138 Muslim leaders, politicians and scholars from around the world wrote an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI on the one year anniversary of his controversial remarks quoting a 14^th century Byzantine emperor who denounced Mohammed’s attempt to spread religion by the sword as incompatible with the nature of God.     

Pope Benedict invited a large Muslim envoy to the Vatican a month following his controversial quotation denouncing religion and violence. Many overlooked the warm meeting between the world’s top Christian leader and top Muslim leaders who agreed that religion is incompatible with violence. 

This unprecedented open letter, An Open Letter and Call from Muslim Religious Leaders, addresses all Christians, starting with the Pope and ending in the ordinary layperson.  It aims to bridge the gap between Muslims and Christians.  It calls for unity among the religions that have the ability to bring peace to the world and essentially worship the same God.  Christians, Jews and Muslims all share the same father in faith, Abraham.  Here are some excerpts of this astounding olive branch:

(text of open letter)

Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.

The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity.

…..justice and freedom of religion are a crucial part of love of the neighbour. Thus in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we as Muslims invite Christians to come together with us on the basis of what is common to us, which is also what is most essential to our faith and practice: the Two Commandments of love.

As Muslims, we say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not against them — so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their homes.

Finally, as Muslims, and in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we ask Christians to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions … that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God … (Aal ‘Imran , 3:64).

Let this common ground be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue between us, for our common ground is that on which hangs all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40).

Finding common ground between Muslims and Christians is not simply a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders. Christianity and Islam are the largest and second largest religions in the world and in history. Christians and Muslims reportedly make up over a third and over a fifth of humanity respectively. Together they make up more than 55% of the world’s population, making the relationship between these two religious communities the most important factor in contributing to meaningful peace around the world. If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world’s inhabitants. Thus our common future is at stake.

The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake. And to those who nevertheless relish conflict and destruction for their own sake or reckon that ultimately they stand to gain through them, we say that our very eternal souls are all also at stake if we fail to sincerely make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony. God says in the Holy Qur’an: Lo! God enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed (Al Nahl, 16:90). Jesus Christ said: Blessed are the peacemakers ….(Matthew 5:9), and also: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? (Matthew 16:26).

So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill.

Wow.  My suggestion is that we let these good Muslims frame the debate with Christians and peace loving people, not Osama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri.  A fatal mistake we non-Muslims make is to continually elevate terrorists to the level of religious leaders by engaging in their taunt of “jihad” and ignoring that there are indeed both apostates and faithful within Islam.  A friend in the comment section of another post said this:

“…until OBL stops calling it jihad I will call them jihadis.”

I propose we let these good Muslims who want to bridge the gap define Islam. Allowing Osama Bin Laden to define terrorism as “jihad” is letting the inmates run the asylum, the enemy call the shots and the apostates define theology. I would no more let David Koresh or Jim Jones define Christianity for me than Muslims want OBL defining Islam for them.

Since 2001 we’ve wondered where the good, peaceful Muslims were and why they weren’t speaking out against terrorism in the name of their religion.  In the past year, movements within Islam have emerged showing that most Muslims reject the heretics who kill in the name of Allah.  This open letter is yet another step toward peace which we should appreciate and accept rather than dismissing.  The consequences of doing so are simply too damning.

Cross-posted @: Bottom Line Up Front

1. [...] Original post by Amy Proctor and software by Elliott Back [...]

   Pingback by Muslims Extend Olive Branch to Pope, Christians at Conservative Times--Republican GOP news source. — October 11, 2007 @ 10:09 pm

1. I’m amazed you fell for this piece of lying BS.

   Comment by Bob Smith — October 12, 2007 @ 7:40 am

2. I couldn’t agree more. We Christians would never let folks like Timothy McVeigh–or the medieval Crusaders for that matter–define what Christianity is. And I think we should go a step further and respond energetically and positively to this overture. If you want to read my post on this topic: http://tinyurl.com/2mrps9

   Comment by Bryan Cones — October 12, 2007 @ 7:40 am

3. Reminds me of an old story about the rabbi giving a eulogy and how the deceased had such a hard life, and one little old lady in the congregation kept saying “Give him some chicken soup!” and finally the Rabbi in desparation says “So it wont, help!”, and the little lady shot back, “So, it won’t hurt!”

   I think it could certainly silence a lot of atheistic and less than religious critics if something actually came of this. I happen to know a few moslems that are just as upset about the actions of the radical elements of their faith as we are, but they sadly fear the repercussions that may occur if they speak out.

   Comment by T. A. Gray — October 12, 2007 @ 9:15 am

4. Wow,Bob, that was a great counterargument.

   Bryan, I’m going to stop over at your blog and read what you have to say. I’m glad you agree that it’s time we let the good Muslims define the relgion, not the bad ones.

   We fall into the same trap when we condemn all Christians because some ministers are corrupt or all Catholic priests because less than 1% have molested. They are NOT the example of how the religion should be.

   This is a great opportunity to capitalize on an extension of peacemaking. It can only help the efforts on the war on terror.

   Comment by Amy P — October 12, 2007 @ 11:10 am

5. You may wish to check on the real history of the Crusades, Bryan, and what led up to them. From a non-muslim point of view. All the garbage taught in our schools about that time in European history is definitely from a Euro-hating, self flagellating point of view now, and that ain’t the way it was. Christians were not the aggressors, nor were they the most savage of the combatants.

   Comment by Carlos — October 12, 2007 @ 3:18 pm

6. Just a note to Bryan Cones: I agree Christians wouldn’t let Timothy McVeigh define Christianity, but since he described himself as an agnostic it’s hard to see how the issue would come up.

   Comment by Jim Kalb — October 12, 2007 @ 3:49 pm

7. Jim, I could be wrong but I think Bryan meant David Koresh and not Timothy McVeigh. I could be wrong.

   Comment by Amy Proctor — October 12, 2007 @ 5:50 pm

8. I think it was pretty much the MSM who defined both as “Christians” (and Jimmy Jones, too, as far as that goes).

   Kinda shows where their prejudices lie (emphasis on lie).

   Comment by Carlos — October 12, 2007 @ 6:41 pm