Standing
with Christians
Jesus
Christ’ ultimate dream was to create a kingdom of heaven on the earth; it is
the idea where no human has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the
other under one God. It is the same idea repeated and revived by several great
reformers of the world including but not limited to Zarathustra, Moses,
Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, Muhammad, Nanak, Bahaullah, Gandhi, MLK and others.
Then
the best among us would be someone who works towards this goal and believes in
the Golden rule, "treat others as you would want to be treated."
I
am grateful to God for the blessing and encouragement to stand for others. As
an example I am setting a site to list
some of my work from an Atheist to Zoroastrian and every one in between.
The
following lists a few items of standing up with Christians, as usual the right
wingers in other faiths have harassed me for doing this or even demanding why I
did not do it for them, by God, given my little life, as a volunteer, I have
done as much as I can.
My
mentors in pluralism are Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Gandhi, Martin Luther King
Jr., and Mother Teresa and I dedicate this collection to them:
An appeal to Indonesian Muslims
Friday, December 18, 2009 will be noted as a sad day in the history of
Indonesia. On this day, a group of people on their way out from attending an Islamic
New Year parade attacked the Santo Albertus Church under construction in
Bekasi. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, but
the church was damaged severely, just a week before Christmas.
We the Muslims from around the world, appeal to the
Indonesian Muslims, who follow the word of God and example of the Prophet to
help those few who are momentarily lost, and bring them back on the path of
justice and fairness that the Prophet taught us.
The Quraan asserts in 49:13, “The noblest of you in sight
of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware.” Had God willed, he
would have made all of us the same.
We look up to you, the Indonesian Muslims for
following Islam as taught by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). You are proud owners of
the Panchasila document which reaffirms the freedom of all faiths. Indeed, it is
this model of freedom that builds trust, respect and goodwill among all of
God’s creations.
Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) life was an example for us
to follow, he did not return violence with violence, instead he prayed for
those who pelted stones and bloodied him, asking God to give them goodwill.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) respected the Christians, Jews
and others to the point of inviting them to dialogue; he was one of the first
humans to initiate the interfaith dialogue. Historians note that Byzantine
Christians led by their bishop, had come to discuss a number of issues with the
Prophet, and when the time for their prayer came up, he offered them to
"conduct their service in his mosque”. He taught us that respecting other
faiths is part of our conduct. Indeed, he earned the trust of his community by
being truthful, honest and trustworthy; he was called Amin by the people around
him.
The Prophet set another example of mitigating
conflicts and nurturing goodwill when the Aswad stone fell off the wall of
Kaaba. Each tribe was laying claims of their right to set the fallen Aswad
Stone back in the wall, Muhammad (pbuh) was approached, he could have done it
himself, but being the ultimate peace maker he was, he got the parties
together, mitigated their conflict and had them all share in lifting the stone
back into its place, thus nurturing goodwill.
We appeal to you to earn the respect of the society
and be good and just to one and all and re-build the Church for the Christians
that was desecrated. Please set an example of the Indonesian Muslim conduct for
others to follow. To be a Muslim is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill
and strive to build societies of Justice and peace for every human being.
Update: 12/31/09 - The appeal is
published in Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/12/31/letters-an-appeal-indonesian-muslims.htmlhttp://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/12/appeal-to-indonesian-muslims.html
The appeal is published in Jakarta Post
Letters: An appeal to Indonesian
Muslims
Friday, Dec. 18, 2009 will be noted as a sad
day in the history of Indonesia. On that day, a group of people on their way
home from attending an Islamic New Year parade attacked the Santo Albertus
church under construction in Bekasi.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the
incident, but the church was damaged severely, just a week before Christmas.
We, the Muslims from around the world, appeal
to the Indonesian Muslims, who follow the word of God and example of the
Prophet to help those few who are momentarily lost, and bring them back on the
path of justice and fairness that the Prophet taught us. The Koran asserts in
49:13, “The noblest of you in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah
Knows and is Aware.” Had God willed, he would have made all of us the same.
We look up to you, the Indonesian Muslims, for
following Islam as taught by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). You are proud owners of
the Pancasila document which re-affirms the freedom of all faiths.
Indeed, it is this model of freedom that
builds trust, respect and goodwill among all of God’s creations.
Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) life was an example
for us to follow, he did not return violence with violence, instead he prayed
for those who pelted stones and bloodied him, asking God to give them goodwill.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) respected the
Christians, Jews and others to the point of inviting them to dialogue; he was
one of the first humans to initiate interfaith dialogue. Historians note that
Byzantine Christians, led by their bishop, had come to discuss a number of
issues with the Prophet, and when it was time for their prayer, he offered that
they “conduct their service in his mosque”. He taught us that respecting other
faiths is part of our conduct. Indeed, he earned the trust of his community by
being truthful, honest and trustworthy; he was called Amin by the people around
him.
The Prophet set another example of mitigating
conflicts and nurturing goodwill when the Aswad stone fell off the wall of
Kaaba. Each tribe was laying claim to their right to set the fallen Aswad stone
back into the wall, Muhammad (pbuh) was approached, he could have done it
himself, but being the ultimate peacemaker he was, he got the parties together,
mitigated their conflict and had them all share in lifting the stone back into
its place, thus nurturing goodwill.
We appeal to you to earn the respect of
society and be good and just to one and all and rebuild the church for the
Christians that was desecrated. Please set an example of Indonesian Muslim
conduct for others to follow. To be a Muslim is to mitigate conflicts and
nurture goodwill, and strive to build societies of justice and peace for every
human being.
Religious
conflict in India
Religious conflict in Orissa, India
Four major towns in the state of Orissa, India are under a curfew to
check the communal tensions between the Christian and Hindu communities. Eleven
Churches have been razed to ground following a reported attack on Swami
Laxmanananda Saraswati, a political party leader. Shamefully this is a normal
thing in India and it needs to be stopped before it escalates.
Religion is not the cause of the problems of the world. Religion emerged
as a way to bring peace to an individual and what surrounds him (her). Most
people get it and some don't. Those who get it, go about living their day to
day life, where as those who don’t get it, resort to violence, using the very
name of the religion that is to make them better humans.
Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, an individual and a leader, did not want
to see any one to convert from Hinduism to other faiths, this happens on the
eve of Christmas when Christians were in a celebratory mood.
Saraswati is one of those individual who did not get his religion. He
was indeed motivated by fear that his people may switch alliances and cross
over to the other group he perceived to be his enemies. The animal instinct
within him wanted to pounce on any one who became an attractive nuisance to his
people. That is the kind of fear taught in some of the centers in India and the
only way they can reign in is to harass, growl and frighten the others, and
certainly not treating others as equals provided in the nations constitution.
One needs to grow up and let people eat, dress, and believe what they want
without any fear.
The individuals who perhaps threatened or attacked him were not
defending Christianity; they were simply warding off the Tiger's roar.
The gang who burnt the Churches was not inspired by Hinduism either,
they were just ugly men who had nothing else do to, and were used by the KKK
like political parties of India such as VHP, Bajrang Dal and others (nothing to
do with Hinduism) to frighten other people to allay their own fears.
The best possible solution to put an end to the rogue elements is to
rope in the individuals who were the causers of the disturbance and peace of
the community, and punish them to the limits of the law.
I urge the public and the government to refrain from giving a religious
label to these miscreants. By giving a label, we are slapping other fellow
religionist who had nothing to do with this chaos and shying away from putting
an end to this.
Hit the target boldly and not the periphery.
Appeal
for Justice to Pakistani Asia Bibi and Mercy to mankind
Appeal
for Justice to Pakistani Asia Bibi and Mercy to mankind
As
peace makers, we cannot cause people to dig in their heels and take positions,
we have to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill for the ultimate good of
all. I hope, you understand the avoidance of such language in the petition.
Please
sign the Appeal for Justice to Asia Bibi and Mercy to mankind in Pakistan that
is if you agree with the content:
A Muslim’s Christmas, Huffington PostAs a One of the most frequently used words
during Christmas season is peace. Indeed, it is a reflection of the innermost
desire within each one of us, whether we are Christians or not. Christmas is an
annual milestone that intensifies the desire to have peace for oneself and for
the world.
Christmas
evokes kindness, empathy and goodness toward fellow beings; it's a euphoric
feeling of renewal that Jesus taught to the world, it is a sense of completion
one feels when he or she finds in tune with humanity. Jesus showed the way by
embracing the whole humanity regardless of who they were. He is my hero, he is
my mentor, and he is the first known pluralist on the earth. Christmas is a
celebration of that refreshed feeling.
Jesus holds
a special place in every one's heart, but particularly among Christians and
Muslims, comprising over half the population of the world.
The Muslims
call him Isa-Masih, the one who heals and one who brought life to the
dead. The name of Jesus appears 27 times in Quran and one of the 114 Chapters
is dedicated to Maryam, Mother Mary and the virgin birth.
Quraan,
Surah Al-Imran 3:49 (Asad):
"I have
come unto you with a message from your Sustainer. I shall create for you out of
clay, as it were, the shape of [your] destiny, and then breathe into it, so that
it might become [your] destiny by God's leave; and I shall heal the blind and
the leper, and bring the dead back to life by God's leave; and I shall let you
know what you may eat and what you should store up in your houses. Behold, in
all this there is indeed a message for you, if you are [truly] believers."
Indeed,
Muhammad Asad interprets it as,
"it is
probable that the 'raising of the dead' by Jesus is a metaphorical description
of his giving new life to people who were spiritually dead; cf. 6:122 - "Is
then he who was dead [in spirit], and whom We thereupon gave life, and for whom
We set up a light whereby he can see his way among men -- [is then he] like
unto one [who is lost] in darkness deep, out of which he cannot emerge?"
If this interpretation is -- as I believe -- correct, then the "healing of
the blind and the leper" has a similar significance: namely, an inner
regeneration of people who were spiritually diseased and blind to the
truth."
