"THE FLIGHT OF CHRISTIANS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST Is a catastrophe for Islam "
Interview with political adviser to the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic
Tony Assaf and Robert Cheaib
CITY 'VATICAN, Saturday, October 16, 2010 (ZENIT.org) .- The Christian immigration from the Middle East and its effects on the Muslim presence and identity of the region. The need for Middle Eastern Muslims have of Christians to fulfill their historical mission as individuals and as communities. The document states that the historical neglect the religious duty of every Muslim believer to be guardian of the Christians and their places of worship "until the day of resurrection."
These and many other topics are at the center of ZENIT interview with Mr. Muhammad al-Sammak, religious and political advisor of the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, and special guest at the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East.
The content of his speech to the Synod represent the opinion of all Sunni Muslims in the Middle East, or is it just the vision of a faction? And what do you expect from the Synod as a Muslim?
Muhammad al-Sammak: The position is exposed in the intervention Synod doctrine Islam, a Muslim and I am committed both to speak at the Vatican is speaking in holy Mecca. What I said is true Islamic teaching, and I do not think that a true Muslim believer can move from this position. Therefore, even in the preparatory phase of the speech I made a round of talks with Lebanese Prime Minister, the Association of the World Islamic Call and the General Council of King Abdullah's initiative for dialogue between cultures and religions, since the 'Saudi Arabia is the first point of reference in the Islamic world. For this, I believe that the text expresses the opinion of the Islamic world in general.
Staying in Synod congregation in his speech where she says: "To facilitate the emigration of Christians means to force them to emigrate. withdraw into oneself is to slowly suffocate." In your opinion, what would practically do the Synod to prevent the emigration of Christians from the Middle East?
Muhammad al-Sammak: It is clear that the text of my speech is an invitation not only to encourage Christians to remain in their home countries, but also to help them to stay. And the aid should not only come from references such as the Vatican or the Synod of Bishops should also come from local political authorities and civil society of which Christians belong. There is a shared responsibility between Islam and Christianity. In my opinion, Christians should abandon the idea of \u200b\u200bemigration from the Middle East. And, on the other hand, Muslims should realize that Christian emigration is indeed a catastrophe for them first. Therefore, it is a civic duty of Muslims to help the Christian presence in the Middle East regain its credibility and its role, and not remain a mere presence, returns to the Middle East being what it was during the centuries the cradle of religion, culture and civilization.
What position should Christians take as social and political presence in Lebanon about the divisions within Islam between Sunnis and Shiites? Just take a stance of "positive neutrality" as suggested, Sateh Nour ed-Din, a Muslim political commentator, who says: "Christians must not do is adopt a position of positive neutrality between Sunnis and Shiites." Neutrality is not given a rather negative position, passive and marginal?
Muhammad al-Sammak: Christians in Lebanon are not mere spectators, and not even an external element to reconcile internal elements to the national organization as if they were external factors. Lebanon to its origin born Christian response to need. And the establishment of the Lebanese nation in 1920 is to be responsible for this particular need. The role of Christians in Lebanon can not be reduced to reconciliation between political or religious. The role of Christian is the founder and essential. It is therefore possible to imagine Christians as passive spectators or advisers. The nation affects them in every way. And we must be clear that much of Christian suffering in the Middle East is due to the decrease of the role of Christian in Lebanon, which reflects negatively on the spirit of Christians in the rest of the region. To promote the Christian presence in the Middle East must necessarily start from Lebanon who is the nation's post- civil coexistence between Muslims and Christians.
You say that the role of Christians in Lebanon is "founder and essential", and during his speech at the Synod of Bishops, said: "I can live my Islam of every Muslim with any other state and ethnicity, but as the Arab East, I can not live without my essence of Arab Christians Arab East. " But there are other visions of Islam in the Middle East who regard Christians as remnants of the Crusades to eliminate by any means available, and look to the Christians as allies and spies for the West, wrongly considered the realm of political and religious Christians! Faced with this duplicity, Christians are faced with a difficult crossroads. Which of these two faces is the true Islam?
Muhammad al-Sammak: This topic requires a lengthy treatment that is not possible here. But let's start from historical data. Christianity is older than Islam in the East. There are churches that still exist and which were built long before the birth of the Prophet Mohammad and the advent of Islam. I would like to report an incident documented that the Prophet said the visit by a Christian tribe in Najran in the Arabian Peninsula. The embassy was to discover the new religion of which he received the news. The Prophet welcomed them into his house, which is the second most Islam's holy, where now stands the mosque of Medina. Entertained themselves with the Prophet for a full day, lunch and dinner together, and when came the hour of vespers, the Prophet invited them to pray at home, but they preferred to pray outside. The outcome of the meeting was a document called "The Pact of Najran. It concerns all Christians and religiously committed Muslims until the Day of Judgement. The duty of Muslims to Christians is to respect and protect them and protect their places of worship. The pact forbids the Muslim to build a mosque or a house using stones previously used by Christian churches. There are other interesting topics that I put in 15 points in a study that concern every Muslim. So, when someone says that Christians are a new addition in the Middle East, I wonder how they can be, and are the oldest in the region of Muslims as documented by the same sacred writings of the Islamic tradition?
