CAIRO,
April 3, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Muslim
scholars and leaders from the four corners of the world were united
Sunday, April 3, in praising late Pope John Paul II’s tireless
efforts to build bridges of confidence between the Catholic Church and
Islam.
Prominent
Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi hailed the deceased pontiff as
a man who served his faith with utmost sincerity.
The
Dublin-based International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS), of
which Qaradawi is chairman, sent a cable of condolences to Vatican
Foreign Minister Angelo Sodanoand.
“He
(the pontiff) was a man of peace who stood firmly against the (US-led)
Iraq war and the Israeli separation wall,” read the cable, a copy of
which was sent to IslamOnline.net.
The
IAMS, which groups 200 Muslim scholars from around the world, prayed
to God to show mercy on the pope and “reward him for the services he
done to his religion and humanity.”
The
pontiff, who died Saturday, April 2, in his bed surrounded by his
closest Polish aides, had warned the US that its forces in Iraq were
damaging efforts to bring religions together and its Mideast policies
were not helping the cause of peace.
On
the US war on terror, he said: “The fight against terrorism must not
be purely repressive and punitive” but “must also proceed from the
elimination of its causes, which are rooted in injustice.”
Inter-Faith
Advocate
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“The
death of the pope is a great loss for the Catholic Church and the
Muslim world,” said Sheikh Tantawi.
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Grand
Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi hailed the late pope as
a partner in promoting inter-faith dialogue.
“The
death of the pope is a great loss for the Catholic Church and the
Muslim world,” said Tantawi, who heads the highest seat of learning
in the Sunni world.
“He
was a man who defended the values of justice and peace and worked for
the victory of relations between the Muslim and Christian peoples
based on friendship and love,” he added in a statement.
“We
supported the pontiff’s in many of his wise stances, especially his
firm opposition to the war on Iraq,” said Tantawi.
“The
pope stressed during a visit to Al-Azhar that all divine faiths
advocate peace work for the security and welfare for all people.”
Sheikh
Tantawi hoped Pope John Paul’s successor would pursue the same path
of peace and justice.
Grieving
the loss of the pope, Al-Azhar reaffirmed commitment to dialogue with
Vatican on promoting understanding between Islam and Christianity.
“Pope
John Paul II was a unique example in spreading peace and tolerance
among all peoples. He was also a staunch supporter of justice and
peace,” Sheikh Fawzi El-Zefzaf, the chair of Al-Azhar Inter-Faith
Permanent Committee, told IOL.
He
said the pontiff’s death “should not influence dialogue between
Al-Azhar and the Vatican as the two sides are still committed by their
1998 agreement”.
The
pope visited Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan,
Syria and Egypt during his 26-year-tenure.
Bridges
of Trust
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In
May 2001 Pope John Paul II became the first pontiff to make an
official visit to a mosque.
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Hasyim
Muzadi, leader of the Indonesian Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest Muslim
group in the world with 40 million members, praised the pontiff’s
role in building bridges of trust with Islam reported Reuters.
“We...certainly
feel sorrow for the passing away of the Pope because he has dedicated
himself all his life to humanitarian and peace efforts,” he added.
The
late pope spearheaded a campaign over the past two decades to promote
cooperation between the world Muslims and the Catholics.
“He
was also right at the forefront of the protest against the war on
Iraq,” said Malaysian political analyst Chandra Muzaffar. “That
showed he was committed to global justice and peace.”
Hafiz
Hussain Ahmed of Pakistan's Islamist Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal alliance
echoed similar assessments.
“Bush's
talk of a Crusader war was a clear negation of Pope John Paul's
efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and harmony”.
Palestinian
President Mamoud Abbas called the pope “a great religious figure who
devoted his life to defending the values of peace, freedom, justice
and equality for all races and religions, as well as our people's
right to independence”.
The
late pontiff was also known for his vigorous opposition to the
construction of Israel's separation wall in the West Bank, saying the
Middle East “does not need walls but bridges.”
Path
of Understanding
Many
Muslims hope that the pope's successor will follow the path chalked
out by the late pontiff to enhance the understanding between Islam and
Christianity.
“The
pope's successor must continue what this pope has begun,” Egyptian
Minister of Awkaf (religious endowments) Mahmoud Hamdi Zakzouk told
Reuters.
“This
would contribute to peace.”
Zaki
Badawi, principal of London's Muslim College, echoed similar hopes.
“Hopefully
his successors will continue his policy of creating an understanding
and furthering cooperation with Muslims”.
French
Cardinal Paul Poupard, who heads the Vatican's Council for Culture,
said enhancing the Muslim-Catholic relations would be a major issue
for the next pontiff.
“You
saw the pope's position during the war in Iraq. He wanted to avoid at
all costs having this be seen as a war of religions, which it wasn't,
and he made desperate efforts to do that. This is crucial for the
future.”
In
1986, the late pope invited Muslims and followers of other faiths to
Assisi to pray together for world peace.
In
May 2001 he became the first pontiff to make an official visit to a
mosque in the Syrian capital Damascus.
“It
is my ardent hope that Muslim and Christian religious leaders and
teachers will present our two great religious communities as
communities in respectful dialogue, never more as communities in
conflict,” the pope said at the Umayyad Mosque.
"For
all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another,
we need to seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other
forgiveness,” he said.