Following
Jesus is a tough calling.
It means we
have to be prejudice free; free from ill-will and malice, must be willing to
forgive and embrace those whom we don't like. Indeed, Jesus taught us to create
the kingdom of heaven on earth, where no human has to be apprehensive of the
other. It was the same calling by Moses, Krishna, Muhammad, Buddha, Mahavira,
Nanak, Confucius, Bahaullah, Zarathustra and all the spiritual masters from
different traditions, their mission was to bring an order in a disorderly
world, restore trust in each other with kindness care and dignity to everyone
in the society.
Christmas is
also a day of expressing our gratitude for everything we are blessed with,
least of which is breathing, ability to smell, see, touch and care. Then,
someone needs to be thanked, beginning with the creator all the way to someone
who gave you hope to live.
Christmas is
also a time to wish well to someone you don't like and benefit from the idea of
forgiveness Jesus taught. There is nothing like the feeling you get from
wishing someone well. Try it, may this Christmas bring you peace of mind and
free you from all that hurts.
As a Muslim
I will be celebrating Christmas, recommitting myself to listen to Jesus and
follow his path. And in my Islamic tradition, I will reflect on chapter 19 of
Quran, dedicated to Maryam, Mother Mary, and pray on his birthday. I will pray
that we all honor his message of creating peace and building cohesive societies
where no one has to be apprehensive of the other. Amen!
Merry
Christmas y'all.
A tribute to Jesus
What does it mean to be religious?
This column is dedicated to Rev. Petra Weldes of the
Center for Spiritual Living in Dallas. Some of my conversation with her
inspired me to write this tribute to Jesus and what it means to be religious. http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/12/tribute-to-jesus.html
When Jesus calls on us to follow him, Krishna suggests
us to surrender to him, Allah asks us to submit to his will, and every
spiritual master shares similar wisdom in one form or the other, what could
they mean?
By the way Jesus did not call on Christians
exclusively to follow him, he called on the whole humanity to follow him,
neither Allah in Qur’aan addresses Muslims, he addresses the whole universe
from the very first verse.
The bottom line: Every effort was made to pull one up
from one’s selfish interests that are a source of conflicts with other’s
selfish interests, to the larger interests of the society which paves the way
for peace and long term security of every one. The idea applies to the nations
as well, what is good for one has got to be good for others and vice-versa for
a sustainable balance in the society. No nation or we as individuals can have
advantages at the cost of others; such benefits are temporary and deleterious
to lasting peace.
Whether you are a painter, artist, poet, tailor,
sculptor, mechanic, teacher, chef, engineer, janitor, doctor or a builder, you
want your output to be good, pleasant, durable, sustainable and co-exist in
harmony with its surroundings. God is no different, like a mother, he, she or
it wants his creation to co-exist in harmony with what surrounds; life and
environment.
Through the great teachers, the creator has
communicated that wisdom to every one of the seven billion of us; for example
in one version, Krishna says whenever the balance in a society is lost
(adharma), some wise man or woman will emerge from among them and restore that
elusive balance to the society (bring righteousness - dharma). In the Qur’aan,
God says, he sent a messenger to every tribe, nation and people to create
harmony and peace among themselves.
You can see that act played out by Moses, Jesus,
Muhammad, Bahaullah, Nanak, Buddha, Mahavir, Confucius, Zarathushtra, Gandhi
and the shamans in every native, and earth based traditions. Even among
Atheists there will be one who will work on creating peace within and with
others. They all have done what a representative of Goodness (or God) ought to
do; cultivate a culture of harmony and co-existence, isn’t that religious? No
one of God's creation is left out of his grace and mercy, if we can learn to
respect the (God) given wisdom of each one of us, then conflicts fade and
solutions emerge.
Indeed, you do have a peace maker amongst you; on your
board, at your school, city council, business, church or a social club. That
one person brings the relief, just as one can bring the grief. Let's do our
individual share of good, that's all it take to bring peace on earth.
It is from this perspective; I share the thought that,
to be religious is to be a mitigator of conflicts and a nurturer of goodwill.
Each one of us has to ask ourselves every moment of the day, is my act, my
thought and my words mitigate or aggravate a conflict? Do I see the wisdom in
the teachings of the great masters? Am I religious? (One does not have to
believe in God to be religious, an Atheist can be religious in the sense, he or
she wants to create harmony by mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill).
In the name of the creator, whatever name we choose to
call or in the interests of co-existence, and in the name of our great teacher
Jesus, let’s commit to be the mitigators of conflict and nurturers of goodwill,
on his on his birthday to honor him.
Let’s believe in his message of loving even our
enemies is good for us as individuals and the society. Together, let us all see
the beauty and wisdom of his teachings without any reserve. Let’s us all
receive his message of goodness today and become religious.
Merry Christmas, May God tempt you to be religious and
to be like Jesus.
Texas Faith - Catholic bishops and civil disobedience
As Americans we have to stand up for
the rights of fellow citizens who are Catholic. Why should anyone stand up for
us, if we are not willing to do the same for others? On February 27, on Hannity
Radio, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist convention and I, a Muslim, joined
in supporting the rights of Catholics.
TEXAS FAITH: Catholic bishops and civil disobedience
How far should people of faith go in
resisting laws they consider immoral. Eleven Texas Faith panelists weigh in. Here is one:
Indeed, the religious
liberty of Catholics is under attack. If a compromise is not reached and the
proposed law is not acceptable to the people, we have to challenge it and go
all the way to the Supreme Court to check the constitutionality of it. If not
that, we need to get Congress to work on rectifying it.
As Americans we have to
stand up for the rights of fellow citizens who are Catholic. Why should anyone
stand up for us, if we are not willing to do the same for others? On February
27, on Hannity Radio, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist convention and I, a
Muslim, joined in supporting the rights of Catholics.
Unlike the monarchies,
dictatorships and communist forms of government, where the rulers decide what
is good for the subjects, we the people decide what is good for us.
We are a nation of laws, and
our systems are well equipped to handle injustice and the unlawful laws, but
are nonchalant towards valuing civil disobedience. The dissipation of the
Occupy Movement is indicative of our attitudes.
Civil disobedience worked
for Mahatma Gandhi and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., because of
immorality of the laws of the time. And it would work again if the Supreme
Court were unwilling to consider the plea and Congress was not willing to fix
it.
The Supreme Court has done
well in checking the legality of the issues and has knocked out the popular
sentimental California and Oklahoma propositions in the interest of justice.
The coerciveness of the
government occurs when we the people are not collectively represented in the
pursuit of our happiness. And it is our failure, rather than the failure of our
government, to ignore the checks and balances built into our system.
Every American must feel a
sense of security, safety and freedom. It is in our long-term interest to build
a cohesive America, with liberty and justice for all.
Go to Dallas Morning News to read all the opinions: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/04/texas-faith-catholic-bishops-a.html
Iran’s death penalty for Christian pastor violates treaties, Koran
Indeed there is
absolutely no punishment for apostasy in Quraan; one is free to become a Muslim
and free to leave the faith. After all no one is to bear the burden of the
other, he alone is responsible for his belief.
A majority of Muslim
scholars believe that there is no punishment for apostasy, but cannot their act
together to issue a joint statement to put an end to this non-sense that keeps
coming up every few years. In the last decade there have been a few known
cases, one was Lina Joy in Malaysia and the other was Abdul Rahman in
Afghanistan, both were dismissed due to international pressure. We need the
same now for Youcef Nadarkhani.
Let people have the freedom to choose what they want to believe, it is
really none of any one’s business, indeed on the day of Judgment, God is clear
about it – you alone are responsible for your deeds. Prophet Muhammad told his
own daughter that she will not get a free pass to paradise because she is
daughter of the prophet; she has to earn it through good deeds.
In the comment section of the article some one brought up the
abrogation theories and challenged the author. Indeed, in essence abrogation theorists state that
God goofed up badly, he says one thing and then comes back and says, "Oh,
I don't mean that, here take this new and improved verse and ignore what I said
before." God does not make mistakes, what he says he means it. We have to
go deeper and understand it rather than taking a short cut of abrogation.
I hope and pray that
the Muslim scholars and Imams speak up and stop the misinformed from abusing
the religion. Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq has put together a site on the topic,
please read it and if you are a Imam or a scholar, kindly sign it. http://apostasyandislam.blogspot.com/
And I hope to put a petition together, unless someone
has done it already, in which case we urge Muslims and non-Muslims to sign the
petition and urge the Iranian clerics to release Yocef Nadarkhani.
Muslims condemn Blasphemy attack in Kerala
Evil continues to thrive, when good people do nothing
about it. Our role as Muslims is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill and
work towards building social cohesion, so all the humanity can co-exist in
harmony.
The Muslims in India have taken the right action and
the story is appended here below.
We condemn the barbaric acts of these men without any
reservation.
As Muslims we render our apology to T. J. Joseph and
his family and condemn this act of arrogance.
We urge the Muslims in Enarkulam district to help find
these criminals and ask them to apologize and restore the damages and pay the
medical expenses of the professor. We hope they make a point to pray for
goodwill in the Juma prayers.
Prophet Muhammad has taught us to pray for the
goodwill of the people when one is harassed. It is our responsibility to
extinguish this spark before gaining any more momentum and bring peace to the
communities in the area.
Where
is the Muslim outrage?
As a Muslim I am outraged at this
nonsense going on in Sudan and Saudi Arabia.
When Prophet Muhammad’s cartoons
were published, few Muslims around the world were outraged to the point of
becoming destructive. They burned the embassy in Syria and destroyed property
elsewhere. Their contention was that the Prophet cannot be contained in an
image, they were right about it, but were dead wrong on destroying property, it
went against the very principles taught by the Prophet “to forgive the wrong
doers”. Not enough of us were outraged against those criminals to make a
difference.
