Local Muslim and Catholic leaders are striving to maintain good communications in the wake of the uproar that followed Pope Benedict's citation of a medieval emperor critical of Islam.

Leaders of the Muslim Public Affairs Council requested a face-to-face meeting with Cardinal Roger Mahony which was to have taken place Sept. 21.

"We want to reinforce our long standing positive relationship between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Muslim community, said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director.

"We want to reaffirm the tradition of Pope John Paul II in terms of Catholic-Muslim dialogue and positive Catholic-Muslim relations," added Al-Marayati, whose son attends St. Francis High School in La Caņada.

Father Alexei Smith, interreligious officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was to be present at the meeting and said that Catholic and Muslim leaders locally have "a very good rapport, and we are desirous of maintaining that."

The priest also participates in a national Muslim-Catholic dialogue, but lamented that very little of the conversation filters down to the parish level. He envisions that out of this furor will emerge a new opportunity for local Catholic parishes and Muslim mosque communities to dialogue and get to know one another.

"We have to concentrate more on coupling peoples together," Father Smith said, and added that he would assist "without hesitation" any parish which wanted to engage in conversation with Muslims.

Education, Father Smith said, also will create a better understanding among members of both faiths. "All of us need to study and learn what Islam actually does teach," he said.

To that end, Dr. Amir Hussain, who teaches about Islam and Muslim communities in North America as associate professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, has recently been invited by two parishes --- St. Monica in Santa Monica and St. Bernardine of Siena in Woodland Hills --- to give talks on Islam.

Hussain, who recently published the book "Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God," said that the word jihad, which the pope used in his recent lecture, is often misunderstood by Christians.

"The term jihad comes from a root word that means to strive or to struggle. There's the spiritual struggle to make yourself a better Muslim. And the word Muslim means submission to God, living your life in fulfillment of God's will," said Hussain. "And then the outer struggle is to make your society a better society."

Although Muslims have an understanding of "holy war" in a way that Catholics have an understanding of "just war" theology, the professor acknowledged that jihad has been manipulated by some Muslims to excuse unjust violence.

However, Hussain said that the pope could have avoided offending Muslims if he had used examples of religious violence from Christianity, such as the persecution of Jews and Native Americans or the Inquisition. "When it comes to a discussion of violence and religion, you can do just fine in your own tradition, without having to go somewhere else," said Hussain.

Even more problematic than the choice of quoting a Byzantine emperor hostile towards Islam, the professor said he was troubled by the pope's ongoing emphasis on calling Europe back to its Christian roots without acknowledging the significant contributions of Judaism and Islam to Europe's history.

"The real hurt comes in not recognizing that shared history and that shared heritage," said Hussain, noting that several major medieval European philosophers were Muslim.

Editor's note: To contact Father Alexei Smith about parish-mosque dialogue, call (213) 637-7556.