Pope Francis calls for urgent dialogue between Christians and Muslims
Photograph: Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God while ignoring other people. Hence, it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam. – Pope Francis
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Inspiring message by Pope John Paul II to Muslim youth in Casablanca
King Hassan II of Morocco (L) embraces the pope John Paul II as he welcomes him upon his arrival at Mohamed V airport in Casablanca 19 August 1985 of an official visit to Morocco. AFP PHOTO DOMINIQUE FAGET (Photo credit should read JEAN-CLAUDE DELMAS/AFP/GettyImages)
Morocco
Monday, 19 August 1985
Dialogue between Christians and Muslims is today more necessary than ever. It flows from our fidelity to God and supposes that we know how to recognize God by faith, and to witness to him by word and deed in a world ever more secularized and at times even atheistic.
The young can build a better future if they first put their faith in God and if they pledge themselves to build this new world in accordance with God’s plan, with wisdom and trust…
Therefore we must also respect, love and help every human being, because he is a creature of God and, in a certain sense, his image and his representative, because he is the road leading to God, and because he does not fully fulfil himself unless he knows God, unless he accepts him with all his heart, and unless he obeys him to the extent of the ways of perfection…
I believe that we, Christians and Muslims, must recognize with joy the religious values that we have in common, and give thanks to God for them. Both of us believe in one God the only God, who is all Justice and all Mercy; we believe in the importance of prayer, of fasting, of almsgiving, of repentance and of pardon; we believe that God will be a merciful judge to us at the end of time, and we hope that after the resurrection he will be satisfied with us and we know that we will be satisfied with him.
Loyalty demands also that we should recognize and respect our differences. Obviously the most fundamental is the view that we hold on the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. You know that, for the Christians, this Jesus causes them to enter into an intimate knowledge of the mystery of God and into a filial communion by his gifts, so that they recognize him and proclaim him Lord and Saviour.
Those are important differences, which we can accept with humility and respect, in mutual tolerance; there is a mystery there on which, I am certain, God will one day enlighten us.
Source: vatican.va
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Message of Pope John Paul II to Muslims on occasion of Eid Al-Fitr
Pope John Paul II in Lebanon
*Written by Pope John Paul II in October 1991
To my beloved Muslim Brothers and Sisters
Every year it is the custom of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue to send a message of greetings, on behalf of Catholics around the world, to Muslims on the occasion of your Feast of the Breaking of the Fast at the end of the month of Ramadan. This year, because of the tragic effects of the past months of conflict and war in the Middle East, and the continued suffering of so many, I have decided to send you these greetings myself.
First of all, I wish to express my sympathy and solidarity with all those who have lost loved ones. As you Muslims believe, so do we Christians affirm with hope that they have returned to the merciful judgment of God. May this time of mourning be tempered by the awareness that God’s mercy and love are without limit. He alone knows “that which he has prepared for his chosen ones, what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of humans” (I Corinthians 2:9).
To all Muslims throughout the world, I wish to express the readiness of the Catholic Church to work together with you and all people of good will to aid the victims of the war and to build structures of a lasting peace, not only in the Middle East, but everywhere. This cooperation in solidarity towards the most afflicted can form the concrete basis for a sincere, profound and constant dialogue between believing Catholics and believing Muslims, from which there can arise a strengthened mutual knowledge and trust, and the assurance that each one everywhere will be able to profess, freely and authentically, his or her own faith.
You who have completed the arduous month of fasting according to the dictates of your religion give to modern societies a needed example of obedience to God’s will, to the importance of prayer and self-discipline, and to an ascetical simplicity in the use of this world’s goods. We Christians have also recently completed our annual Lenten season of prayer and fasting, for us a time of repentance and purification. These are values which we Christians and Muslims share, according to our respective religious beliefs and traditions, and which we offer humankind as a religious alternative to the attractions of power, wealth and material pleasures.
The path of those who believe in God and desire to serve him is not that of domination. It is the way of peace: a union of peace with our Creator expressed in doing his will; peace within the whole created universe, by using its benefits wisely and for the good of all; peace within the human family, by working together to build strong bonds of justice, fraternity and harmony within our societies; peace in the hearts of all individuals, who know from whom they have come, why they are on this earth, and to whom they will one day return. On this feast, my Muslim brothers and sisters, our prayer is that God will grant his peace to you and to all who turn to him in supplication.
