Christian leaders welcome letter of peace from leading Muslim scholars
Christian leaders have welcomed Thursday's letter from 138 Islamic scholars calling for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity.
by Daniel Blake
Posted: Friday, October 12, 2007, 10:47 (BST)
Using quotations from the Bible and the Koran to support their message, the scholars told people who relished conflict and destruction that "our very eternal souls are ... at stake if we fail to sincerely make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony".
"So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works.
"Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to (one) another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill," the scholars wrote.
The letter was signed by Muslim scholars from around the world, including Algerian Religious Affairs Minister Bouabdellah Ghlamallah and the Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa.
Responding to the letter, the Evangelical Alliance praised the call for peace and understanding, but also acknowledged the differences between the two faith groups. The EA statement said: "As the letter also acknowledges, genuine and important differences between the two faiths remain.
"Neither Christianity, nor Islam, is built on an abstract notion of love or faith. Rather, Christianity is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, the God who became flesh and lived among us."
Joel Edwards, General Director of the EA said, "I welcome any movement from the Islamic world that is directed at peaceful engagement between faiths.
"All major faiths need to look back in their history and recognise that we all have a moral and spiritual responsibility to ensure that our philosophical convictions are not used to support acts of extremism.
"It's a daunting and urgent task which cannot be done unilaterally by any faith, and it must also be done with a mutual respect and tolerance."
He concluded, "This liberates Christians to express and to share our faith about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus who stands at the centre of our faith and calls us to serve the world indiscriminately through acts of love and kindness."
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The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 15:15 (GMT)
Christians and Muslims, who are true to their religious beliefs, know that they are: 1) to love God above all and 2) to love and accept one another. "You can't have one without the other" and claim to be a true Muslim or a true Christian. I thank our Muslim brothers and sisters for being the first to reach out in peace and love.
Roberta Horton, Manchester, CT USA
Added: Monday, October 15, 2007, 18:22 (BST)
The Temple of Love – The World Peace Religion makes peace among and unites Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Everyone else by tying them together with their common threads and resolving all of their differences once and for all as the first step towards world peace.
Karen Fish, Los Angeles
Added: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 22:44 (BST)
Muslams will not let Christians share their faith. We can not trust them. The Bible says there will be a war with them.
Tea, Page, USA
Added: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 10:18 (BST)
Is it possible to access a copy of the letter our brothers the eminent Islamic scholars and leaders or at least a list of the signatories. This would assist in follow-up on the local levels inso far as this 'kairos' development is concerned.
Varghese George, Klang. Malaysia
