NEWS STORY: Vatican official: Christian-Muslim relations must be reciprocal

c. 1997 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Of the world’s estimated 6 billion people, about a third are Christians and a fifth are Muslims. Together, the two religions account for more than half of humanity, making relations between them more than a matter of passing concern. Count Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Vatican’s top envoy to […]

c. 1997 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Of the world’s estimated 6 billion people, about a third are Christians and a fifth are Muslims. Together, the two religions account for more than half of humanity, making relations between them more than a matter of passing concern.

Count Cardinal Francis Arinze, the Vatican’s top envoy to non-Christian religions, as one who views healthy relations between the two faiths as vital to world interests.


But speaking at Georgetown University Thursday (June 5), Arinze said if Christian-Muslim relations are to advance beyond”gentlemanly knowledge,”religious goodwill must be a two-way street.

Skirting specifics, Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, gently chided Muslims for demanding full acceptance in non-Muslim nations while not always granting Christians equal status in Muslim-dominated countries.

Calling religious freedom a God-given right, Arinze said”a religion should not ask for (full acceptance) in a country where it is a minority and deny it to others when it is the majority.” Moreover, he added, religious freedom includes”both the right to practice a religion and the right to share that religion with others.” Christianity and Islam, he said,”both consider that they have a universal message to be conveyed through Christian mission or Islamic da’wah (religious outreach). This right to spread one’s religion should be upheld as long as it is carried out with due respect for human dignity and freedom. No harm should be done to others in the name of religion.” Arinze’s comments touched on one of the most sensitive aspects of worldwide Christian-Muslim interaction _ the persecution and misunderstanding members of both faiths say they are subject to in lands in which they are a minority.

In predominantly Christian France, for example, Muslims have complained of not being allowed to wear Islamic scarves and other headwear in public schools. In the United States, Muslims often complain that Islam is stereotyped as a violence-prone faith.

Yet in such countries as Pakistan and Kuwait, laws make it illegal to convert out of Islam, and Christian missionaries are barred from evangelizing openly. In Saudi Arabia, all non-Islamic worship is banned.

Arinze’s remarks _ delivered to a small audience of invited academics, students, religious officials and journalists _ prompted varying reactions from the Muslims in attendance.

Mohommed A. Muqtedar Khan, a Georgetown graduate student, said the religious restrictions in effect in some Muslim nations are a reaction to Western colonialism and not a result of Islam.”It’s a fear of the return of colonialism,”said Khan.”They think of a church as an outpost of colonialism because the church came with the colonial conquerers.” He also said Christianity could not take credit for the religious freedom associated with the West.”It comes from secularism, not the church,”Khan said.


Abdurahman Alamoudi, executive director of the American Muslim Council, said rank-and-file Muslims are”willing to reciprocate”on religious freedom because they know the Koran’s injunction against religious coercion.

But governments of Muslim nations are another matter, he said. In some instances, he said,”secular governments masquerading as Muslim governments”deny religious freedom to non-Muslims to bolster their own Islamic credentials.

Imam Abdulmalik Mohammed, a close aide to Imam Warith D. Mohammed, leader of the nation’s largest African-American Muslim movement, viewed Arinze’s comments as applying equally to Christians and Muslims.”Cardinal Arinze is always careful of his language. I have never known him to be condescending or preachy. He is saying Christians and Muslims need to be open to each other,”said Abdulmalik Mohammed.

In his talk, Arinze, a Nigerian whose homeland is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims, ranged over the whole of Christian-Muslim encounters. He noted the history of crusades and holy wars that have often bloodied that encounter, as well as the similarities between the religions that he said leave him feeling hopeful about future Christian-Muslim dialogue.

(OPTIONAL TRIM _ STORY MAY END HERE)

Arinze said both faiths are monotheistic and teach respect for the biblical prophets and in a final judgment before God. He also noted the pro-family, anti-abortion positions taken by traditional Christians and Muslims, and the cooperation between the Vatican and Muslim nations on these issues in various United Nations’ forums.

Arinze also called for critical self-analysis and said differences between the faiths must be addressed with respect, or the world will suffer new religious violence. Moreover, he continued, it is up to Christian and Muslim leaders to carry dialogue forward by studying each other’s faiths and engaging in”open-minded conversations.””Every religion worthy of the name teaches love of others,”said Arinze.”Christians and Muslims should not just co-exist. They should also cooperate to build up society. If their leaders do not motivate them to collaborate, should we not agree that such leaders have failed?”


MJP END RIFKIN

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!