Ms. Gibbons affectionately called
the Teddy bear "Muhammad" and the fanatics cry foul. The
silent majority needs to step up and condemn the
individuals and the government of Sudan for treating a lady for her benevolence
in such an ugly manner. She probably would not have named, had she known the
cultural sensitivities about the name of Prophet Muhammad. Just for naming the
bear she is sentenced to Jail for 15 days.
On the top of that, the shameless
Government of Sudan takes pride in reducing her sentence to 15 days in Jail
with no lashes! For God's sake she did not even commit a crime to be punished
or the sentence to be reduced. She did not insult the prophet either. As a Muslim,
I admire her gesture. However, out of reverence, Muslims do not name any one
but humans with a name like that. It is a time honored tradition.
Prophet Muhammad would be saddened
with the behavior of this insane mob. Some of them came out waving swords and
demanding the death of Ms. Gibbons. They forgot that their prophet had
inculcated values of treating one's guest with full dignity and honor. Where is
the Muslim outrage on going against the traditions of prophet?
When the Buddha Statue, a world
heritage monument was destroyed in Pakistan last month, a few of us jumped, but
where was the Muslim outrage?
When the Buddhist Monks were locked
up in Burma, where was the Muslim outrage?
What is good for the goose has got
to be good for the gander. The third Caliph Omar punished his own son against a
complaint from a Jewish businessman; such was the sense of Justice. Where is
that sense of justice and fairness now?
Mirza Beg writes, “…a woman in
Saudi Arabia was gang-raped. She was seen in a car with a person not of her
family. She was also found guilty along with the rapists and recommended
punishment under the Saudi Law.”
That was not bad enough, when she
appealed to the Media, her punishment was doubled because she made it public.
Where is the Muslim outrage? Why aren’t the Muslims jamming the phone lines of
Saudi Embassies around the world?
Why aren’t the Muslims decrying the
Saudis for calling it an Islamic Law? It ain’t, it is their bizarre shameless
law of men who do not follow their own religion of peace.
The ones who forgive are the
dearest to the lord. Where is this verse buried?
There were members of the state
legislature in India who publicly called to kill
a heretic, and there was a cleric who offered a bounty for killing the same
heretic. Where is the Muslim outrage against these criminals?
God says “Killing one human is like
killing the whole humanity”. Why isn’t this verse evoked?
Darfur
is bleeding, where is the Muslim outrage?
The time has come for the Muslims
to speak up; the silent majority needs to speak up, and let their outrage be
known.
No doubt, the ones who express
their outrage are not given the outlet. The media does not see sensationalism
in this. At the world Muslim Congress
we will continue to compile the outrage expressed my Muslims around the world.
I urge the media to give voice to
the Muslims who speak up. It gives hopes to the mankind, whether we are
Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists or Zoroastrians, we face
the common enemy – ignorance. Ignorance displayed by super literate people as
well as illiterate.
I request Muslims around the globe
to send the material to wmcArchives@gmail.com
to be added into this Blog and eventually the Website http://www.worldmuslimcongress.com/
Afghan blasphemy case
Spokesman says Karzai has last word in Afghan
blasphemy case
February 6th, 2008, filed by Tom Heneghan
Mike Ghouse Note: It takes conviction to
do the right thing and one must subscribe to the idea of nothing but truth.
Karzai needs to pardon, rather, apologize for his governments infringement of
individual liberty. There is no compulsion in Islam and one needs to be free to
practice what one believes.
Reports so far about the death penalty against
journalist Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh have said that President Hamid Karzai could
pardon him if the sentence is upheld by the Afghan courts. Now, a presidential
spokesman has said that the president must confirm or reject any death sentence
before it is imposed. So if this case goes down to the wire, Karzai will have
to decide one way or the other. That sounds positive for Kambakhsh, because
Karzai (no matter what he thinks about the verdict) is presumably open to
pressure from Western allies not to carry out the sentence.
Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak has said he
doubts Kambakhsh will be executed. There has been a demonstration in Kabul
demanding freedom for the young journalist, whose brother Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi
wrote an article for IWPR about it.
This new twist comes a few days after the Afghan Senate
withdrew its statement of support for the death sentence on blasphemy charges
for Kambakhsh. A spokesman said simply that the publication of the statement
was “a technical error.” Actually, the Senate has no authority to approve or
reject a court decision, so it had no business commenting on the verdict in the
first place.
The case is back at square one, with Kambakhsh working
through the appeals court and possibly the Supreme Court. But these
developments show how easily this case can flip and flop. It recalls the tussle
in the 2006 case of Abdul Rahman, a convert from Islam to Christianity who
eventually had to go into exile in Italy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The World Muslim Congress is driven by the Qur'an,
Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female,
and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest
of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is
Aware." Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through
inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our
efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the
humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. No one should have
advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious
to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for
the world, and vice versa, to sustain it. Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill
amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender,
race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator.
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
Building Respect for Christmas
A handful of Jews, Muslims and others show
belligerence towards the celebration of Christmas and have vandalized Christmas
trees, shame on them. The good news is that they are less than 1/100th of 1% of
any given group. There will always be a few among (every one) us who are
bellicosive towards others. Are you and I any better than them? If we are, our
attitudes should not mirror them; instead it should be what can we do to make
the world a better place? What can we do to change instead of aggravating it?
This article appeared in Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/building-respect-this-chr_b_801103.html
The public is as guilty as the media when
it comes to what gets currency; it is a vicious circle and has to be
consciously chucked. The media mirrors the stories generated by less than
1/100th of 1% of population and dumps on the rest of the population as though
it is ‘their’ story, and the public on the other hand has not demonstrated
their support for good news and scrutiny.
We all need to work on building respect for each
others celebrations. On NPR this morning, there was a Christian Radio
broadcaster who was telling that in Bethlehem they cannot talk any thing that
amounts to proselytizing. There was a Muslim chap in Seattle who was plotting
to destroy the Christmas tree, and here is a Jewish Mayor in Nazareth refusing to
allow Christmas tree in the town square. Some idiot somewhere around the world
will continue to do this non-sense. Just hold on to your emotions; let’s avoid
stereotyping their nations, religions or ethnicities.
A Christian lady in Pakistan is charged up with
blasphemy; she said bad things about Islam because she was called names when
she was drawing water from the lake and they pushed on her patience. A few
among Hindus in India will harm some trees, and a few among Christians in
America will do something stupid to frighten others. I am sure; you will find
this fanaticism in every corner of the world where a few from the majority
communities acts like bullies. No nation or religion can cast the first stone,
a truth said by Jesus long time ago.
Once again, I request you to ask your Pastors to find
ways to mitigate conflicts and not flare it up in their sermons.
Just as Jesus symbolized love for the humanity;
Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, Mahavira, Nanak, Bahaullah,
Zarathustra and others whether we know them or not, had dedicated their whole
lives to build social cohesion through justice.
This article is to bring awareness that the media’s
reporting is statistically insignificant, and assure fellow inhabitants of the
world who are Christians, to understand and resist the temptation to hold Jews
or Muslim responsible for the acts of a few bad men.
As a Muslim I celebrate the message of Jesus and his
birth as I would celebrate and honor Prophet Muhammad, Krishna, Buddha…. and
others who have worked diligently to bring peace, justice and harmony to the
societies. It would be smallness in me to deny their work for humanity. They
wanted nothing but goodness for humanity and their messages was for every one,
not any one in particular. The Quraan begins addressing the Universal Lord and
closes with Humanity. Same thing can be said about Bhagvad Gita and many a holy
scriptures.
Jesus did not preach to Christians, he preached to the
whole humanity. He is my hero, my teacher and my mentor along with all those
great teachers and today, on his birthday, I will do everything I can to
propagate his message of peace on earth without becoming a member of any
private club. May God bring us all peace as a gift on this Christmas. Amen!
Here is my singular wish for this Christmas; it is to
follow the path of Jesus. It means to be like him, to be prejudice free; to be
free from ill-will and malice, to forgive and embrace those whom we don't like.
I wish us to be free from all bias. My full wish is at - http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-singular-wish-for-christmas.html
Amen
Citizenship,
Islam and America
Law is one
thing and practice is the other. As an American and as a Muslim, I have to be
critical of both groupings and work toward creating cohesive societies where no
citizen has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. Here is a
summary of 2011 and what we can aspire for 2012.
Muslim
Chapter
First of
all, let's look at the bigotry prevalent in Muslim majority nations and then we
will come to America. Prophet Muhammad delivered this message in his last
sermon: "All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over
a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no
superiority over black nor does a black have any superiority over white except
by piety and good action." He inculcated those values in Muslim rituals,
like the prayers where there is no distinction between the king and the pauper,
scholar or an illiterate and all of them stand in the same line in the Mosque
with no reserved or privileged space for any.
However,
those values have not penetrated into the psyche of "all" Muslims in
Muslim majority nations. The majority remains silent while their minorities are
harassed. The violations are not a daily occurrence, but even a few should not
be acceptable, it is a reflection on the entire society. Every other month in
Pakistan we hear abduction of Hindu women, forced conversions; every other year
blasphemy charges are leveled against Christians and every week the basic human
rights are denied to fellow Muslims (Shia and Ahmadiyya) by the evangelical
version of Muslims in Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia
does not allow any public congregations of people of other faiths who work
there, thank God that is the only nation compared to 55 other Muslim majority
nations. Iran routinely harasses the Baha'is, Zoroastrians and occasionally
Jews, and now we have a case of Christian pastor charged with apostasy which
goes against the very grain of Islam: "There shall not be any compulsion
in matters of faith" (Quran 2:256). Malaysia and Indonesia have a few
scars on their nations and the radicals in Egypt are messing with centuries old
pluralistic tradition by attacking the Coptic Christians, shamelessly the
Catholic Church in Nigeria was attacked around Christmas. While this is
happening there a lot of good things happening as well in other Muslim majority
nations that should not be discounted.
