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Muslim-Christian Summit Ends Without Joint Statement
By Khaled Shoukat
ROME, October 5 (IslamOnline) - The Muslim-Christian Summit, which ended Thursday, did not conclude with a joint statement between the two sides - as the Muslim side insisted on enlisting the name of Palestine as a symbol for legitimate resistance against occupation, while the Christian side refused to address any indication to Palestine.
Another point of conflict that hindered the formation if a joint statement was the Arab and Muslim delegations' insistence on a fair international trial of the individual or organizations responsible for the September 11th attacks in the U.S.
The Christian delegation objected, saying that this was interference in political issues beyond the summit's jurisdiction.
The two-day summit, which included both Muslim and Christian scholars from the East and West - including Yusuf Qaradawi - gathered in an attempt to express a joint position on the September 11th U.S. attacks.
Archbishop Gregorious Ibrahim, head of the Halab Catholic Church, said that the Arab and Islamic delegation insisted the statement should include a clause granting the right of resistance to people, hence drawing a line between terrorism and the "right for struggle".
Speaking to IslamOnline, the archbishop said that the majority of Occidental Christians are ignorant of the difference between legitimate resistance and acts of violence, which are condemned by all religions.
This, he says, is different from the viewpoint of Oriental Christians, who consider themselves part of Arabic and Islamic civilization, and not part of Western Christian civilization.
"Our aim of the summit was to emphasize that all human civilizations are equal and that no civilization is superior to another. When Pope John Paul II came to visit Syria, he demanded that a visit to the Ummayyad Mosque be included in his itinerary to prove that we are part of the Eastern Arabic Islamic civilization."
He added that during meetings in Rome, he defied attempts by a few to portray Christians in the East and in the Arab-Islamic world as being subject to prejudice and discrimination and being treated as strangers in their own countries. Arab Christians, he said, embraced Islam since its emergence and worked hand in hand with Muslims to build the Islamic nation and defend it when required.
Archbishop Ibrahim added that the current merge of civilizations evident amongst Muslims and Christians in Syria is a complete one, which includes various fields such as work, education and living areas and is highlighted in Christian and Muslim festivities where greetings are exchanged.
Meanwhile, Andrea Ricardi, head of the Sant'Egidio Community, spoke in a press conference about the major headlines of the statement, which was issued at the end of the summit.
The participants of the summit agreed on condemning those behind the attacks specifically, and those behind terrorism in general, and to begin coming out of the terror and anxiety phase that has hit societies and governments worldwide.
Ricardi, who holds a high position in the Catholic clergy and teaches modern history in the University of Rome, said that the Muslim-Christian summit could adopt forming a committee that would facilitate "constant contact" between the groups and be responsible for the continuation of dialogue between followers of both religions.
In addition, the committee would be responsible for informing responsible authorities in Muslim and Western countries of the outcome of the summit.
Ricardi emphasized that the dialogue between religions is a long-term project and that meetings between Muslims and Christians would later include followers of other religions and beliefs to stress the fact that peace is an issue for all humanity.
He praised the vital role of Islamic personalities in the summit, who emphasized the importance of dialogue between followers of both religions and the importance of listening to one another in order to solve humanitarian problems. These characters, he said, have also condemned terrorism, which future sessions and meetings will work on defining.
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