Interview with Khalil Samir, a Jesuit and an expert on Islam
Robert Cheaib
CITY 'OF ROME, Tuesday, October 19 2010 (ZENIT.org) .- The Christians in the Middle East are victims of systematic persecution, but their lives and their rights suffer discrimination similar to euthanasia which is dying a slow, little by little their ancient presence in the Middle East .
The Synod of Bishops has a crucial responsibility to propose a remedy to this phenomenon that the Chaldean archbishop of Kirkuk, Msgr. Louis Sako, was quick to call "the bleeding of Middle Eastern Christians." In this interview with ZENIT, Father Samir Khalil, an expert in Islam and Middle Eastern history, offers a historical and religious context of the current situation in the region, analyzes the most pressing challenges and suggests some possible solutions.
Although not the only topic covered by the synod fathers, however, you notice that a great emphasis has been mostly geopolitical aspect of the Christian presence in the Middle East and in particular their relationship with the ' Islam. Is this really the most important and decisive for their existence and permanence in the Middle East?
Samir Khalil: There is no doubt that being a minority that does not exceed 10% of the population of the Middle East - while the vast majority are Muslim - our very existence depends on the goodwill of this majority, especially since Islam is conceived as a state and religion. And since more than 30 years the majority of Middle Eastern states have adopted an approach to reality Islamist state, where religion decide all the details of daily life, social and political life, it is obvious that under these conditions our situation depends on a will of the Muslims and the Islamic system. No wonder, then, if the question has occupied a very important as you rightly note.
She is of Egyptian origin, but lives in Lebanon, and being an expert of Islam is often in direct contact with Muslims. How would you describe your relationship with them?
Samir Khalil: I suffered a distinction between Muslims and the Islamic system individually, simply because the Muslims can be individually set up a wonderful dialogue and religious and intercultural dialogue.
Let me tell an anecdote to confirm what I say, last night I was contacted on skype a Sunni Muslim in the north of Lebanon, met by chance on a plane a month ago. Our dialogue has focused on the Trinity and prayer. During the conversation he told me: "Doctor, I would like to introduce you to my wife." In the East, this gesture means you are now part of the family. Then he took the individual Muslim - paradoxically - is much closer to our Eastern Christians of a European citizen. There is a sense of religion that unites us and unites us. But if we talk about Islam, the discourse changed radically because it is a political project based on religion. As Eastern Christians, we want to be treated merely as citizens with a Constitution that transcends all religions. But in most cases in our countries the constitution is based largely - if not totally - on Islamic law. And this is our problem. Apart from a few cases such as Lebanon, the Member also constitutionally secular, as in the case of Tunisia, Syria or Turkey, are culturally Islamic countries and give priority to citizens of Muslim religion.
The Islamic revival is a very complex phenomenon which has several origins: the current ressourcement as Wahhabism, the antagonist of the West presented in reading half of the twentieth century by such figures as Sayyed Kotb, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, the various cultural biases that erroneously equate the West and Christianity, seen as the latest American wars crusades against Islam, the major Western bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But what do you think pin quest'esponenziale development of political Islam and Islamic fundamentalism?
Samir Khalil: On one hand there is a wave Islamist who was born in the early seventies. Since 1973 is an economic phenomenon occurred following the war between Israel and Arab countries, which has seen oil prices quadruple in a few months. So the oil countries suddenly found themselves with a mountain of petrodollars. Saudi Arabia, not knowing what to make of this immense fortune he has spent a large part in the construction of mosques and Islamic schools. Saudi Arabia has financed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and their project was clear: the Islamisation of Egyptian society because he was not Muslim enough. He then did the same thing in every country in the Middle East. So in the early eighties, the Muslim Brotherhood have become so numerous as to be regarded as a threat to Syria and Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad has subdued them by force. Indonesia, a couple of decades ago, it was considered a paradise of religious freedom in a Muslim country, many priests were former converts from Islam. Now this is a phenomenon impossible. The same in Nigeria over the last decade the number of provinces that apply Islamic law has increased from 4 to 12. Europe, with about 5% of Muslims already feel invaded and threatened. So cancel the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned a few days ago announcing the failure of the integration model, because they are the ones who did not wish to integrate. And why not integrate? Because they have a religious project, while the states where they live have non-religious national projects.
Faced with this very complex and critical situation, what did the Synod of Bishops and what will you do?
Samir Khalil: We Christians of the East live in the midst of this ongoing phenomenon , where Islam earns foot day after day, to the point that the Arab League the first argument is always this: how to deal with Islamism. And the Synod is devoting special attention to the relationship with Islam. The sessions of the Synod is wondering why people leave their homeland, the cradle of Christianity. In the Arab world there is no persecution against Christians, but there is discrimination. Christians are not treated equally with Muslims. Muslims are the recipients of more ordinary citizens. The other, constitutionally, they are citizens, but in practice the laws - as made from the Islamic system - not the Christians in a disadvantaged condition. Furthermore, freedom of conscience does not exist, there is only the tolerance bear is that the Christian remains in Muslim lands, but with many limitations. You can not, however, leave Islam for another religion. All these situations have been the focus of attention in the last days of the Synod Fathers.
Diagnosis touches offer several causes of suffering for Christians of the East, but then the question arises: is there a way out, or are only proposals and resolutions will be only as a utopia and prognosis ?
Samir Khalil: There is only one way out, to point to some shared concepts, such as "citizenship" or "belonging Arab ", both recognized by most Muslims. The movements that promoted these values \u200b\u200bin the early twentieth century were so successful because it brought with it a new breath of calling out of the tribal vision, but recently this view has been dropped and replaced by the concept of 'Umma [The Nation ] Islam. During the presidency of Nasser, until the mid-'70s, the concept was Umma al-Arabiyya [the Arab nation], but since the mid-70s then prevailed in the concept of 'Umma to -Islamiyya [Islamic nation], which leaves no room for non-Muslims. The solution is to try to bring Muslims and Christians, a modern concept of state, not only politically but also culturally.
The proposal is effective but somewhat impractical in the cultural landscape of the East. As can be done to make possible it done?
Samir Khalil: Right here takes over the proposal of the Synod for the Middle East is not to make a Christian project, let alone a draft of the Christians or Christians, because we think so as if we were a minority that seeks to protect . We are not trying to protect us, but what we say also reflects the word of many Muslims who recognize that as we the Arab nation is suffering badly because of a defaillance exercise of democracy in the distribution of wealth and the establishment of social justice and the rule of law, reform the health system. Islam is very sensitive to these dimensions. Freedom of conscience and expression is desired by many, and not because people want to move away from Islam, but because he wants to live Islam in a more personal way. In the Islamic world there is a sense of modernity and freedom that does not dare to manifest. A Christian can write criticizing his patriarch or bishop, but it is difficult for a Muslim to do so. Not because anyone in particular barred from doing so, but because the culture itself would prevent that. The imam are ulema [the scholars] and their knowledge is not discussed. And I repeat that with these proposals is not to make Muslims less Muslim or Christian, but Christians not to say that faith is a personal matter, although it has its social dimension, and everyone should live their faith as he is inspired by God
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