On the same day Pope Benedict XVI met with Muslims in Cologne, Germany, calling for stronger dialogue between Christians and Muslims, a daylong conference titled "A Christian Understanding of Islam" took place at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre.
Sponsored by the Los Angeles Archdiocese's Office of Ecumenical/Interreligious Affairs and Office of Justice and Peace, the Aug. 20 event featured a panel of distinguished Islamic scholars and religious leaders. All stressed the common ancient roots of Islam, Christianity and Judaism as well as current dogmatic and social commonalities.
"I can listen to a priest, a minister and a rabbi visiting my mosque, addressing my congregation without fear that this is an attempt to convert. And I hope you trust us that we're not here to convert you," Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California Council on American-Islamic Relations, told some 70 conference participants. "I'm in the business of dialoguing, knowing the commonalities."
Ayloush stressed that dialogue on the international, national and, especially, local level was urgently needed today with radical extremists pushing for a "clash of civilizations."
"For God's sake, this is the 21st century," he said. "We're not back in the dark ages where some believed the infidels hate you and want to kill you. Today we live in the age of world-wide TV, the Internet. We're not separated anymore. Muslims, Christians live in dozens of countries together. So we have to no longer fear each other."
Ayloush pointed out that Muslims and Christians believe in one God and have a mutual reverence for Jesus and his mother Mary. Both stress moral values. And the two faiths have the largest number of followers throughout the world.
Moreover, both have attracted tremendously diverse flocks, including blacks and whites, Latinos, Asians and Arabs. And the two religions have large immigrant communities, "so we both know how it feels to be mistreated by people who don't like immigrants," he pointed out.
In addition, Catholic Christians and Muslims have suffered recent attacks - Catholics for sexually abusive priests, and Muslims for suicidal terrorists.
"So we do have a lot of commonalities," Ayloush said.
Accepting differences
Shaikh Sadullah Khan, the religious director of the Islamic Center in Irvine, said both religions need to move beyond racial and ethnic stereotypes to a real understanding of people. With understanding might come appreciation, and even acceptance of differences.
One of the major contrasts concerns the idea of rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. "We see God as a comprehensive way of life," Khan said. "A God who guides every aspect and dimension of life."
He reported that Muslims have a sacred responsibility to model good behavior. This extends to promoting social justice, concern for the environment plus respect for members of other faiths.
"We all are bound by the Golden Rule - love for others as ourselves," Khan declared. "Muhammed said the highest expression of faith is to love humanity as you love yourself. A believer is loving and lovable."
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Society of North America and current president of the Islamic Fiqh (Islamic Law) Council, said God is one and very personal - a supreme being who sees, hears and loves. But because his attributes are infinite, they can't really be described. As a result, you will never see an image of Allah.
God guides all human beings not only physically but also metaphysically through his prophets, whom he "whispers" to in a special way.
Muslims believe in the revelation of all prophets and messengers throughout the ages, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. They believe that Muhammed, a descendant of Abraham, is the last prophet from God. God does not speak to ordinary people directly, but through the veil of these prophets and messengers.
"The Koran is the final book of God, because Muhammed is the final prophet - the final message of God is in the Koran," Siddiqi explained. "So it is the speech of God sent down upon the prophet Muhammed through the angel Gabriel. It is his precise meaning and precise wording."
Knowing The Book
He said this is why memorizing "the book," the Koran, is so vital. Because it's the word of God taken inside, the language is at the same time soothing and powerful, with deep meanings. And the best way to approach it is to "read and stop," reflecting on each passage.
The book is full of stories, laws, exhortations, beliefs and truths. It speaks of angels and an afterlife of heaven and hell. There are general and particular principles, such as religion shouldn't be imposed on others, even enemies must be treated fairly, evil ought to be removed with good and killing a person is like killing all humanity.
"People take things out of context when it comes to killing and fighting," Siddiqi said. "And then these verses can be completely distorted."
In his talk on "Aspects of Daily Living," Shaikh Yassir Fazaga pointed out the common misperception that most Muslims in the United States today are immigrants. In fact, 60 percent are citizens. He also reinforced the idea that for Muslims, regardless of what nation they are residing in, there's no separation between the spiritual and the secular.
"So the point is to live your life fulfilling your obligations, and by avoiding what you need to avoid," said the religious director and Imam of the Orange County Islamic Foundation. "And that means being God-conscious all the time. So by the end of the day, you are very convinced of this relationship with God as well as with the rest of creation."
Before 9/11 the big challenge for U.S. followers of Islam was how to maintain your identity as a Muslim in a hedonistic culture, according to Fazaga. But since the acts of terrorism in New York City and Washington, D.C., everything had changed.
"The minute you say you are a Muslim, you have to defend yourself," he reported. "I tell people I'm Muslim, and people have one image - planes diving into the World Trade Center. And people want to know was that a representation of Islam or not.
"So we end up speaking more of what Islam is not," the Imam added. "But we don't get the opportunity to tell people what Islam is. And that's why this conference is so crucial." |