While the horrors of war are still fresh in our minds, as are a continuing cause of suffering for humanity in so many parts of the world, a reflection on the realities which underlie war is perhaps not out of place, even at this time of your joyful feast. We must all study attentively the causes of war so that we can learn more effective ways to avoid it. Injustice, oppression, aggression, greed, unwillingness to enter into dialogue and negotiate, failure to forgive, and desire for revenge: these are merely some of the factors which lead people to depart from the way in which God desires us to live on this planet. We must all learn to recognize these elements in our own lives and societies, and find ways to overcome them. Only when individuals and groups undertake this Education for Peace can we build a fraternal and united world, freed from war and violence.
I close my greeting to you with the words of one of my predecessors, Pope Gregory VII, who in 1076 wrote to Al-Nasir, the Muslim Ruler of Bijaya, present-day Algeria: “Almighty God, who wishes that all should be saved and none lost, approves of nothing in us so much as that after loving him one should love his fellow, and that what one does not want done to oneself one should not do to others. You and we owe this charity to ourselves especially because we believe in and confess one God, admittedly in a different way and daily praise and venerate him, the Creator of the world and Ruler of this world.”
Source: monasticdialogue.com
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University of Georgia students of Abrahamic faith unite to fight prejudice
By Emily Erdelyan at The Red & Black
While society says to leave the topic of religion at the doorstep when being welcomed as a guest at someone’s home, this is hardly the case in the recently established religious club, the Abraham Alliance.
The name of the club is inspired directly by its purpose, which is to “facilitate inter-religious dialogue and education” between students of the Abrahamic faiths and “replace ignorance and hatred with true appreciation for the diversity this campus offers,” according to the organization’s statement of purpose.
“Our generation has grown up in the shadow of 9/11 and the [war on terrorism], which have led to negative cultural stereotypes,” Kaytlin Butler, The Abraham Alliance Club President, said. “If we leave this campus with those same stereotypes, then we failed as a community.”
While texts from Christian, Jewish and Muslim scriptures are central to some club activities, the club is non-exclusive and welcomes students from all religious backgrounds. The club holds holy book studies once or twice a month in the Tate Student Center.
“The holy book studies open people’s eyes to different religious views and allow them to find things they have in common with other students that they may have been unaware of,” Vice President Anna Beth Havenar said. “Conversations start between people that usually wouldn’t interact.”
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The Jewish view of Islam
Cross-posted from Judaism-Islam.com
This article explores what Judaism thinks of the teachings of Islam, its followers and their revered Prophet – Muhammad SAW
Islam was unknown to most Jews during the Prophet Muhammad’s SAW lifetime. It wasn’t until the Muslim conquest of Iraq, shortly after his death, that the leaders of Banu Yisrael first investigated Islam and ruled the Jewish people should consider Muslims as fellow monotheists.
As time passed Judaism’s spiritual leaders, particularly those living in Muslim caliphates, began exploring the teachings of Muhammad SAW and his companions RA. Upon immersing himself in Islamic study one such rabbi, Maimonides, declared that the Muslim understanding of monotheism was without fault.
The [Muslims] are not idol worshipers, [idolatry] has ceased to exist in their mouths and hearts, and they attribute the proper Oneness to God with no blemish. And because they [the Muslims of the 13th century] lie about us, and falsely accuse us of saying God has a son, it does not mean we can lie about them and say they are idol worshipers… And if someone should say that they worship in an idolatrous shrine [the Kaaba], as their ancestors worshiped idols there – this does not matter. The hearts of those who bow down toward it today are [directed] only to Heaven [towards One God]… [Regarding] the [Muslims] today, all of them [including] women and children have ceased to believe in idolatry.
– Maimonides, Responsa #448.
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What a Rabbi said about a documentary on Muslim Americans
You can also see what Rabbi Bruce Lustig had to say at the launch of Journey into America during a panel discussion at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention in 2009. He comes in at about the 1:30 mark.
"Journey into America" documentary 
Christian faith is source of Comboni priest’s passion for Islam
Father Scattolin’s most recent published work is a historical look at Sufism (CNS)
By James Martone for Catholic News Service
“You must study the other,” said Father Scattolin, whose career in Islamic studies began in Lebanon and Sudan, before leading him in 1980 to settle in Egypt, where he has lived, taught, researched and written since.
He argues in books, interfaith forums and his daily life that understanding among religious groups comes through deepening one’s knowledge of the other’s texts and beliefs, and through accepting the other’s “freedom of choice” to believe in a religion different from one’s own.
“For me, it is difficult for people to put (Christians) as the center when they have their own beliefs,” Father Scattolin said.
“To have faith, you need freedom of choice. We are in a pluralistic world and this is good, as it makes freedom of religion, and there is no faith if you don’t have freedom of religion,” he said.
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