Henry ... this very interesting story is now appearing everywhere. The 138 scholarly Islamic gentlemen who have signed these letters are undoubtedly well meaning and decent fellows; clearly they are very annoyed at being pushed aside by the Bin Ladens and such fascist ilk in International Islam.

The sad thing is that this good initiative, of itself, has no staying power or ability to deliver any long term improvement. The signatories are essentially Sunni muslims. Sunnis are organisationally anarchic and the absence of an effective hierarchy means that that no one in Sunni Islam can 'deliver' anything in the generally understood meaning of that word. The few Shi'ites who are involved are not noticeably from Iran, as far as I can determine. Shia Islam takes its cue from Iranian Shia Ayatollahs, not muslim scholars swanning around in Cambridge University.
 
Although the letter will not amount to anything in itself, it is a very important event for it to have been sent. First, it will likely lead to a conference among the Christian recipients (organised by the Vatican) to see if a uniform Christian response to the letter can be tailored. Such a conference will be a good development for the Christian West if it can lead to a narrowing of the diversity of attitudes toward Islam among Christians. The establishment of a peaceful modus vivendi between Islam and the Christian West will be advanced if Islam is faced with a united Christian response to the problems with Islam which we currently face. Widespread diversity of views and attitudes among Christians toward Islam will only encourage ceaseless manoeuvring among muslims who are opposed to any settlement with the Christian West.
 
Second, this letter will get a lot of coverage in the muslim world. This will generate much debate (as the muslims have so much spare time on their hands due to living in failed Sharia based economies) and give encouragement to other muslims who have views similar to the 138 muslim scholars. This debate will be a direct challenge to the terrorist element and their propaganda.
 
The article below mentions that similar letters could be addressed to Jews and secularists. This would be a real step forward if such a conciliatory letter could be addressed to the Jews. Such a letter would create immense excitement in the muslim world as it would have to go against the fiercely anti-Jewish grain that runs through the Koran. (Muslims tend to believe that their prophet, Muhammad, was poisoned by a Jew who gave him food which lead to his last and mortal illness.) The Koran was compiled by various authors over the following 150 or so years and reflected the established anti-Jewish attitudes of the growing muslim communities.
 
If, on the other hand, a letter to the Jews from muslim scholars was just a re-hashing of the usual muslim diatribes against the Jews the whole exercise will collapse. The Christian religious authorities will not abandon their tight connection with Jews and Judaism; indeed they cannot, theologically.
 
 
This development is a very intriguing one which shows the West that there is 'wiggle room' available in dealing with Islam and muslims. Our policy must be to stay hard and unflinchingly repressive toward the obvious enemies like Wahhabis and such fascist ilk, but to also recognise those muslims who have a more intelligent and co-operative approach to life in the world. We must move toward these latter muslims and engage with them sensibly and honorably. But first we must get Western public officials who are themselves actually interested in these extremely serious matters. It is to be hoped that here in Australia, we can make a new beginning in this quest for more serious public officials following next month's election.

Unprecedented Muslim call for peace with Christians
Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:36am EDT
 
By Peter Graff

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - More than 130 Muslim scholars from around the globe called on Thursday for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity, saying "the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake".

In an unprecedented letter to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders, 138 Muslim scholars said finding common ground between the world's biggest faiths was not simply a matter for polite dialogue between religious leaders.

"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," the scholars wrote.

"Our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake," they wrote, adding that Islam and Christianity already agreed that love of God and neighbour were the two most important commandments of their faiths.

Relations between Muslims and Christians have been strained as al Qaeda has struck around the world and as the United States and other Western countries intervened in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Such a joint letter is unprecedented in Islam, which has no central authority that speaks on behalf of all worshippers.

The list of signatories includes senior figures throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. They represent Sunni, Shi'ite and Sufi schools of Islam.

Among them were the grand muftis of Egypt, Palestine, Oman, Jordan, Syria, Bosnia and Russia and many imams and scholars. War-torn Iraq was represented by both Shi'ites and Sunnis.

Mustafa Cagrici, the mufti who prayed with Benedict in Istanbul's Blue Mosque last year, was also on the list, as was the popular Egyptian television preacher Amr Khaled.

"MAINSTREAM VOICES DROWNED OUT"

The letter was addressed to the Pope, leaders of Orthodox Christian churches, Anglican leader Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the heads of the world alliances of the Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist and Reformed churches.

Williams said he welcomed it as "indicative of the kind of relationship for which we yearn in all parts of the world".

"The call to respect, peace and goodwill should now be taken up by Christians and Muslims at all levels and in all countries," he said.

A Vatican official in Rome said the Roman Catholic Church would not comment until it had time to read the letter.

Aref Ali Nayed, one of the signatories and a senior adviser to the Cambridge Interfaith Programme at Cambridge University in Britain, said the signatories represented the "99.9 percent of Muslims" who follow mainstream schools and oppose extremism.

"In Islam we have had a problem for some time now where the mainstream voices are drowned out by a minority that choose violence," he said.

Nayed said organisers of the letter had set up an ad hoc network among Muslim leaders that could lead to more cooperation in future.

"These people don't take their signatures lightly," he said. "We are trying to institutionalise this so we don't lose it."

The overture to Christians could be followed by similar letters addressed to Jews or secularists, he added.

Pope Benedict sparked Muslim protests last year with a speech hinting Islam was violent and irrational. It prompted 38 Muslim scholars to write a letter challenging his view of Islam and accepting his call for serious Christian-Muslim dialogue.

Benedict repeatedly expressed regret for the reaction to the speech, but stopped short of a clear apology sought by Muslims.

The new letter argues in theological terms, giving quotes from the Koran and the Bible that show both Christianity and Islam considered love of God as their greatest commandment and love of neighbour as the second greatest.

"The basis for this peace and understanding already exists," it said. "It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the one God and love of the neighbour."