We will respect each other

When US President Barack Obama finally made his much anticipated speech and reached out to the Muslim world, he did well. He spoke without bluster, seeking a deep and long lasting understanding, calmly making it clear that "America's relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be just based on opposition to terrorism". Obama made it clear that America needs better understanding and cooperation with the Muslim world for its own sake.

In a speech mainly focused on relations with Turkey, which also touched on Palestine and other regional issues, Obama offered a small and eloquent section that he knew the whole of the Muslim world will be examining: "We seek broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree," he said.

Two points in this speech mark Obama's approach to Islam as totally different from that of his disastrous predecessor. Firstly, he did not try to reach out to 'moderate Islam', which is a Western phrase trying to distinguish between the very small and violent radical fringe and the mainstream of Islam. But it is wrong to use the word 'moderate' as though it is a sub-set of Islam.

It is possible to have a very devout and actively practising Muslim, who is socially moderate or liberal; just as it is also possible to have a very moderately practising Muslim who is socially xenophobic and militant. The phrase 'moderate Islam' has been used to describe what most Muslims see as 'Islam', the religion that millions of people live their lives by every day, which is not 'moderate' but is a whole religion.

Secondly, Obama did not dodge the differences between Christianity and Islam, and he recognised that "we will not agree". This vital point is at the heart of more practical steps to promote understanding between faiths. The difficulty is that when people of different faiths meet, by definition they know that people of other faiths are wrong.

It is not possible to be grey about faith: if someone believes one thing, then someone who believes something else has to be wrong. This conundrum was solved in part by Kenneth Cragg, the great Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem in the 1950s, who worked hard at developing the ground rules for inter-faith dialogue, and found progress in simply agreeing to share the common experience of belief.

Many great religious thinkers have worked on bridging this necessary gap over the years, but the work was taken to a new level by the ground-breaking 'A Common Word' initiative, launched in 2007 by over 300 leading Muslim scholars from leading Muslim communities.

They wrote an open letter stating that "Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world's population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians".

The founders of 'A Common Word' went on to say that "The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour."

The scholars picked two principles common to both Christianity and Islam, and proposed to Christian leaders that this should be the basis of taking the search for better relations forward. Representatives of 'A Common Word' have met the Pope and senior figures from the Catholic Church, as well as many other Christian churches.

The well-considered reply from the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury shows how this Muslim initiative has found strong support. "In your invitation to come to a common word we find a helpful generosity of intention. Some have read the invitation as an insistence that we should be able to immediately to affirm an agreed and shared understanding of God. But such an affirmation would not be honest to either of our traditions. It would fail to acknowledge the reality of the differences that exist," he said.

The reply continued saying that "A Common Word is a more realistically hopeful recognition that the ways Christians and Muslims speak about God are not mutually unintelligible, and allow peaceful cooperation without compromising fundamental beliefs."

It is a major step that Obama's speech about Islam has come into this kind of space. By refusing to treat Islam as a problem, and by treating it with respect, Obama has opened the possibility that a whole range of religious and social dialogue will find powerful political backing.

However, he did this without backing down on his long-held objective of "denying Al Qaida a safe haven in Pakistan or Afghanistan. The world has come too far to let this region backslide, and to let Al Qaida terrorists plot further attacks."

He was uncompromising on that struggle, with which he has the goodwill of the Muslim world.

President Obama seems to be honest in his approach to the muslim world.The whole muslim world should give him a chance to convert his words to action. Particularly Iran should be careful dealing with Obama as he is going soft on Iranians after 30 years of aggresive policies of past Presidents. Again the whole Muslim world should think for the betterment of their people who already suffered under bad actions of the previous American Governament. After all this great opportunity to pick up and act wisely towards Obama offer that seems to be based on honesty mutual respect and justice.
Syed Qurban Hussain
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 09, 2009, 15:16

Excellent. Nothing can be added. Well done, Francis.
Ali
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 09, 2009, 12:37

well, i think nothing will happen , i mean there will never be "commmon word " between the main faiths in the world, becacuse it depends on political and economical aspects which we can not ignore their role in creating the new world.
Mark
London,UK
Posted: April 09, 2009, 11:04

Well nothing new as far as muslim world is concerned, even in the Bush era he went to different countires, called for better relationship with muslims, and ended up killing thousands of humans including woman
Ali Sayani
Karachi,Pakistan
Posted: April 09, 2009, 08:41