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Press Release
For immediate release
16 November 2001
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of 342 churches,
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.
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
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 beinglinked 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.'
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