The good
news is that an overwhelming majority of Muslims don't like what's happening
when someone sticks Islam to the bad acts of a few criminals. An endless number
of Muslims and Muslim organizations are condemning these acts unequivocally;
the ones who don't see these condemnations are the ones accusing Muslims for
doing nothing and those few boisterous ones are in every group including Jews,
Christians, Hindus and others.
American
Chapter
And now,
let's turn to the bigotry prevalent in democracies including our own Good ole
US of A. Just like Prophet Muhammad spoke in his last sermon to create cohesive
societies, our founding fathers laid the ground work for a society where no
American has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other: "We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
However,
those values have not penetrated into the psyche of "all" Americans
or others in Christian majority nations. The majority remains silent while
their minorities are harassed. The violations are not a daily occurrence, but
even a few should not be acceptable, it is a reflection on the entire society.
We have come
a long ways in believing women and African men are equal as well, we have ways
to go before we can fully value our constitution.
Switzerland
bans Minarets, a symbol of Muslim place of worship; France forces women not to
wear the burqa while the other Brutes Taliban force women to wear burqas. We
should speak up against these extremists. The few in Germany, Netherlands and
other nations continue to harass their minorities, Muslims or otherwise.
At home here
in the United States, we hear anti-Semitic comments fairly regularly; the
swastika is on some one's home or the other. Every week we hear bigotry spewing
out of a few elected ones in Congress and Senate and even our presidential
candidates want us to be like Saudi Arabia to have moral police to beat up on
the gays and lesbians. Every week the self proclaimed hypocritical guardians of
liberty and less government want to regulate what a woman can and cannot do
with her body, and a few want to regulate who can marry who. A few shameless
Pastors go on the rampage of calling Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and
others "cults." These men and women are divisive and hurting
American's one nationess.
Every day
the stories of racism and Islamophobia are in the news. The few damned politicians
and the pastors have the uncanny ability to dupe a few gullible ones among us
to join them in their hatred of others, purely for political and financial
gains. Remember, they are the ones to gain and not you the general public.
Muslims cannot build a mosque, they cannot practice their faith and the
radicals have forced and threatened the advertisers to pull out advertisements
from a reality TV show that depicted average day to day Muslims, they'd rather
it show the terrorism than good things about Americans.
The good
news is that an overwhelming majority of Americans don't like what's happening
when a "few" pastors and the politicians spew hate. An endless number
of Americans and civic organizations are condemning these acts unequivocally;
the ones who don't see the condemnations are right wingers among Muslims.
Is this the
America we want?
Martin
Luther King Jr. expressed that in his speech, "I have a dream that our
little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by
the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Chief Seattle,
a Native American said this perfectly, "All things are connected. Whatever
befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of
life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to
himself."
1. What are
you and I doing to preserve that web?
2. What are
our initiatives?
3. What are
the divisive issues?
4. How would
we allay the prevalent phobias and fears?
5. What is
your vision for America?
John F
Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do
for your country." We hope to capture your responses in a moving story
about America.
What Can You
Do?
Whether you
are with your family, friends or alone, you can make your new year meaningful
and reflective. For many years, I have set aside two hours on New Year's Eve
and focused on different aspects of my life and found a lot of peace and
tranquility in knowing who I am and what I want out of life. In those two
hours, I allow nothing else to crawl on to my mind.
The aspects
of life I would deliberate would be my role and the role of family, friends,
budget, income, travel, gratitude, freedom, society and America in and around
my life. Make your own list and at the end of the two hours, you will find
relief, comfort and a sense of purpose in life.
What kind of
America do you want?
Are you
willing to do your share of in preserving the freedom and liberties of the
individuals at home and abroad? The least you can do is to speak up when the
politicians and the rogues amongst us are bent on pitting one American against
the other through their statements and comments. Do those statements bring
Americans together or divide and weaken our nation?
The least
you can do it write a comment on a blog or news paper, or tell friends that
there is another point of view to consider? Would you make a genuine effort to
see another point of view?
On my part I
am committed to building a cohesive America, and have laid out the outline at
America Together Foundation. Together we can do our share of work in creating a
better America and a better world, so that you and I to can live without
apprehension discomfort and fear of the other.
Happy New
Year! Let is bring hope and inspire us to do our share of good in keeping
America beautiful.
Religious Freedom, International Coalition
Press
release follows my note.
One of the
most beautiful things religions teach us is living for the sake of others;
seriously, when we are concerned about ourselves, and each one of us becomes
utterly selfish, and care about ourselves in the moments of our strength, what
happens to us in our vulnerable moments?
Religions help
us sustain peace and balance in the society in the times of our spiritual,
physical and societal ups and downs. Living for the sake of others is not a
charity or even a noble thing to brag about; it is indeed the pragmatic thing
to do.
There is a
joy in doing “good” to others and we have plenty of opportunities every day of
our life, we need to be unselfish to serve our selfish interests. Here is an
opportunity to support the religiously persecuted in Japan. The least we can do
is sign a petition, would you put your name if we present it to you?
Mike Ghouse
is a frequent guest at the media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of
the day. He is a thinker, writer, speaker, optimist and an activist of
Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam, India and Civil Societies.
His work is reflected at 3 websites & 22 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/
PRESS
RELEASE
http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/04/religious-freedom-international.html
Japanese Unificationists Believed to Be Resisting Confinement
Press
Contact:
Japanese
Unificationists Believed to Be Resisting Confinement
It is
believed that three young Japanese Unification Church members who went
missing
several months ago are enduring psychological harassment after having been
confined and held against their will because of their faith, according to Mr.
Shunsuke Uotani, a Unification Church member and vice-secretary general of the
Universal Peace Federation in Japan. These missing members are Momoyo Yamada
(31, kidnapped Sept. 18, 2009), Fusako Tomoda (22, kidnapped Jan. 15, 2010),
and Yoshiko Majima (31, kidnapped Feb. 7, 2010).
However, it
is believed that professional faithbreakers were successful in persuading Yuko
Majima (60, confined since October, 2009), Masako Kudo (35, confined for nearly
2 years), and Takashi Nishikawa (26, confined in August, 2009) to renounce
their faith. These persons were reported to be under confinement on
www.Familyfed.org on Feb. 2, 2010.
“We have
determined that they are not under detention. They indicated that they
renounced their faith -- although we do not know whether their statements are
true or disguised,” Mr. Uotani tells familyfed.org by email.
Some
Unificationists held against their will have pretended to renounce their
beliefs in order to escape confinement. Mr. Toru Goto, held by his family for
more than 12 years, signed such renunciation letters. Mr. Goto is currently the
president of the Japanese Victims' Association Against Religious Kidnapping and
Forced Conversion and has spoken out frequently during the last year against
the scandal of selective enforcement of the law protecting Japanese citizens
from kidnapping. He revealed in 2008 that his family had starved him almost to
death during the last year of confinement in an effort to break his will.
Mr. Goto and
other victims gave their testimonies to representatives of human-rights
organizations meeting at the recently-concluded 13th Session of the Human
Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, according to Rev. Peter Zoehrer, an
official of the Vienna-based Forum for Religious Freedom. Several victims also
have been interviewed by U.S. government officials in Japan.
Since 1969
more than 4,300 members of the Unification Church have been kidnapped and
confined by misguided relatives and opponents of the church, according to Mr.
Dan Fefferman, President of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom.
Some of the victims have been beaten, sexually assaulted or tortured while in
captivity.
Mr. Goto’s
public awareness campaign has motivated his opponents to publish their
counter-attack in the April issue of Monthly Times, a Japanese news magazine.
In the article, Mr. Yoshifu Arita, an independent journalist, reports his
roundtable discussion with three veteran critics of the Unification Church:
Prof. Sadao Asami, a professor of religion who also describes himself as a cult
expert, Mr. Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a lawyer and Mr. Takashi Miyamura, professional
anti-cult activist who attempted to break Mr. Toru Goto. Monthly Times did not
contact Mr. Goto or any other Unification Church member for comment. All
participants in the discussion deny that kidnapping and confinement of
Unificationists takes place as charged by Mr. Goto. Prof. Asami speculates in
the article that Mr. Goto falsely claims that he was starved while in
confinement, suggesting that Mr. Goto starved himself.
The journal
has been denounced by Japanese-speaking residents of the United States who have
endured kidnapping and psychological torture at the hands of professional
faithbreakers in Japan. Mr. Hiroshi Jimbo, a Japanese member of the Unification
Church residing in New Jersey tells familyfed.org that the article is
unbalanced and misleading. Mr. Jimbo heads an organization of U.S. residents
who survived coercive conversion in Japan and who are demanding that the U.S.
government investigate the kidnapping scandal in Japan.
“As the
representative of U.S. Victim Association, when I read the article, I was
amazed at the attitude of those featured in the Times,” Mr. Jimbo tells
Familyfed.org. “They asserted their innocence that there was no evidence of
confinement, but it is a fact that I and many of my fellow Unificationists have
experienced the physical confinement where the only exit is to give up the
faith and surrender,” he added.
Mr. Jimbo
continued: “Inside the closed room, abuse and assault are taking place, even there
are cases of harassment or rape., Some of victims suffer Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome. Some ended up committing suicide. The promoters of this coercion need
to hide such matters, which is why they made this article,” he commented.
Dan
Fefferman, President, ICRF
7245 Hanover
Parkway, Suite A
Greenbelt,
MD 20770-3607
Email:
dfeff@aol.com
www.religiousfreedom.com
Muslim-Christian dialogue: An Islamic view
OMG! I am
humbled to read the following piece, what a coincidence! The words, phrases,
sentences and ideas are idential to what I have been writing. I would be
shocked if this author has written that Prophet Muhammad was the first
interfaith dialoguer and that the role of a Muslim is to mitigate conflicts and
nurture goodwill, and the purpose of religion is to bring peace and balance
within an individual and what surround him; life and matter. The last paragraph
has been part of my writings for the last five years.
