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...page letter - entitled "A Common Word between Us and You" - is addressed to Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and 25 other named Christian leaders and "Leaders of Christian Churches, everywhere". Organized by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan, it's the first time so many high-profile Muslims have come together to make such a public call for peace. Launched first in Jordan this morning, and then in other countries over the course of the day, the letter gets its final unveiling at a joint press conference in Washington, D.C., this...
...time that Muslims and Christians recognized just how similar they are - the fate of the world depends on it. That's the message being sent out today by 138 Muslim leaders and scholars in an open letter to their Christian counterparts saying that world peace hinges on greater understanding between the two faiths...
...Jerusalem and Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque. "This is a determination by mainstream, traditional Muslim scholars and authorities who cover all the branches of Islam, and that's very unusual," says David Ford, Director of the Inter-Faith Program at the University of Cambridge, who helped launch the letter in London this morning. "It is unapologetic - but not aggressive, not defensive - and is genuinely hospitable in all directions. It's also modest. It doesn't claim to be the final word; it's 'a' common word...
...Quoting from both holy texts, the letter notes that "whilst Islam and Christianity are obviously different religions - and whilst there is no minimizing some of their formal differences," both require believers to believe in only one god, and it's the same god. It points out that both religions are founded on goodwill, not violence, and that many of the fundamental truths that were revealed to Muhammad - such as the necessity for the total devotion to God, the rejection of false gods, and the love of fellow human beings - are the same ones that came to other Christian and Jewish...
...Because of this, the letter says, Muslims are duty-bound by the Koran to treat believers of other faiths with respect and friendship - and that Muslims expect the same in return. "As Muslims, we say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not against them - as long as they do not wage war against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their homes...