Muslim scholars from around the world have called for better understanding between Islam and Christianity in an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders.
The letter, published on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr celebrations throughout the Muslim world, says “the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake” if Muslims and Christians fail to make peace with each other.
Signed by 138 scholars, from every sect of Islam, the letter highlights the similarities between the two faiths and says finding common ground is not simply a matter of polite dialogue between religious leaders.
The letter was issued by Jordan’s Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought following its annual convention last month in Amman. Signatories include senior figures throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, among them the grand muftis of Egypt, Palestine, Oman, Jordan, Syria, Bosnia and Russia.
“If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world’s inhabitants. Our common future is at stake,” the letter says.