The article
lays out the basics of interfaith dialogue, something Prophet Muhammad had laid
it out some 1400 years ago. Yes Sir, Islam is about harmonious co-existence.
Mike Ghouse
~~~~~~~~~~
Muslim-Christian
dialogue: An Islamic view
By Dr. Ahmad
Mohamed El Tayeb
president,
Al-Azhar University in Cairo
For Muslims,
peaceful coexistence is an obligation rather than a matter of choice. Prophet
Muhammad was not only encouraged
to engage
the followers of Islam, Judaism and Christianity - the three monotheistic religions
- in meaningful dialogue; he was commanded to do so.
This week in
Washington, leaders of different Muslim and Christian faiths came together to
discuss reconciliation between Islam and the Christian West at the
Christian-Muslim Summit. I was honored to be a part of this dialogue and to
join a myriad voices, from eminent religious leaders to the general public, to
discuss ways to work together to promote peace efforts worldwide.
The 2007
open letter signed by 138 Muslim leaders, "A Common Word," has paved
the way towards better understanding of religious diversity amongst Muslims. It
opens with a line that best summarizes the Islamic position on interfaith
dialogue: "Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair
exhortation, and contend with them in the fairest way." (Ayah 125 of Surat
Al-Nahl).
The Qur'anic
command is also very clear on this topic: "Say: O People of the Book: Come
to an agreement between us and you, that we worship none but God, and that we
shall ascribe no partners to Him, and that none of us shall take others for
lords beside God. And if they decline (your invitation for dialogue), then say:
Bear witness that we shall (continue to) submit to God in Islam" (Al-Imran:
64). According to the Qur'an, interfaith dialogue should be proactively
initiated by Muslims.
There are
two important tenets to emphasize about the Islamic viewpoint on interfaith
dialogue:
• The
purpose of interfaith dialogue is not to necessarily conclude with a winner and
a loser or to convert others, but rather to share one's principles. Sincere
dialogue should strengthen a person's faith and at the same time break down
barriers.
• Dialogue
must not be confined to academic and intellectual circles. Its purpose is to
demystify religious differences to everyday people and to uncover the words of
truth that frequently get buried under human biases and tendencies to follow
that which is convenient. Dialogue can only lead people to examine their
religious identities more deeply.
With regard
to interfaith dialogue and understanding taking place on an institutional
level, al-Azhar University, the oldest, most respected and influential Sunni
institution of higher education in the world, has long been active in reaching
out to other religious communities, both within the Islamic world and on the
international stage. This spirit of dialogue is evident in the fatwas, or
rulings, of Al-Azhar Sheikhs, as well as in the activities of its scholars.
For example,
in 1959, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mahmud Shaltut issued a fatwa proclaiming that
the school of thought followed by Shiite Muslims is acceptable to Sunnis,
bringing about a new era of dialogue and cooperation between the sects. Pope
John Paul II visited Al-Azhar in 2000 after which a Muslim Catholic commission
for dialogue that continues to meet regularly was founded.
More
recently, in 2007, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, the head of Dar al-Ifta, one of
the world's leading centers of Islamic authority, was a primary signatory of
the "A Common Word" initiative which called for dialogue between
Muslims and Christians based on the principles of love of God and love of
neighbor. In a series of conferences based on this initiative, the Grand Mufti
and other Muslim scholars from around the world have met with Christian leaders
in the U.S, the UK, and with the Pope at the Vatican, where they discussed the
importance of interfaith dialogue based on authentic scholarship and brotherly
love.
Moreover,
Al-Azhar University does not limit its involvement on the issue of interfaith
dialogue to members of different faiths, but engages those within the Muslim
community itself. Last year, Al-Azhar University devoted its annual
international alumni conference to the theme of interfaith dialogue. The
conference, which brought together former students from Egypt and around the
Muslim World, explored the sources of inter-communal tension around the globe
and stressed the importance of awareness of the common values shared by all the
great faiths of the world.
It is not
religion that is the root cause of world problems, as some people may want to
assert, but rather the misunderstanding of religion that ends up plaguing the
world. Interfaith dialogue can certainly serve to bring about a higher level of
understanding of different religions on a global level, which will also
hopefully lead to more tolerance, acceptance of others, and appreciation for
all humanity.
Dr. Ahmad
Mohamed El Tayeb is president of Cairo's Al-Azhar University and served as one
of the principals in the Christian-Muslim Summit in Washington on March 1-3,
2010.
By Ahmad
Mohamed El Tayeb March 4, 2010; 2:37 PM
. . . . . .
Top Muslim Declares All Christians 'Infidels
|
Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar University, Ali Gomaa
|
It is quite possible, the Grand Mufti of
Al-Azhar university Ali Gomaa did not say anything like the alleged words listed
below. These guys at Middle East Forum may have cooked it up. They have done it
before and that is their business. I recall two blatant mis-translations they
chose not to correct. Their audience is the rich guys who write big checks and
facts don't matter to them.
****** I have received clarification from the Mufti, his words were
twisted by MEMRI to suit their fund raising needs by falsifying the truth.. I
will add the response asap - Mike Ghouse
Here is another point of view to explore.
On the other hand, if Mufti Gomaa is calling the
Christians (or any one) infidels he is wrong. Indeed, the word Kafir is not the
problems as long as it means denier of my version of truth; otherwise it is
used as a denigrative word. There is a great example set by Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) when the other side did not accept his signature as Muhammad, the
messenger of God on the peace treaty, as they did not believe he was a prophet.
What did the Prophet do? He understood their point of view and changed the name
to Muhammad son of Abdullah for the sake of peace and for the sake of creating
a model, where we learn to accept the otherness of other.
Quraan recommends one to tell the truth, but it does
not permit one to condemn other faiths. It amounts to inviting others to
denigrate you. It is clear in Sura Kafirun, to you is your faith and to me is
my faith without putting each others faith down. Each one of the six verses
teaches one to treat the other with respect. (http://quraan-today.blogspot.com/2008/07/sura-kafirun-un-believers.html)
The word Islam is derived from the word peace which is
beautifully explained in the parenthesis of 5:16 below by Asad. As Muslims, we
claim Islam means peace… obviously it is not to Sheikh Gomaa bent on making
declarations that have unintended consequences to destroy peace between the
communities.
2:62
(Asad) VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well
as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians [49]
-all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds-shall have
their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither
shall they grieve. [50]
5:69
(Asad) for, verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as
well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, [86] and the
Christians - all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds -
no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.
There are bad dudes in every religion. Falwell,
Robertson, Jeffress and others in Christianity make other Christians cringe; a
few Rabbis do the same and the Right wingers among Hindus are no saner. The sad
part is they all have a following.
Most things from Middle East Forum and David Horowitz
are driven by money; they have to paint Islam as a villain to earn their bucks.
They have deliberately misrepresented the translation or perhaps used one of
the two wrong translations to make their buck. The translation in the article
for 5:16 is blatantly anti-Christian, whereas, it is not the case in actual
Quraan translation I have quoted below.
5:16 (Asad) through which God shows unto all that seek His goodly acceptance the
paths leading to salvation [29] and, by His grace, brings them out of the depths of
darkness into the light and guides them onto a straight way. [(The word salaam,
here rendered as' "salvation", has no proper equivalent in the
English language. It denotes inner peace, soundness and security from evil of
any kind, both physical and spiritual, and the achievement of what, in
Christian terminology, is described as "salvation": with the
difference, however, that the Christian concept of salvation presupposes the
existence of an a-priori state of sinfulness, which is justified in
Christianity by the doctrine of "original sin", but is not justified
in Islam, which does not subscribe to this doctrine. Consequently, the term
"salvation" - which I am using here for want of a better word- does
not adequately convey the full meaning of salaam. Its nearest equivalents in
Western languages would be the German Heil or the French salut, both of which
express the idea of spiritual peace and fulfillment without being necessarily
(i.e., linguistically) connected with the Christian doctrine of salvation.(Quran Ref: 5:16 )]
5:17 (Asad) Indeed, the truth deny they who say,
"Behold, God is the Christ, son of Mary." Say: "And who could
have prevailed with God in any way had it been His will to destroy the Christ,
son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone who is on earth-all of them? For,
God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them; He creates what He wills: and God has the power to will anything!"
5:18 (Asad) And [both] the Jews and the Christians say, "We are God's children,
[30] and His beloved ones." Say: "Why, then, does
He cause you to suffer for your sins? Nay, you are but human beings of His
creating. He forgives whom He wills, and He causes to suffer whom He wills: for
God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between
them, and with Him is all journeys' end." [Cf. Exodus iv, 22-23
("Israel is My son"), Jeremiah xxxi, 9 ("I am a father to
Israel"), and the many parallel expressions in the Gospels.(Quran Ref: 5:18 )]
As a Muslim I condemn the efforts of Mr. Gomaa in
creating chaos and conflicts, principally wrong approach to building societies
where peace prevails
Mike Ghouse
Committed to cohesive societies
# # #
Top Muslim Declares All Christians 'Infidels'
by Raymond Ibrahim
http://www.meforum.org/3085/muslim-declares-christians-infidels
To what extent was Egypt's Maspero massacre,
wherein the military literally mowed
down Christian Copts
protesting the ongoing destruction of their churches, a product of
anti-Christian sentiment?
A video of Egypt's Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Gomaa
(or Gom'a), which began circulating weeks before the massacre, helps elucidate.
While holding that Muslims may coexist with Christians (who, as dhimmis, have
rights), Gomaa categorized Christians as kuffar
— "infidels"
— a word that connotes "enemies," "evil-doers," and every
bad thing to Muslim ears.
