ironweed
01-03-2006, 10:13 PM
WTF? :confused: I'm not going to post the whole thing, mostly b/c I couldn't stomach reading it all. Enjoy. [insert vomiting emoticon here.]
http://www.usccb.org/seia/friends.htm
Introduction
As Christians and Muslims, we are particularly aware of challenges and opportunities afforded by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, because of distinctive religious factors in the causes, the events themselves, and responses to the events.[1] Our American society that absorbed the tragic blows of September 11th is pluralistic in every major way—religiously, racially, ethnically, and culturally. We enjoy a religious pluralism guaranteed by the Constitution, in that no religious group is legally superior to others and every group has freedom to exercise their religious traditions within the limits of civil society. Opportunities abound for religious groups to flourish and to interact creatively and peacefully, but we are aware that this ideal has not been fully realized at all times by every religious group and that this prescribed religious pluralism has not been characteristic of every historical era. The advancement of religious freedom is a long-term undertaking, and active engagement of religious groups with one another that defines religious pluralism as a political and social phenomenon does not occur easily.
Islam, as a distinct religious movement identified with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),2 ironweed note: This is a CATHOLIC website here arose in the seventh century of the Common Era, 600 years after the time of Jesus. During Prophet Muhammad’s life, there were significant interactions between him and his followers with Christians. The revelations, which Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad received in the form of the Qur’ān, and the traditions of what the Prophet said and did (Hadīth), mention Christians in numerous places. In every subsequent era over the next fourteen centuries, Christians and Muslims have interacted as fellow citizens and foreigners, rulers and subjects, allies and enemies, and friends and adversaries. There have been times of confrontation and of peaceful coexistence and occasions of cooperation and dialogue.
A number of factors go into a successful Catholic-Muslim regional dialogue. First, there must be enthusiastic Catholics and Muslims to serve as hosts who already enjoy a relationship of trust and cooperation. Second, there must be interest among those leaders of the region who have responsibility for promoting Christian-Muslim relations. Third, there must be sponsors who lend their support to the dialogue. That role in this dialogue was served collectively by the Muslim leadership of the Los Angeles and Orange County area and the USCCB. Eventually there were two co-chairs for the Muslim side of the dialogue: Dr. Siddiqi and Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini, imam at the Islamic Education Center of Orange County.6 For the first two meetings, Archbishop Alexander Brunett of Seattle was the Catholic co-chair. He was just completing the three-year term as chairman of the USCCB’s Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and, before being named a bishop, served as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Detroit where he had participated in Christian-Muslim relations for many years. Bishop Carlos Sevilla, S.J., of the Diocese of Yakima, Washington, became Catholic co-chair in 2002.
Conclusion
Members of the West Coast Dialogue of Catholics and Muslims have prepared this report in the firm hope that others will read it and emulate what we have accomplished. We make it available for Christians and Muslims to discuss our points of consensus. They may agree or disagree on various points, but more significant to us in these times is for Christians and Muslims to take this discussion of spirituality deeper than we have plumbed and to build consensus further than we have reached. We pray too that others will find joy, affirmation and growth which we have experienced in our dialogues when we shared a little of our spiritual riches, prayed for one another and for the world each in and our own and in one another’s presence, became friends, co-workers and companions on the journey to God, and took time to articulate a consensus and to understand better our differences
http://www.usccb.org/seia/friends.htm
Introduction
As Christians and Muslims, we are particularly aware of challenges and opportunities afforded by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, because of distinctive religious factors in the causes, the events themselves, and responses to the events.[1] Our American society that absorbed the tragic blows of September 11th is pluralistic in every major way—religiously, racially, ethnically, and culturally. We enjoy a religious pluralism guaranteed by the Constitution, in that no religious group is legally superior to others and every group has freedom to exercise their religious traditions within the limits of civil society. Opportunities abound for religious groups to flourish and to interact creatively and peacefully, but we are aware that this ideal has not been fully realized at all times by every religious group and that this prescribed religious pluralism has not been characteristic of every historical era. The advancement of religious freedom is a long-term undertaking, and active engagement of religious groups with one another that defines religious pluralism as a political and social phenomenon does not occur easily.
Islam, as a distinct religious movement identified with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),2 ironweed note: This is a CATHOLIC website here arose in the seventh century of the Common Era, 600 years after the time of Jesus. During Prophet Muhammad’s life, there were significant interactions between him and his followers with Christians. The revelations, which Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad received in the form of the Qur’ān, and the traditions of what the Prophet said and did (Hadīth), mention Christians in numerous places. In every subsequent era over the next fourteen centuries, Christians and Muslims have interacted as fellow citizens and foreigners, rulers and subjects, allies and enemies, and friends and adversaries. There have been times of confrontation and of peaceful coexistence and occasions of cooperation and dialogue.
A number of factors go into a successful Catholic-Muslim regional dialogue. First, there must be enthusiastic Catholics and Muslims to serve as hosts who already enjoy a relationship of trust and cooperation. Second, there must be interest among those leaders of the region who have responsibility for promoting Christian-Muslim relations. Third, there must be sponsors who lend their support to the dialogue. That role in this dialogue was served collectively by the Muslim leadership of the Los Angeles and Orange County area and the USCCB. Eventually there were two co-chairs for the Muslim side of the dialogue: Dr. Siddiqi and Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini, imam at the Islamic Education Center of Orange County.6 For the first two meetings, Archbishop Alexander Brunett of Seattle was the Catholic co-chair. He was just completing the three-year term as chairman of the USCCB’s Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and, before being named a bishop, served as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Detroit where he had participated in Christian-Muslim relations for many years. Bishop Carlos Sevilla, S.J., of the Diocese of Yakima, Washington, became Catholic co-chair in 2002.
Conclusion
Members of the West Coast Dialogue of Catholics and Muslims have prepared this report in the firm hope that others will read it and emulate what we have accomplished. We make it available for Christians and Muslims to discuss our points of consensus. They may agree or disagree on various points, but more significant to us in these times is for Christians and Muslims to take this discussion of spirituality deeper than we have plumbed and to build consensus further than we have reached. We pray too that others will find joy, affirmation and growth which we have experienced in our dialogues when we shared a little of our spiritual riches, prayed for one another and for the world each in and our own and in one another’s presence, became friends, co-workers and companions on the journey to God, and took time to articulate a consensus and to understand better our differences