Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



An opportunity to bridge gaps
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 13 - 07 - 2008

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, United Kingdom – Academics expressed hope that the Saudi Arabian-sponsored inter-faith dialogue conference in Madrid Wednesday will be the first step to resolving the chasm between Jews, Christians and Muslims, but also expressed skepticism of how much can be accomplished at a highly public venue.
The conference will be held July 16-18 with many of the world's leading religious leaders and scholars attending.
Steve Fuller, a professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK, and author of the book, “The Intellectual,” said that the conference is an opportunity that goes beyond whatever constructive dialogue the representatives of the three Abrahamic faiths manage to have with each other.
“Hopefully, and more importantly, the conference will publicly underscore the distinctive character of this common religious tradition,” Fuller said, “The Abrahamic faiths are unique among the world's religions in singling out humanity as beings created ‘in the image and likeness of God.'” Fuller said this is probably the most powerful single idea in history, responsible even for modern political and scientific ideas.
At a time when the value of being human is questioned from many different quarters, he explained, the conference may provide a setting for proposing some new answers.
He said the conference would be a forum to denounce Samuel Huntington's “Clash of Civilizations” thesis. Huntington's thesis suggests that there is a fundamental and irreconcilable difference between the Judeo-Christian and the Muslim worldviews. Fuller said no one denies that there are specific political and economic differences between various nations and groups that claim the Abrahamic ancestry. “But these are largely differences over how best to implement, what are fundamentally the same pro-human values,” he said.
“The violence associated with the expression of these differences on all sides is regrettable, not least because they are so much smaller than the areas of agreement. If the conference made this point clearly, it would be a great achievement.”
The conference was called for by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and is expected to bring together prominent leaders from the main three monotheistic religions in the world. More than 200 Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders are expected to discuss what they have in common as the children of one father, Abraham (pbuh). The fact that the conference will be inaugurated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques adds significance to the gathering. Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's most influential religious leader, also will attend. The conference was preceded by a visit by King Abdullah to the Vatican last November during which both sides stressed the importance of inter-faith dialogue and understanding among all religions.
The Muslim World League's secretary general, Abdullah Al-Turki was quoted saying that the conference will “discuss cooperation between communities from different religions and cultures over common human values.” Jermey Shearmur, a professor of Philosophy in the School of Humanities at the Australian National University, appreciated the timing of the conference, adding that it should be useful especially giving the current tensions and difficulties.
However, he expressed his fear that not much will come out of it.
“It is not clear that, in such settings, leaders will learn a lot from one another, even if they should wish to do so,” he said. There is a risk, he said, that one will get prepared, well-meaning statements, rather than actual interaction and learning because everyone will be conscious of their positions that they may be quoted in the press. His main concern, though, he added, was that religious leaders have relatively little influence in Western countries.
However, he said such a conference would be useful to bring out commonalities among participants and to speak frankly about grounds without suspicion and hostility.
“It would be useful to have authoritative figures from the different traditions provide reassurance, and to make it clear that fanatics, in all the traditions, are a small and often ignorant minority,” he added.
Shearmur said the conference demonstrates the good intentions of Saudi leaders. Nevertheless, it is important, he added, to perceive Western countries as secular rather than as having a religious basis to them.
As a result, he explained, while inter-faith dialogue is important, what would seem to be more significant for Muslims, would be to have discussions with those people who are leading (secular) figures.
Getting a better mutual understanding with religious people, he said, may be valuable, but it is not clear that people in Western countries who form and inform public opinion pay much attention to the views of Western religious leaders.
Mircea Itu, a professor of Communication and Public Relations, Faculty of Journalism, Spiru Haret University, Bucharest, Rumania, agreed with Shearmur there needs inter-religious and inter-faith dialogue. He said Spain is an excellent choice for this meeting, as it is a country with a rich Christian and Muslim heritage. Jews are also present there. To him, the presence of Archbishop of Canterbury as well as that of former American vice president Al Gore is inspiring. “We need decisions made by institutions and in a global perspective, beyond states' policies,” he said.
He praised the Saudi initiative adding that the best thing for Muslims at this critical time of their history is to confront attacks and criticism by dialogue. “Violence should not be fought with violence,” he said. __


Clic here to read the story from its source.