Gomaa then offered a hypothetical dialogue between Christians and
Muslims to illustrate Islam's proper position:
Christians: You have the wrong idea about us; we don't worship the
Christ.
Muslims: Okay, fine; we were under the wrong impression — but, by the way: "Infidels are those
who declare God is the Christ, son of Mary."
Christians: But these are philosophical matters that we are unable
to explain.
Muslims: Okay, fine; God is one—but, by the way: "Infidels are those who declare God is the
Christ, son of Mary."
As a graduate of and long-time professor at Al Azhar university
and Grand Mufti of Egypt (a position second in authority only to Sheikh Al
Azhar), Ali Gomaa represents mainstream Islam's — not "radical
Islam's" or "Islamism's" — position concerning the
"other," in this case, Christians. Regardless, many in the West hail
him as a "moderate" — such as this U.S. News article titled "Finding the Voices of Moderate Islam"; Lawrence Wright
describes him as "a highly promoted champion of moderate Islam":
He is the kind of cleric the West longs for, because of his
assurances that there is no conflict with democratic rule and no need for
theocracy. Gomaa has also become an advocate for Muslim women, who he says
should have equal standing with men.
How does one reconcile such sunny characterizations with reality?
The fact is, whenever top Muslim authorities like Gomaa say something that can
be made to conform to Western ideals, Westerners jump on it (while of course
ignoring their more "extreme" positions). It is the same with Gomaa's
alma mater, Al Azhar, the
"chief center of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world."
MEMRI, for instance, recently published a report titled "The
Sheikh of Al Azhar in an Exceptionally Tolerant Article: Christianity, Judaism
Share Basic Tenets of Islam." Of course, the day after this report appeared, this same sheikh — Islam's most
authoritative figure — insisted that the American ambassador wear a hijab when meeting him: just as Muslim "radicals" compel
Christian girls to
wear the hijab, "moderate" Al Azhar compels U.S. diplomats.
In short, yes, many religions "share basic tenets," but
they are secondary to the differences, which are more final and define the
relationship. Or, to put it in Ali Gomaa's paradigm: Fine, Christianity and
Islam have commonalities — but, by
the way: "Infidels are those who declare God is the Christ, son of
Mary."
The fact is, this Quranic verse is as much a cornerstone of
Islam's view of Christianity as the unity of God and Christ is a cornerstone of
Christianity, articulated some 1700 years ago in the Nicene Creed. The issue is
clear cut for all involved.
Accordingly, how can one fault Gomaa? As Grand Mufti, he is simply
being true to Islam's teachings. Indeed, his consistency is more commendable
than the equivocations of Western ecumencalists who, by falling over themselves
to assure Muslims that they all essentially believe in the same things,
demonstrate, especially to Muslims, that they believe in nothing.
Incidentally, if Gomaa upholds the plain teachings of the Quran
concerning who is an infidel, is it not fair to assume he also upholds the Quran's teachings on
how to confront them, as commanded in Quran 9: 29: "Fight … the People
of the Book [Jews and Christians] until they pay the Jizya [tribute] with
willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." Of course, prudent
Muslims, undoubtedly like Gomaa himself, know that now is not the time to
talk openly about such things.
Either way, here is another reminder of how Quranic verses and
terms that Western people brush aside as arcane or irrelevant have a tremendous
impact on current events — such as Egypt's Maspero massacre: For the same
word Gomaa, the nation's Grand Mufti, used to describe Christians is the same
word Muslim soldiers used when they opened fire on and ran over Christian
Copts; the same word twenty Muslim soldiers used as they tortured a protesting
Christian; and the same word Muslims hurled at Christians during the funeral procession
for their loved ones slain at Maspero: Infidel.
Raymond Ibrahim, author of The Al Qaeda Reader, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz
Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Ninth
Church Vandalized in Malaysia
We appeal
the Malaysian Government to reign in this immediately.
The 2nd
Caliph had set and example of defending places of worship and Prophet Muhammad
assured every one of his community freedom of religion. This is anti-Islamic
activity and must be stopped at once. - Mike Ghouse
Ninth Church
Vandalized in Malaysia as Tensions Rise
BANGKOK — A
ninth church was vandalized Monday in Malaysia in a series of arson attacks
that have raised religious tensions surrounding a dispute over the use of the
word “Allah” by Christians in this mostly Muslim nation.
“Allah” is
the common term for God in Malay-language Bibles, but the government and many
Muslim groups insist that the word should be reserved for use in Islam.
The attacks,
which began on Friday, came after a court ruling on Dec. 31 that overturned a
government ban on the use of “Allah” by Christians. That ruling has been stayed
while the government appeals.
Only one of
the churches has been seriously damaged, and some of the attacks were minor. In
Monday’s attack, the Sidang Injil Borneo Church in the central state of Negeri
Sembilan was slightly damaged when its door was burned, according to local
reports.
Government
officials condemned the violence Monday but defended their position, saying
conditions are different in Malaysia from those in neighboring Indonesia or in
Arab nations where “Allah” is the common term for God.
“These
outrageous incidents are acts of extremism and designed to weaken our diverse
communities’ shared commitment to strengthen racial unity,” The Home Ministry
secretary, Gen. Mahmood Adam, told reporters after briefing foreign diplomats
on the situation.
“They don’t
understand the situation here,” he said of the diplomats. “They just want to
know why it can be allowed in other countries and not here.”
He said he
told them: “Be fair, you have to compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges.
Our landscape is different from other countries. Malays here are different from
other countries. The landscape here is different from Indonesia so we can’t
compare.”
The violence
has strained relations among Malays, who are mostly Muslim and who make up 60
percent of the population, and the Chinese and Indian minorities, who are
Christian, Hindu and Buddhist.
Indonesia is
less divided, with Muslims making up 90 percent of its population of 240
million.
Some Muslims
in Malaysia say they fear that Christians are trying to win converts by using
the word “Allah.” They say Muslim believers could be confused by the use.
On her blog
last week, Marina Mahathir, a commentator and columnist, disparaged this view
as a “copyright issue.”
She said a
confident Muslim “will not walk into a church, hear a liturgy in Malay or
Arabic where they use the word ‘Allah’ and then think that he or she is in a
mosque.”
Business
leaders have voiced concern that further attacks could threaten trade and
investment.
The tourism
minister, Ng Yen Yen, said foreign visitors could be frightened away, although
the ministry had not received any information on the effects so far.
“This is the
communication era, so information travels fast,” she said. “Tourists will
choose not to visit a country faced with conflicts, especially religious
conflicts.”
In a sign of
the country’s racial and religious complexity, a leading Hindu organization
said it would hold a candlelight vigil at a church in solidarity with the
Christian minority.
Church
officials urged their parishioners not to participate in the vigil.
“It sends
the wrong message as if the non-Muslims are going against the Muslims,” Father
Phillips Muthu of Assumption Church told Malaysiakini.com, an independent
online news service.
Muslims, Christians and The Lost Tomb
By
Mike Ghouse Thursday, March 1, 2007
Everyone is
eagerly waiting for this Sunday, March 4th to witness or not to witness the
documentary Lost Tomb.
There have
been severe criticisms of James Cameron the producer and questions abound about
the faith itself. Mark Davis writes in Dallas Morning News “This proud director
has now joined the ranks of bottom-feeding junk pushers” and adds “Too tempting
to make the logical leaps.”
One question
that concerns me is the depth of the faith, rather paucity of the faith of the
believers. One’s faith must be really weak to be frightened by a movie, and I
often wonder, how will it offend the faith of millions?
It is not
just Christians, Muslims will be offended too. That is nearly 3.4 billion
people of the world comprising 2.1 Billion Christians and 1.3 billion Muslims.
Muslims
believe that Jesus was taken up by God and he will return to the earth as the
promised Messiah.
The Qur’aan:
An-Nisaa 4: 157-158 : That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus
the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor
crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ
therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to
follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, Allah raised him up unto
Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-
Hasn’t the
faith been tested for over and over again in the last 2000 years? The Da Vinci
Code and many anti-christ have come and gone, but the faith of the people remains
strong. Faith is the strongest belief one develops. Like they say beauty is in
the eyes of the beholder, I would add, faith is in the heart of the believer.
Nothing will shake it, if it does, then it is not faith any more.
Mike Ghouse
is a speaker, thinker and a writer. He is president of the Foundation for
Pluralism and is a frequent guest on talk radio, discussing interfaith,
political and civic issues. He has appeared on the local affiliates of CBS,
NBC, ABC, CNN, PBS and FOX and has been written up in the news papers. He
founded the World Muslim Congress
with a simple theme " good for Muslims and good for the world." The
organization is driven by Qur'aan, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: O mankind! We have
created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may
know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in
conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware. Mike believes that if people can learn to
accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us,
then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. His articles can be found at www.FoundationforPluralism.com
, www.MikeGhouse.net
and http://mikeghouse.blogspot.com/
and he can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com
Mark
Davis: James Cameron has no business messing with faith
'Lost Tomb'
producer joins bottom-feeders as he spits on religion and science
06:28 AM CST
on Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Archaeologists
need to make a deal with filmmaker James Cameron. "You keep making
blockbusters like Titanic and Terminator," they should tell him, "and
leave the artifact analysis to us."
That would
honor the arenas of both science and faith, the two concepts savaged by Mr.
Cameron's latest attempt at profit.
I have
thoroughly enjoyed his past attempts at profit, and some of his money came from
me. From the two giant movies mentioned above to the first Alien sequel to one
of my all-time favorites, The Abyss, Mr. Cameron's name has usually been a
guarantee of onscreen excellence.
Not anymore.
This proud
director has now joined the ranks of bottom-feeding junk pushers. The occasion
is his Discovery Channel documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus, set to air on
that otherwise admirable network at 8 p.m. Sunday.
