Christian Scholars Apologize for Crusades

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

Christian Scholars Apologize for Crusades
Tue. Nov. 27, 2007

http://www.islamonline.net/servle...ename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout

CAIRO — Reciprocating a goodwill gesture by 138 Muslim
scholars, more than 300 Christian scholars and
clergymen from across the globe have signed a letter
apologizing to Muslims for the Crusades and the
repercussions of America's so-called war on terror.
"We want to begin by acknowledging that in the past
(e.g. in the Crusades) and in the present (e.g. in
excesses of the war on terror) many Christians have
been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbors,"
says the letter made available to the press at a news
conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday, November 26.

"Before we 'shake your hand' in responding to your
letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and
of the Muslim community around the world," added the
"Loving God and Neighbor Together" letter.

The Crusades were a series of military conflicts of a
religious character waged by much of Christian Europe
during 1095–1291, most of which were sanctioned by the
Pope of the Roman Catholic Church to originally
capture Al-Quds from Muslim rule.

The Vatican has never apologized for the Christian
expeditions.

"It is an unprecedented gesture to bridge the gap
between Muslims and Christians, who make up 55 percent
of the world's population," Muslim preacher Al-Habib
Ali Al-Jafri told the press conference.

Early October, 138 Muslim scholars and dignitaries,
including Jafri, sent a letter to the world's
Christian clergy, including Pope Benedict XVI, for
dialogue based on common essentials between Islam and
Christianity.

The call has already won plaudits from many
non-Catholic leaders, including Anglican Archbishop of
Canterbury Rowan Williams, Lutheran World Federation
head Bishop Mark Hanson, World Council of Churches
head Rev.Samuel Kobia and US Presbyterian Church head
Clifton Kirkpatrick.

Roman Catholic cardinals said Sunday, November 25, the
Vatican will have a positive response in the near
future.

Actions not Words

The signatories of the new letter, mostly clergymen
from the United States, said they were deeply
"encouraged" and "challenged" by the Muslim letter.

"We receive the open letter as a Muslim hand of
conviviality and cooperation extended to Christians
world-wide," they wrote.

"In this response we extend our own Christian hand in
return, so that together with all other human beings
we may live in peace and justice as we seek to love
God and our neighbors."

Miroslav Volf, founder and director of the Yale Center
for Faith and Culture who compiled the response
letter, said they hope to narrow all differences
between Muslims and Christians.

He hopes the Muslim and Christian letters would serve
as a springboard for a more serious and respectful
rather than a "polite ecumenical" dialogue between the
two religions.

"We are persuaded that our next step should be for our
leaders at every level to meet together and begin the
earnest work of determining how God would have us
fulfill the requirement that we love God and one
another."

Al-Jafri, the Muslim preacher, said Muslims would take
more positive steps in the days to come.

"We will hold more conferences and meetings at all
levels to enrich inter-faith dialogue."

Click to Read the Letter
http://www.yale.edu/faith/abou-commonword.htm
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Blue1moon · Christian Scholars Apologize for Crusades Tue. Nov. 27, 2007

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

Blue1moon · Christian Scholars Apologize for Crusades Tue. Nov. 27, 2007 SOURCE

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

The Inquisitor · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 772

RT,

Though I understand your viewpoint, and I totally agree with its premise, there are certain historical events that stand out and need special attention. One such act was internement of the Japanese-Americans during WWII. It was incorrect for the US government to blindly assume that these people would somehow be more loyal to Japan than to the US. President Reagan recognized the impropriety of this and publicly apologized to the survivors of these camps. I'm not a great Reagan supporter, but I admire his courage and his foresight to acknowledge a wrong and make amends, even if it's decades after the fact. I was one proud American when I saw the survivors of those camps, including Senator Daniel Inouye, accecpt our country's apology for this wrongful act. I thought to myself, "That's what America's all about. We may not be perfect, but when we see a wrong, even one we are guilty of doing, we have the guts and temerity to stand up and say, 'Yes, it was wrong and we apologize, but we have learned from it and it will not be repeated.'" Anyone can stand tall when they do something right, but only the best can stand tall and freely admit when they err.

The Holocaust, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the genocides in Armenia and elsewhere, and other great tragedies over the centuries fall into this category. The Muslims aren't squeaky clean either. They ravaged and pillaged Eastern Europe for centuries under the Ottoman Empire and I have many Bulgarian friends who speak about the atrocities committed by them.

For me, an apology is not a sign of weakness, rather it's a recognition of past errors and an open willingness to avoid the same mistake in the future. As far as the persecution of Jesus by the Jews, that is something between those two faiths exclusively. The Crusades and other atrocities were meted out to the general public in very destructive ways. They impacted entire civilizations, not just one person.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

Recently there was some demonstration by some Malaysian Hindus in Malaysia.

They claimed that they were here in Malaysia
because their forefathers were forcefully taken out of India.

Now they demand the Queen of england
to pay compensation to them.

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

Interesting you would say that...
Same goes with the Palestinians.
They don't want land, they want financial compensation.