact of Social Darwinism
and its threat to the literal interpretation of the word of God as contained in Christian Holy Scriptures. Torrey collected a series of conservative theological essays and titled them “The
Fundamentals.” The content of his collected essays relied on the earliest teachings of Augustine of Hippo and Calvin. Both taught that God was omnipotent and could rule as God wished. Rather than blaming God for the stories of mass murder and genocide in
the Bible, Christians should be grateful that God did not visit the same on the modern day sinners that Torrey equated with the Canaanites. Torrey wrote that the Canaanites were a vicious people and their slaughter was appalling, yet they were a moral cancer that
threatened the human race and needed to be excised. It was the kindest thing that God could do.
Fundamentalism is claiming the written words of Holy Scripture, be they from Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions as inerrant. Faithful adherence would pave the way to salvation. Adherence to strict interpretation of the written word in scripture is often the result of reacting to what is perceived to be a threat to one’s core religious beliefs and the institutions where such beliefs are preached, taught and practiced especially in cultures, nations and states that have a clear religious definition attached to them.
Fundamentalism attempts to reclaim the true meaning of the Word of God as interpreted by a reactive group or element within the
faith tradition that claims to possess the true knowledge of what the original scriptural text was trying to say. The effort attempts to express an “orthodox” response to those who are considered idolaters and who are seen as embracing the values and incursion of post modern, secularist thought. It is often an aggressive striking back at rapid changes in culture through globalization. It fosters the conversion of new followers who have little or no theological or doctrinal understanding about their new conversional religion and its texts, usually taught by conservative evangelists who keep the message simple, based solely on what is written in the text. The end game in such conversions is to gain as many new adherents as possible without teaching the basic core beliefs of the religion.
Too often, religion has been the progenitor of hate, violence, genocide, slavery and misogyny. And Christians and Jews who condemn Islam as a violent religion need to take the time to study their own religious texts. The human condition as seen through the eyes of Fundamentalists is that life is defined by two polarities, darkness and light. It is as simple as that.
Augustine of Hippo said; “God is righteous and absolute, even if it is wrong in our eyes. If God ordered it, it must be obeyed and can never be wrong.”
Calvin taught that; “Human beings cannot judge or condemn God’s action.” He believed that the Canaanites who were slaughtered as directed by Moses and Joshua deserved to be slaughtered because they were sinful and did not recognize the one God. Calvinism and its leeching effect on Christianity has had and continue to have a significant influence on Western Protestant thinking.
In the New England Colonies under the occupation of Great Britain, Cotton Mather and Increase Mather used scripture to enhance the community held inerrant and racist theological beliefs
practiced within the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Today in the United States, The Reverends Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham, Richard Land and Rick Warren are only a few of the more visible contemporary Christian Evangelists who have
used scripture from the Old and New Testaments to rattle the sabers of Fundamentalism and to attack Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Because of such teaching by a few very prominent
Christian Evangelists, a recent survey of Protestant pastors in the United States revealed that 70% believed Islam to be a violent religion.
Hate and ethnic cleansing are very much a part of the ancient stories of the Bible. And such stories occur more readily in the Bible than they do in the Qur’an. There are 192 verses in the
Qur’an dealing with mercy and forgiveness, and only 17 verses that relate to judgment and wrath. The Bible has far more verses regarding judgment, wrath and violence. Islam means surrender; in other words surrendering one’s self to God. Salam in Arabic means Peace.
Those who use texts to justify their behaviors and their acts of violence against “the other”, be they Christian or Muslim believe that they have been divinely selected to be the ultimate authority in defining who is an apostate. Jewish settlers who engage in violence against Palestinians in occupied land, Christian firebrand Fundamentalist preachers who burn the Qur’an and defame the Prophet Muhammad and extreme Muslims who attack Jews and
Christian indiscriminately all bear the marks of living into the definition of a deformed theology. Such actions too often lead to the dangerous outcome of placing nation against nation and
religion against religion.
Suggestions for the Future Work of the 2nd Christian Summit It will be critical for all participants in the 2nd Christian Muslim Summit to work individually and cooperatively to confront the
religious illiteracy that exists within the membership of both Christianity and Islam.
1) Work diligently to teach constituencies the basic core beliefs and values of Christianity as espoused by Jesus and those of Islam as taught by the prophet Muhammad. Urge
constituents to refrain from the temptation of proof texting for their own personal or political purposes.
2) Support openly the ongoing interfaith dialogues between Christians and Muslims that occur every day throughout the world and within their own jurisdictions and judicatories.
Be open to and accept invitations by the leadership of governments in the countries where each participant resides to share your understanding and knowledge on interfaith relations
and about the similarities and differences within Christianity and Islam. I have been asked by the US Department of State, the White House and the National Defense University and its
graduating class of military officers from 30 countries to meet and speak about the impact of religion on international affairs and the impact of religion on public policy.
Participants to this Summit on their return home should be open to establish Trac II interfaith networks within countries that are in conflict with one another in order to open communication and develop trust and levels of respect so that diplomats in time may
resolve such conflicts. Be “table setters” for diplomatic breakthroughs.
The Principals of the 2nd Christian Muslim Summit must stay in contact with one another through their staffs and be willing to speak out and publish collectively when necessary, statements of condemnation in cases of religious violence as was the case in the
bombing outside of St. Mark and Pope Peter Coptic Orthodox Church and the nearby mosque in the Sidi Bishir neighborhood of Alexandria, Egypt on New Year’s Eve 2010.
1) That the Principals and one member of their delegation meet at least twice a year in mutually agreeable locations to assess not only the current status of religious persecution and
human rights violations of religious people within the Christian Muslim global community., but to evaluate whether the outcome and recommendations of the 2nd Summit are
being carried forward by delegations members and the communities that they represent.
2) That the current named Principals or their designates meet at least twice a year to plan the Third Christian Muslim Summit to be held hopefully in Rome or Iran and that there be
ongoing work undertaken to raise from Foundations and individuals the financial support needed for the next Summit.
That this Summit forms from within its delegations a working group to study and compare the historic background and theology of both the Christian Just War Theory and also similar Islamic
teaching on the moral principles and justification for war as expressed in the Qur’an.
Discuss at this Summit the feasibility of calling for and working toward the establishment of a 3 day conference in New York City in September of this year during the United Nations General
Assembly. This conference would bring together a cohesive gathering of religious leaders who represent the very highest levels of authority and leadership within the Catholic, Orthodox,
Anglican/Episcopal and other broad Protestant Christian traditions. The Christian delegation will be joined by Muslim Shi’a and Sunni theologians and highly respected religious leaders
representing a broad cross section of countries in the Middle East.
They collectively will gather to discuss from their respective theological traditions the production of a position statement addressing the current controversies surrounding the production,
possession and use of nuclear weapons as deterrents or as weapons of mass destruction. The discussion must also address their intentional use either offensively or defensively against another nation and where the loss of human life and the desecration of the environment