Barring a
last-minute burst of good judgment, this detestable program will be consumed by
an audience of some size, spurred by the desire to see if the man who showed us
Leonardo DiCaprio proclaiming "I'm king of the world!" has now found
the remains of the King of the Jews.
I'm sorry, do
I sound skeptical? Then I have aimed too timidly. My goal is to sound
colossally repulsed, for there is something in Mr. Cameron's low exploit to
offend nearly everyone.
It will
offend the faith of millions who have about had it with pop culture hacks casting
doubt on millennia of Christian beliefs. This unenlightened orgy hit a peak
with the recent bug-eyed devotion to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, an
amateurish book turned into a medium-quality Ron Howard movie of the same name.
Mr. Brown
wanted it both ways. He wanted to be treated with the respect afforded a
genuine theologian, yet he could always shrug when the questions got too tough,
falling back on the safety net of a work of fiction.
At least Mr.
Howard never delivered pseudo-authentic lectures on Bible history; he just
wanted to make a profitable Tom Hanks movie.
That he did,
and its audience, combined with the millions who read the book, now contains
countless people who believe that Jesus got married and had a daughter.
The scolding
I wish to deliver brings with it a responsibility to a stratospheric level of
objectivity. That said, I'll assert flat out that Jesus may well have been a
family man. My faith tells me otherwise, but faith is belief based on factors
other than empirical evidence.
But
willingness to doubt is one thing. Willingness to make things up is another.
Not satisfied to spit on religion, Mr. Cameron also zestfully offends the
standards of science.
My gripe
with the cult of faux studiousness that comprised The Da Vinci Code zealots was
that they felt as though they were immersed in substantive, carefully vetted
historical analysis rather than clumsy conspiracy ramblings based on the
flimsiest of premises.
Mr.
Cameron's Lost Tomb is an even emptier exercise. His assertion is that skeletal
remains found in a Jerusalem suburb in 1980 simply must be the remains of
Jesus' nuclear family: wife Mary Magdalene, son Judah – hey, the Virgin Mary
herself might have been the contents of one of the chests unveiled with a
flourish at a news conference to hawk the documentary.
"I
think we have a very compelling case," says Mr. Cameron. Perhaps he will
forgive Amos Kloner, the archaeologist who first found the remains, who
disagrees completely, citing that Jesus' family roots lie elsewhere and that
the names found on the sides of the vessels are all fairly common, including
"Jesus," found 71 times over the years.
But it's
just too tempting. Too tempting to make the logical leaps. Too tempting to
taunt the faithful with "evidence" that their Bible – and the
resurrection that is the basis for all of Christianity – are flawed tales. Too
tempting to make money from such reckless journeys in fake scholarship.
To question
and speculate about the underpinnings of faith is a fair intellectual exercise.
But to make wild and hurtful assertions from such a paper-thin platform reveals
audacity that is hard to forgive.
Mark Davis
is heard weekdays on News/Talk WBAP-AM (820) and nationwide on the ABC Radio
Network. WBAP airtime is 9 a.m. to noon. His e-mail address is mdavis@wbap.com.
. . . . .
Spitting
on Christians in Jerusalem
Judging from
the title, I hope you did not jump to the conclusion, that Muslims are the ones
spitting on Christians. In this case the culprits are extremists from a
different tradition. As an Indian, it caught my attention; it is our culture to
express disgust by spitting. There was a guy in my town who had an incestual
relationship with his daughter, and he shamelessly claimed that she was his
property. Every one who passed in front of his house spat on his door.
There are
two issues here that we need to face: Stereo typing and fanaticism about God.
Link to this
article: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/01/spitting-on-christians-in-jerusalem.html
Stereotyping
is our inability to discern the difference between individuals and groups; it
expresses one's loss of reasoning and eagerness to blame. Blaming is not going
to free one from the anguish, in fact it reinforces it.
Muslims,
Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and others are animals first, religious
next. When we act evil, it is not religiously inspired, it is motivated by fear
or phobias, and the animal in us finds it convenient to blame religion for our
bad ass behavior. It is a hard thought to swallow, but when you start thinking
and reasoning; you may see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Fanaticism
is human, however the fanaticism about the idea of one God and revulsion
against Idolatry are perhaps misunderstood by a few Jews and a few Muslims. I
hope we can focus on oneness of diverse universe, oneness of diverse images of
God, rather than the integer one. If you are not a Jew or Muslim, don't laugh
and draw conclusions, you have the same perecent of intolerant people amongst
you - i.e., Less than 1/10th of 1% of your or any group.
We have to
come to terms with ourselves, what difference does it make if one believes in
one God, no God or many Gods? How are you affected? Why do you want to push
your belief on others, without giving them the same chance on you? Let them
believe in what they believe. What is the need that others have to believe the
same as you do?
Our Rabbis,
Imams, Pastors, Pundits and Shamans have to speak out against prejudice and
stereo typing and the sources of conflicts. We all have to figure out how to
co-exist with our differences, the differences are God given and we have to
respect that.
If you see a
bad thing, please focus your blame on the person and not his parents, culture,
religion or nation. That would be dumb to bark at the wrong tree.
We are
resuming our monthly workshops on the wisdom of religions, every beautiful
religion from February, if you have a serious interest to start the Pluralism
work in your own town, we will be happy to assist you. None of our material is
copyrighted, and we don't need any credit, just go out and help people enjoy
their lives by removing biases and misunderstanding and help people transform
from "me, me and me" to "we, we and us" attitudes. It
brings goodeness to everyone at the end, that is what pluralism is all about.
Mike Ghouse is
a thinker, writer speaker and an activist of pluralism, interfaith,
co-existence, peace, Islam and India. He is a frequent guest at the TV, radio
and print media offering pluralistic solutions to issues of the day. His
websites and Blogs are listed on http://www.mikeghouse.net/
& http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/
Spitting
on Christians in Jerusalem draws rabbinic rebuke
By Ben
Harris · January 17, 2010
From his
ceramics shop in Jerusalem's Old City, Garo Sandouri has a sweeping view of the
spot where many Armenian-Jewish altercations have occurred. (Ben Harris)
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- From his ceramics gallery along Armenian Patriarchate Road,
Garo Sandrouni has a sweeping view of one of the Old City of Jerusalem's
longest thoroughfares, stretching from Jaffa Gate deep into the Jewish Quarter.
Jewish
worshipers heading to and from the Western Wall jostle for space along the
narrow passage with Armenian priests and seminarians, and Sandrouni says about
once a week he finds himself breaking up fights between them.
Typically
the skirmishes begin when a young yeshiva student spits on or near a group of
teenage seminarians, who occasionally respond by beating up their attacker.
Several years ago, a young religious man pulled a gun when Sandrouni moved to
intervene in a fight.
"Most
of the incidents that happen, unfortunately, they happen in front of my
store," said Sandrouni, who more than once has come to the aid of a
yeshiva student bloodied after a run-in with a group of
seminarians."Almost everybody, after the fight, they apologized,"
Sandrouni said. "They say, 'We are sorry. We didn't know that their
reaction would be so strong.' "
Attacks on
Christian clergyman in Jerusalem are not a new phenomenon, and may result from
an extreme interpretation of the Bible's injunction to "abhor" idol
worshipers.
But several
people familiar with the issue say the attacks recently have reached epidemic
proportions -- or at least enough that government officials and Orthodox
rabbinic figures have begun to take notice.
A recent
meeting between Foreign Ministry officials, the Jerusalem municipality and
fervently Orthodox, or haredi, leaders resulted in a statement by Beth Din
Tzedek, a haredi rabbinic tribunal, denouncing the phenomenon. In a sign of the
ministry's concern over the issue, both the meeting and the statement were
publicized on the Web site of Israel's diplomatic mission to the Vatican.
"Besides
desecrating the Holy Name, which in itself represents a very grave sin,
provoking gentiles is, according to our sages -- blessed be their holy and
righteous memory -- forbidden and is liable to bring tragic consequences upon
our own community, may God have mercy," said the statement.
The incident
that appears to have gotten the ministry's attention occurred last September,
when a pair of teenage Armenian seminarians reportedly fought with a young
yeshiva student who spit on them. Police intervened, arrested the seminarians
and referred the matter to the Interior Ministry.
According to
George Hintlian, a spokesman for the Armenian community in Jerusalem, the
seminarians are now facing deportation -- a decision the Armenians have
officially protested. Carrying out the order would require the police to seize
the boys from their seminary in the Old City, Hintlian said, which likely would
result in a public relations disaster.
"It
won't happen easily," Hintlian said. "They'll think twice."
Christian
leaders stress that the problem is not one of Christian-Jewish relations in
Israel. Most Israelis, they say, are peaceful and welcoming. In an interview
with several Armenian Jerusalemites, they emphasized repeatedly that their
relations with the largely religious community in the Old City's Jewish Quarter
are normal.
The
assaults, according to George Hintlian, a spokesman for the Armenian community
in Jerusalem, are carried out by people from the outside -- visitors to
Jerusalem from other towns, and even from abroad.
Though they
may bear the brunt of the phenomenon, given the proximity of the Armenian and
Jewish quarters, cases of spitting are confined neither to Armenian clergy nor
the Old City.
Athanasius
Macora, a Texas-born Franciscan friar who lives in western Jerusalem,
frequently has been the target of spitting during his nearly two decades
residing in the Israeli capital.
Macora,
whose brown habit easily identifies him as a Christian clergyman, says that
while he has not endured any spitting incidents recently, recollections of past
incidents started flowing over the course of 30-minute interview.
In a sitting
room at Terra Sancta College, where he is the superior, Macora recalled the
blond-haired man who spit at him on Agron Street, not far from the U.S.
Consulate. Another time, walking with an Armenian priest in the same area, a
man in a car opened his window to let the spittle fly. Once it was a group of
yeshiva students in the Old City, another time a young girl.
