Discourse of the faithful in Makkah conference

Muslim clerics gathering in Makkah to debate "dialogue" seemed to be mostly talking to themselves. The conference was organised by the Muslim World League under the patronage of the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.

International Islamic Conference for Dialogue is understood to be a preparation for an inter-faith dialogue later this year, but the gathering this week is significant for Muslims themselves. It comes at time with the talk about "sedition" between Shiite and Sunni Muslims reaching the point of heat that could be irreversible.

The call for a meeting of Muslim, Christian and Jewish clerics came from the Saudi king this spring when he met the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican and was hailed as a big step in the efforts to discredit the notion of "clash of civilisations".

It was not clear, then and now, what all these dialogues are about, whether they are a move by religious authorities to reclaim the moral authority in a world that is turning more post-modernist, or just a way to diffuse tension between followers of different religions.

Looking at the main figures who attended the Makkah dialogue, the main theme is that there are more "official" than "popular" religious leaders - even politicians rather than clerics.

Iranian ex-president Hashemi Rafsanjani is one of the main Shiite figures among the 500 attending Makkah dialogue, along with the Shaikh of Al Azhar who is politically appointed by the Egyptian president though Al Azhar claims leadership of the Sunnis.

So, it seems "religious officials" are meeting to debate what to do to prepare themselves to be acceptable in an inter-faith dialogue with other religions. As the campaign linking Islam and Muslims to so-called "terrorism" is mainly political, politicians are responding - and people normally do not trust politicians.

Even the media hype about Sunni-Shiite sedition is more political than religious. The two sects are a bit different religiously for more than two millennia, even less than than the difference between Catholics and Protestants in Christianity.

But what is going on now is politics - Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other hot spots in the cross-hairs of American and Israeli fire are the focus of this political struggle.

Change in education

That does not mean the Makkah dialogue is not discussing religion. Definitely it is, but for political ends, stripping the main goal of separation between politics and religions from any meaning.

Muslim leaders might debate a change in religious education and other measures - in the hands of the states - to turn Islamic societies more secular and less fundamentalist. Again, as this comes from politicians it might be difficult to sell to the general public.

A backlash of helping the cause of fanatics is possible, as people would tend more to populist demagogues who accuse "religious authorities" in Muslim countries of succumbing to "Western" pressures.

It is true that religious teaching to the young in some Muslim countries is wrong and leads to fanaticism, but in a time when the developed world is seeking its lost morality and ethics after secularism peaked, it is very delicate to go to the extreme in trying to "secularise" Muslims.

I really do not agree with the trend of "religious reform" as an alternative to political reform. That might appeal to some Western politicians, and appease autocratic regimes in the Muslim world but it might not be the best way to keep religion as a spiritual relation between people and their God and a basis for social ethics by opening up politically.

Political reform could be a double blow, to fanatics and outside critics alike.

In a recent visit to UK, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the Pope's principal adviser on Islam, said that Muslim clerics needed to be more vocal about jihad, especially because of its frequent appearances in the Quran.

If the dialogue is going to be about re-writing people's faiths, it is not likely to achieve a lot. Religion could really be a major force of good for humanity, provided it is not politically manipulated whether by dominant powers or by their satellites.

Dr Ahmad Mustafa is an Arab writer based in London.