It is said that Christians in the Middle East are no residues of the Crusades. But how could they be, if indeed, they themselves have been damaged by these Crusades, from the sacking of Constantinople to the western shores of the Mediterranean. These statements made by factions of Islam are mere assumptions based on a culture incorrect. Then there is another problem: Some Muslims look to the West as if it were Christianity. This is not true. I know that the late Pope John Paul II has called for the tenacity with reference to Europe's Christian roots in the Constitution of the unified European Union. But the final text was published without the slightest reference to those roots. It is therefore fair to weigh on the shoulders of Christianity and Christians the choice of the West. It is not just aggravate the Christians of responsibility for the conflict between Islam and the West. These issues are unknown to many Muslims who come to the wrong conclusions based on false premises. Therefore it is important to spread a culture that properly corrects these biases.
Talking Christian emigration from the Middle East, many Muslims say that we feel it is a great loss in the first place for Muslims. What do you do in practice to prevent or put an end to this phenomenon?
Muhammad al-Sammak: the best of our ability we try to raise awareness among Muslims on the great loss that the drain and the emigration of Christians imposing on the Middle East. Because of this exodus, the East loses its identity, its diversity, spirit of tolerance and mutual respect. Even at the level of religious practice, the Muslim's need to practice Christian moral values \u200b\u200bof his faith, such as tolerance and respect. Thus, immigration torn and fraying the fabric of this rich East undermining our societies and lead to a dangerous precipice.
In addition, if Christians emigrate, the image we are sending is that Muslims are intolerant of Christians in the Middle East. Westerners would be natural to deduce that Muslims do not know and can not live with others, so how can they live with us? This is reflected very negatively on the approximately 500 million Muslims living in non-Muslim. What will be their fate? It is a benefit for Muslims to preserve the Christian presence in the Middle East.
He spoke at the Synod of "secularism positive ", and some bishops have suggested to change the terminology to be more in tune with the contemporary Islamic sensibility, suggests the term" status ". You can dogmatically in a religion like Islam that is considered both" religion and State "(in D wa dunya), rising to a civilized nation, pluralistic idea of \u200b\u200breplacing the theocratic state?
Muhammad al-Sammak: This research is not new in Islam. Here in Lebanon, the late Imam Mohammad Shams el-Din had proposed at the time of the project status, namely the idea of \u200b\u200bbelieving a nation where the State shall respect of faiths, and even non-belief. For faith is a matter of conscience, is the relationship between God and man, and God judges each. The Quran says: "There is no forcing in religion." This verse does not only mean "do not force anybody to believe" but "there can be no faith with compulsion." On this principle we can construct the concept of status. The state must respect religion, religious rites at the same time becoming a nation for all. This was already discussed in many meetings Muslims, so it is a matter on which we can discuss.
religious dialogue is an ongoing phenomenon for several decades. Some, However, they criticize this dialogue by stating that it is only among religious leaders and remains only as ink on paper, and embodied in the daily life of ordinary people. What is your opinion as an active member in the path of Christian-Muslim dialogue? And what the health status of the dialogue today?
Muhammad al-Sammak: I think first that there is no alternative to dialogue. When someone says that "dialogue is useless", I retorted: "What is the alternative?". This is a fundamental starting point.
My theory is the following dialogue: Dialogue is the art of finding the truth in the opinion of others. I do not have the truth. Just the fact of starting a dialogue with each other means that I confess I do not have a monopoly on truth, but I'ma researcher. It also means that I could find in the opinion and vision of the other, so respect each other and respect his vision. This concept of reciprocity that builds bridges of dialogue is characterized by mutual respect.
And the dialogue for us is not just theoretical. We do not lose this opportunity to reach people through cultural centers, publications, broadcasts, interviews, meetings. We also organize meetings where residential gather young Christians and Muslims spend one to three weeks together, working together, listening to one another, seeing as everyone prays and lives his life and his faith. At these meetings, involving young people from different countries of the Middle East but also from Europe. Thematic meetings in touch very timely topics such as freedom of conscience, the right of citizenship, freedom of religion. All this is not enough. The work should be wider, but this is what is in our power and we believe it is urgent to disseminate this culture in all sections of society.
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