The interfaith dialogue

The interfaith dialogue

Dr. Jassim Taqui

Having asked repeatedly by the US President George W. Bush to shed off his uniform, Gen. Pervez Musharraf was advised by his aids to use American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to bail him out of an imminent fall.

Musharraf quickly went to New York and addressed AIPIC. They advised him to establish contacts with Israel, which he did.

In 2004, I was invited to a round-table interfaith dialogue at Marriot Hotel. The dialogue was conducted between the former Saudi Ambassador Ali Asseri and a delegation of AIPAC. I was invited by the Spokesperson of the American Embassy Dr. Elizabeth Colton.

The details of the dialogue is confidential. Hence, I cannot disclose  some very interesting details. However, I reminded the AIPAC that the former Libyan President Col. Muammar Al-Qaddafi was the first to start the interfaith dialogue way back in the seventies. Scholars from the Libyan Islamic Call Society had lengthy discussion with scholars from Holy Sea.

The details of the dialogue were compiled in a book, which Al-Bab translated into Arabic language. To my surprise, the AIPAC acknowledge my assertion stating that they had the English copy of the dialogue.

Asseri, who was a close friend, took a deep sigh. He was finally relieved.

To my mind, the issue of interfaith dialogue does not arise in the first place. Holy Quran states categorically that Islam recognizes all prophets of God and does not differentiate between them. According to The Imrans-84, “ Say: “ We believe in God and what is revealed to us; in that which was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael; Isaac and Jacob and their descendants and in that which their Lord gave to Moses and Jesus and the prophets. We discriminate against none of them. To Him, we have surrendered ourselves.”

After, this proclamation, do you think we need interfaith or simply natural relations with all other religions based on co-existence, respect and mutual accommodation?

To further confirm this translation, I reproduce verse 84 of The Imran:

"قُلْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ (84)"