wfn.org | WCC head issues Ramadan message to Muslims worldwide

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #6953 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

26-November-2001
01434

WCC head issues Ramadan message to Muslims worldwide

by Konrad Raiser
General Secretary
World Council of Churches

Editor's note: There follows the complete text of World Council of Churches
General Secretary Konrad Raiser's Ramadan letter to the global Muslim
community. - Jerry L. Van Marter.

GENEVA - 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 Sept. 11 were condemned by the authoritative voices
throughout the Islamic community and among the churches. The Qur'anic
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 Qur'anic 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 U.S.A. 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 neighbors. The
encounter of Christians with Islam and with Muslims requires intellectual
honesty and integrity. They need to be present with their Muslim neighbors
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. 
------------------------------------------
Send your response to this article to pcusa.news@pcusa.org

------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send an 'unsubscribe' request to

pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org