by CINDY WOODEN

Following the delivery of "A Common Word", the ground-breaking and historic open letter to Christian clergy, scholars and leaders calling for peace and greater good-will between Muslims and Christians, responses varied from open acceptance to soft rejection. Cindy Wooden of the Catholic News Service recently spoke with Aref Ali Nayed, the chief spokesperson on behalf of the open letter, about what he believes will be achieved by this interfaith initiative, what theological foundation dialogue between Muslims and Christians should rest on, and how Muslim and Christian scriptures are windows rather than walls for increased understanding 

CINDY WOODEN: How would you describe the dialogue the “Common Word” project hopes to initiate?

AREF ALI NAYED: The dialogue, or rather set of dialogues, we hope “A Common Word” will initiate are multifaceted, multilayered, multidisciplinary, and multilateral. It is more a set or matrix of polyphonic discourses that are united through their exclusive focus: Loving worship of the One God, and Love of our neighbors. The matrix includes theological, spiritual, scriptural, juridical, and ethical discourses. It is to be conducted in cooperation with a broad range of partners from all active Christian Churches and denominations including the Catholic, Protestant (both traditional and evangelical), and the Orthodox communities. The discourses will be with Church leaders, centers of theological studies, spiritual communities, scriptural reasoning and reading groups, and grassroots organizations. We are very much encouraged by the fact that positive responses have already come in abundance from such a multiplicity of nodes of Christian communal life including top Christian leaders, and the world’s top Theology, Divinity, and Islamic Studies centers. (For Christian responses, please click here).

Would you make a distinction between a "theological" dialogue and a dialogue focused on common moral values and social concerns?

Of course, there is a distinction between theological dialogue and ethical/social dialogue. However, for people who believe in divine revelation as the ultimate font and ground for righteous living, as Jews, Christians, and Muslims do, theology and theological dialogue must be the foundational ground of all other forms of dialogue. Mere ethical/social dialogue is useful, and is very much needed. However, dialogue of that kind happens everyday, through purely secular institutions such as the United Nations and its organizations. If religious revelation-based communities are to truly contribute to humanity, their dialogue must be ultimately theologically and spiritually grounded. Many Muslim theologians are not just interested in mere ethical dialogue of ‘cultures’ or ‘civilizations’. We take our Qur’anic/Prophetic revelation solemnly and seriously, as the very foundation of all our living and all our discourses. Islam is a great deal more than a ‘culture’ or a ‘civilization’. It is a prophetical revelatory religion and heart-felt faith that has been the rich font of multiple cultures and civilizations. If dialogue is to be serious, it must be theologically and spiritually deep.

What is your reaction to Cardinal Tauran's statement about Muslims' understanding of the Qur’an?

Cardinal Tauran’s statement to Le Croix was very disappointing indeed. It came at a time of high expectation of responsiveness, and on the eve of the important Naples Sant’Egidio encounter. Many people were expecting Pope Benedict XVI to say something positive about the Muslim scholars’ initiative. Alas, a truly historic opportunity for a loving embrace was simply missed.

Instead, the Cardinal’s statement deeply discouraged Muslim scholars, and annoyed many Muslim believers at the grassroots level. Many such believers blamed their leaders for still approaching the Vatican, given the Cardinal’s attitude and the Vatican’s non-responsiveness to Muslim scholars last year. The Cardinal’s statement was quickly propagated through the press, and almost derailed the whole initiative. Muslim scholars already expressed their views on the Cardinal’s statement in their Communiqué to the Naples encounter. However, the content of the Cardinal’s statement does need to be addressed theologically and hermeneutically.