wfn.org | WCC greets world-wide Muslim community at beginning of

["Sheila Mesa" <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

Ramadan

World Council of Churches
Press Release, PR-01-42
For Immediate Use
16 November 2001

World Council of Churches greets world-wide Muslim community at
beginning of Ramadan

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC),
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, has sent a letter to the heads of Muslim
religious communities throughout the world. The letter coincides
with the beginning of the Muslim holy season of Ramadan and the
forthcoming Christian season of Advent.  

In the letter, Raiser evokes the spiritual bonds uniting
Christians and Muslims that need to be rediscovered in the
aftermath of the 11 September tragedies.  
   
"As Christians, we reject the tendency, not uncommon in many
Western countries, to perceive Muslims as a threat and to portray
Islam in negative terms while projecting a positive self-image,"
Raiser writes.  
  
He calls for genuine cooperation and joint efforts to assist
victims, to defend human rights and humanitarian law and for
"intensification of dialogue between religions and cultures".   

A copy of the letter to Muslim leaders has been sent to WCC
member churches as well as to other ecumenical and confessional
bodies. In an accompanying note, Raiser asks them to "seek the
most appropriate ways" in their situation "to engage during these
coming weeks with the Muslim partners in acts of spiritual
fellowship and prayer for peace and justice".   

"The message is intended as an expression of our solidarity with
the Muslim community in these trying times, and of our commitment
to the spirit of dialogue and mutual trust which has developed
over these last decades," Raiser explains.  

The full text of the letter to Muslim leaders follows:

'The blessed month of Ramadan and the Christian Holy time of
Advent during which the faithful prepare themselves in fasting
and recollection for the Nativity of Jesus Christ  coincide this
year. Thus, they become one among many signs that make us
"nearest in affection" and draw us together in common obedience
to God. The spiritual bonds that unite us need to be rediscovered
anew in these trying times.  

Fasting is indeed a reminder of God's presence. It invites
believers, in their personal lives as well as in community, to
turn to God in humility and love, seeking forgiveness and
strength. Fasting is a time of mercy. We receive anew God's mercy
upon us but also that which we beseech for each other. It is a
time of piety, deepened devotion and generous alms-giving. The
special endurance of believers, asserting that human beings have
other needs than bread and that their bodies are their servants
not their masters, reminds us that to have is to share. It is a
call to render justice; for dealing justly with others is
inseparable from true piety.  

The abominable acts of September 11 were condemned by the
authoritative voices throughout the Islamic community and among
the churches. The Quranic principle that no soul shall bear
another's burden was widely echoed by Muslims. We have heard many
Muslim friends reminding themselves and all of us of the Quranic
injunction not to let the hatred of others make us swerve to
wrong and depart from justice. Muslims and Christians are
standing up forcefully for justice, and have warned against the
temptation of blind vengeance and indiscriminate retaliation.
Churches, in the USA and beyond, have opened themselves in
humility to the call of the apostle not to repay anyone evil for
evil.  Many Christians have affirmed that the answer to terrorism
must not reinforce the cycle of violence. All acts which destroy
life, whether through terrorism or in war, are contrary to the
will of God.  

The recent tragic events have shown the vulnerability of all
nations and the fragility of the international order. A world in
which more and more people and even whole nations are being
consigned to extreme poverty while others accumulate great wealth
is inherently unstable. The tendency to impose one's will - if
need be, even by force - which is manifesting itself in the
policies of powerful nations provokes resentment among the weaker
ones. The language of threat and the logic of war breed violence.
As long as the cries of those who are humiliated by unremitting
injustice, by the systematic deprivation of their rights as
persons and as peoples and by the arrogance of power based on
military might are ignored or neglected, terrorism will not be
overcome. The answer is to be found in redressing the wrongs that
breed violence between and within nations.  

The violence of terrorism - in its various forms - is abhorrent,
particularly to all those who believe that human life is a gift
of God and therefore infinitely precious. Every attempt to
intimidate others and inflict indiscriminate death and injury
upon them is to be universally condemned, whoever are the
perpetrators. The response to these inhuman acts, however, must
not lead to stigmatizing Muslims, Arabs and any other ethnic
groups. Churches are called to let the voices of fraternity and
compassion drown those of hostility, racism and intolerance. The
voice of faith, which has been expressed through the many
initiatives of friendship and solidarity, needs to defeat those
of bigotry, fear and nihilism.  

As Christians we reject the tendency, not uncommon in many
Western countries, to perceive Muslims as a threat and portray
Islam in negative terms while projecting a positive self-image.
Christians live under the divine commandment not to bear false
witness against their neighbours. The encounter of Christians
with Islam and with Muslims requires intellectual honesty and
integrity. They need to be present with their Muslim neighbours
in the spirit of love, sensitive to their deepest faith
commitments, and recognizing what God has done and is doing among
them. Here the dialogue between Muslims and Christians, to which
the World Council of Churches remains strongly committed, find
its authentic meaning. Many today call for an intensification of
the dialogue of religions and cultures. However, such dialogue
cannot bear fruits unless it is built on trust, on an unequivocal
respect for the identity and integrity of others, an openness to
understand them on their own terms and a willingness to question
one's self-understanding, history and present reality.  

In the dialogue of life and the encounter of commitments between
Christians and Muslims in various parts of the world, we have
learned that our religious communities are not two monolithic
blocks confronting or competing with each other. We have learned
that tensions and conflicts, when they arise, do not and should
not define bloody borders between Muslims and Christians. We
recognize that religion speaks for the deepest feelings and
sensitivities of individuals and communities, carries deep
historical memories and often appeals to universal loyalties. But
this does not justify uncritical responses that draw people into
each other's conflicts instead of joining efforts, across
religious loyalties, to apply common principles of justice and
reconciliation. Islam and Christianity need to be released from
the burden of sectional interests and self-serving
interpretations of beliefs and convictions. Their beliefs should
rather constitute a basis for critical engagement in the face of
human weakness and defective social, economic and political
orders.  

This is the time for giving signs of genuine cooperation,
particularly by engaging in joint efforts to provide assistance
to the victims and to defend human rights and humanitarian law.
This area of cooperation is critical at a time when humanitarian
work suffers from restrictions and suspicions and is being used
for political and propaganda purposes, to the point of being
linked with the war operations. It is the time to deepen our
encounter, share our pains, mutual expectations and hopes.   

Dear friends, the prayer for God's peace is at the heart of the
spirituality of Muslims and Christians. At the beginning of the
month of Ramadan we greet you with a word of peace and
friendship.  

May your fast, and ours, be pleasant to God.' 

For further information, please contact Bob Scott, Public
Information Team, 
Tel.:  (+41.22) 791.61.66

**********
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches,
now 342, in more than 100 countries in all continents from
virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is
not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The
highest governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately
every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general
secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

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