wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: Resolving Christian*Muslim tensions

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World Council of Churches - Feature
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 09/06/2005

JIHAD OR CRUSADE?
RESOLVING CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM TENSIONS

By Alexander Belopopsky (*)

>From Baghdad to Bosnia, media images in recent years have reinforced
prophecies of a conflict of civilizations emerging along religious
faultlines. References to both jihad and crusade have reappeared in public
discourse, and in some societies particular faith groups are regarded with
suspicion. It can sometimes seem as though Christians and Muslims are
condemned to collide.

Despite these widespread perceptions, there are Muslim and Christian
leaders and thinkers who refuse the inevitability of confrontation. These
voices, some of which were heard during a major interreligious conference
hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva in early June,
offer an alternative vision.

> Turning the corner on our difficulties

"We can assess the present situation as a critical moment for all
religious communities. There is a great deal of mistrust and suspicion on
both sides. Christian*Muslim relations often start from a perspective of
competition as both proclaim a universal message," recognizes the
Geneva-based lecturer in Islamic studies and activist scholar Dr Tariq
Ramadan. "But this is a superficial and wrong understanding of religion.
We have to change our ways of working together."

Ramadan's sentiment is echoed by Sayed Mohammad Ali Abtahi, former
vice-president of Iran and close advisor to the Iranian president Khatami.
"Muslims and Christians have come a long and difficult way and have
practised violence against one another. But these conflicts have been
without benefit. Today the situation is changing. We are turning the
corner on the road of our difficulties. The conflicts which exist are not
representative of the believers, of the people."

> Globalizing conflict

"The problem is that conflict and perceptions are being globalized like
everything else," says Dr Tarek Mitri, a Lebanese Christian sociologist
and specialist on the Islamic world, who has now moved from his responsibility for interreligious dialogue in the WCC to join the Lebanese transitional government.

"In the Muslim world, ideological thought patterns represent the West as
selfish, materialistic and dominating. In the West, the equivalent thought
patterns perceive Islam as irrational, fanatical and expansionist," he
underlines.

In an age of global communication and migration, such perceptions may
easily fuel antagonisms and reinforce stereotypes, with the effect of
"globalizing conflict". Mitri mentions the global televised impact of
9/11, and how, when US forces entered Afghanistan, it was the Christian
minority in neighbouring Pakistan which felt threatened by reprisals.

Mohammad Ali Abtahi who, along with his government and religious responsibilities, runs a personal weblog (http://www.webneveshteha.com/en),
emphasizes how the power of communication can also put positive pressure
on religious leaders. "The changes in communication technology oblige
everyone to answer questions. We are now obliged to dialogue by the
circumstances of modernity."

> Counteracting processes of alienation

For the conference participants, all religions have a common interest to
counter a trend of mutual exclusion, and to restore a common ground for
their dialogue and understanding. But how can perceptions which prevent
this be changed?

The challenge is to find ways of counteracting these processes of
alienation, and of "de-globalizing" conflict by nurturing mutual understanding and common ground as a basis for co-existence, says Mitri. "Attention
to the specific local causes of conflicts helps in identifying solutions.
The leaders of religious communities must refuse to be drawn into others'
conflicts."

Christians and Muslims should recognize their shared basis and interests,
he says. "By applying principles of peace, justice and reconciliation,
rooted in Islamic and Christian beliefs, as a basis for critical engagement, energies can be turned to a common search for human well-being, dignity
and peace."

> Restoring a common base

Ramadan sees hope in Christians and Muslims working together to challenge
their own discourse to their own people and to civil society, and to
respond to the real needs of people. "Even in the West, there is a
spiritual famine. We need to move towards a dynamic process relying on
local people and communities, which looks at the transmission of values in
our societies. It is not simply about a return to dogmatic religion
occupying the public sphere, but about a transversal connection of values,
ethics and knowledge. The question is, what kind of ethics can we promote
based on universal values in response to social problems?"

Mohammad Ali Abtahi urges practical responses to the current situation.
Interfaith dialogue centres around the world should better coordinate
their work and avoid duplication, he proposes. "Interfaith dialogue is not
in contradiction with a profound attachment to one's own faith. But we can
identify what minimum is common and essential to all religions: spirituality, God, the afterlife, justice."

Ramadan points out that interreligious dialogue has usually focused on
theological or socio-political issues. "Something new is needed. It is now
our common challenge to connect our spiritual teachings with our realities. Our world has changed a great deal, we should come with a creative
process. We must be less theoretical and more practical in the way we are
facing the world. The only way for me is to find a real a space where we
can give and contribute together and out of this, know each other better.
WCC has a leading role in this process, as you can help us ask the right
questions."

(*) Alexander Belopopsky is coordinator of the WCC Public Information
Team.

Opinions expressed in WCC Features do not necessarily reflect WCC policy.
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