Five years
ago, in what many say is the worst incident on record, a crucifix hanging from
the neck of the Armenian archbishop, Nourhan Manougian, was broken in the
course of an altercation with a yeshiva student who had spit on him.
Sometimes
the assailants are clad in distinctive haredi garb; other times the attackers
are wearing the knitted yarmulkes of the national religious camp. In almost all
cases, though, they are young religious men.
A Franciscan
church just outside the Old City walls was vandalized recently with
anti-Christian graffiti, Macora said.
"I
think it's just a small group of people who are hostile, and a very small group
of people," Macora said. "If I go to offices or other places, a lot
of people are very friendly."
Meanwhile,
the Beth Din Tzedek statement, and an earlier one from Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi
Yona Metzger, have impressed the Christians and raised hopes that the spitting
may soon end.
"We
hope that this problem will be solved one day," Sandrouni said, "for
the sake of mutual coexistence."
Ben Harris
is a staff writer for JTA who covers American Jewish life and is author of The
Wandering Jew blog (blogs.JTA.org/wanderingjew).
A Church in Saudi Arabia
Mike Ghouse:
Three article follows my comments.
I have lost
track of a Saudi minister who had asked me to put together an interfaith
meeting with about 20 people, comprising Jews, Christians and Muslims. I fought
with him to include all faiths, but finally agreed to work in stages, from
familiar to unfamiliar ones. It was some where around 2005. I am pleased to see
at least a dialogue is emerging between Vatican and Saudi's. Neighboring Dubai
has just opened up a mega church this month.
I recall
some Mormon friends of mine who had a congregation in Saudi Arabia way back in
1978-80 headed by a Houstonian by name Norman Powell, and of course my buddy
Everett Blauvelt of Richardson was a Mormon as well, who first went to Saudi in
early 40's and had worked there for nearly 30 years and made a come back in
late seventies. There were several others who attended the Baptist and Catholic
mass on Sundays. The Indian, Pakistani and Filipion christians groups had their
own gatherings as well.
### Now the
article
LONDON, March
18: The Vatican and the Saudi Kingdom are holding secret talks on lifting the
age-old ban on building churches in Saudi Arabia, the Guardian reported on
Tuesday.
The
newspaper quoted one of Pope Benedict’s most senior Middle East
representatives, Archbishop Paul-Mounged El-Hashem, as saying: “Discussions are
under way to allow the construction of churches in the kingdom. We cannot
forecast the outcome.”
There are
said to be around three or four million Christians in Saudi Arabia.
At the
Vatican, the Pope’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said: “If we manage to
obtain authorisation for the construction of the first church, it will be an
outcome of historic dimensions.”
The opening
last Friday of the first church in Qatar left Saudi Arabia as the only country
in the region that still bans the building of churches and all forms of open
Christian worship.
Diplomats in
Rome said talks on the building of churches would be consistent with recent
developments.
Saudi Arabia
is among the few countries that do not have diplomatic links with the Vatican,
but sources in Rome say the Saudis are keen to establish formal relations.
In Qatar
last Saturday, some 15,000 people attended an inaugural mass at the country’s
first church. Our Lady of the Rosary in Doha is one of five Christian places of
worship planned in the state.
Addressing
the reciprocity issue, Qatar’s deputy prime minister, Abdullah bin Hamad
al-Attiyah, said: “We are enjoying the construction of mosques and Islamic
centres in the West, so we must be fair (to Christians).”
The Pope is
expected later this year to meet representatives of 138 Muslim scholars who
wrote a letter to Christian leaders last October calling for peace between the
two religions.
First
Catholic church for Saudi Arabia
Published:
March 18, 2008
Negotiations
are underway to build the first Catholic church in Saudi Arabia with King
Abdullah lending his support for its construction.
Vatican
Radio reports the Vatican and the Saudi government are currently in talks to
allow the church despite the kingdoms ban on allowing the construction of any
non-Muslim place of worship.
No religion
other than Islam is allowed to schedule public services, and even the
possession of bibles, rosaries, and crucifixes is forbidden.
Saudi Arabia
is the only country on the Arabian Peninsula without a Catholic church despite
the 800,000 Catholics - virtually all of who are foreign workers.
While Saudi
Arabia does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See, King
Abdullah became the first reigning Saudi monarch ever to visit the Vatican last
November.
Commenting
after his meeting with the Pope Vatican officials confirmed the Pontiff pressed
for permission to open a Catholic church in the kingdom.
Holy See
spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said that opening a Catholic parish in the
Islamic land would be "a historic achievement" for religious freedom
and a major step forward for inter-religious dialogue.
The
apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and
Bahrain, Archbishop Paul-Mounged El-Hachem, is reportedly the lead Vatican
negotiator in talks with Saudi officials.
Vatican-Saudi
talks on churches
Archbishop
Hashem discussed the Saudi talks whilst visiting Qatar
The Vatican
is holding talks with Saudi Arabia on building the first church in the kingdom,
where some 1.5m Christians are not allowed to worship publicly.
Archbishop
Paul-Mounged el-Hachem, one of Pope Benedict XVI's most senior Middle East
representatives, said the discussions had begun a few weeks ago.
But the
archbishop cautioned that the Vatican could not predict the outcome.
The
discussions come in the wake of King Abdullah's historic meeting with the Pope
at the Vatican last November.
A
Catholic-Muslim Forum was also set up by the Pope two weeks ago to repair
relations between the two faiths after the crisis caused by a speech he gave in
Germany in 2006, in which he appeared to associate Islam with violence.
'Reciprocity'
The
disclosure of talks between the Vatican and Saudi Arabia, which do not have
diplomatic ties, came soon after the first Roman Catholic church in the Qatari
capital, Doha, was opened in a service attended by 15,000 people.
Archbishop
Hachem, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain and the UAE, who
attended the inauguration, said he hoped there would soon be a similar church
for the many Christians in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
If we manage
to obtain authorisation for the construction of the first church, it will be an
outcome of historic dimensions
Father
Federico Lombardi
Spokesman
for Pope Benedict
"Discussions
are under way to allow the construction of churches in the kingdom," he
said.
Although he
made clear the outcome was uncertain, the archbishop added that a church in
Saudi Arabia would be an important sign of "reciprocity" between
Muslims and Christians.
The Vatican
has noted that Muslims are free to worship openly in Europe and demands
religious freedom as a condition for the opening of diplomatic relations.
About a
million Catholics, many of them migrant workers from the Philippines, live in
Saudi Arabia.
They are
allowed to worship in private, mostly in people's homes, but worship in public
places and outward signs of faith, such as crucifixes, are forbidden.
The last
Christian priest was expelled from the kingdom in 1985.
Christians
complain that rules are not clear and that the Saudi religious authorities, who
enforce the kingdom's conservative brand of Islam, Wahhabism, sometimes crack
down on legitimate congregations.
The
authorities cite a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad that only Islam can be
practised in the Arabian Peninsula.
A spokesman
for Pope Benedict, Father Federico Lombardi, said: "If we manage to obtain
authorisation for the construction of the first church, it will be an outcome
of historic dimensions."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7302378.stm
The Times
March 17,
2008
Saudi Arabia
extends hand of friendship to Pope
Richard Owen
in Rome
The Vatican
is believed to be holding talks with Saudi authorities over opening the first
Roman Catholic church in the Islamic kingdom, where Christian worship is banned
and even to possess a Bible, rosary or crucifix is an offence.
The
disclosure came the day after the first Catholic church in Qatar was
inaugurated in a service attended by 15,000 people and conducted by a senior
Vatican official.
The Vatican
and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations. However, Archbishop
Paul-Mounged El-Hachem, the Papal Nuncio to Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Yemen and
Bahrain, who attended the Doha inauguration, said that moves towards diplomatic
ties were under way after an unprecedented visit to the Vatican last November
by King Abdullah. This would involve negotiations for the "authorisation
of the building of Catholic churches" in Saudi Arabia, he said.
The move
would amount to a potential revolution in Christian-Muslim relations, since
Saudi Arabia adheres to a hardline Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam and is home
to Mecca and Medina, the most holy sites of the religion. No faith other than
Islam may be practised.
Related
Links
Analysis:
Saudi Arabia and the Vatican
Father
Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said that he could not confirm that
the two sides were in negotiations. However, he added: "If, as we hope, we
reach an agreement authorising the construction of the first church in Saudi
Arabia, it will be a step of historic importance."
Saudi
religious police search the homes of Christians regularly; even private prayer
services are forbidden in practice. Foreign workers have to observe Ramadan but
are not allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter.
La Stampa,
the Italian daily, said that the talks would have been "unthinkable"
until recently. The way was paved by King Abdullah's talks with the Pope and by
the recent setting up of a permanent Catholic-Muslim forum to repair relations
between the two faiths after the Pope's controversial remarks on Islam at the
University of Regensburg in 2006.
The Pope
said that his apparent reference to Islam as inherently violent had been
misunderstood and he made amends by praying at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul soon
afterwards.
Of the Saudi
Arabian population, 94 per cent are Muslim and less than 4 per cent - nearly a
million people - Christian, nearly all of them foreign workers. The last
Christian priest was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1985.
Qtar, which
hopes to bid to host the Olympic Games in 2016, has approved five churches for
other Christian denominations, including the Anglican Communion.
Land of one
faith
— Saudi laws
do not recognise or protect freedom of religion. Non- nationals are severely
restricted in practising different faiths
—
Missionaries are banned and face imprisonment if caught. Sunni Muslims face
severe repercussions from the Mutawwain, or religious police, for breaking
Muslim law
— The
official policy of allowing non-Muslims to worship freely at home is not
reliably enforced
— In the
courts, once fault is determined, a Muslim receives all of the amount of
compensation determined, a Jew or Christian half, and all others a sixteenth
Sources: US
State Department; Conference of Catholic Bishops
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3571835.ece
http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2008/03/church-in-saudi-arabia.html
