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Muslim Chaplain Sees Potential Turning Point
by John L Allen Jr on Jun. 04, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionPresident Barack Obama’s speech this morning in Cairo, combined with Pope Benedict XVI’s recent trip to the Middle East, may collectively mark a decisive turning point in relations between Islam and the West. That’s according to the first Muslim chaplain at an American Catholic university and a longtime veteran of Catholic/Muslim dialogue.
Imam Yahya Hendi, a native Palestinian who today serves as chaplain to Muslim students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., spoke to NCR by phone.
Taken together, Hendi said, the outreach to the Islamic world from both the pope and the president “may not change the minds of the terrorists, but it will influence young Muslims who are not sure where they stand,” and will “give the moderates in the Islamic world some ground to stand on.”
Obama’s speech this morning came just three weeks after the pontiff’s own swing through the Middle East. During that trip, Benedict expressed a desire for improved relations with Muslims. His itinerary included a visit to the King Hussein Mosque in Amman, Jordan, and stops at the Dome of the Rock in East Jerusalem and a Palestinian refugee camp on the West Bank.
Hendi said both the words and gestures from both the pope and the president have been “very positive moments, reaching out, opening doors and building bridges.”
Hendi said that he followed the discussion of the pope’s trip carefully in the Arab-language media, and that he’s been paying attention this morning to Arab reactions to the Obama speech. In each case, he said, conservative Muslim scholars who in the past have voiced skepticism about both the Catholic church and the United States praised what they called a “tone of reconciliation.”
In terms of where things go from here, Hendi said what he’s waiting for is a “well-known Muslim religious personality to reach out to the West and to America,” in effect reciprocating the one-two gestures from the pope and the president.
Who might that be?
That, Hendi said, is “the million dollar question.”
from Cairo: "We have the
from Cairo:
"We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written. The Holy Quran tells us, Mankind, we have created you male and a female. And we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.
The Talmud tells us, The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.
The Holy Bible tells us, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
Lets us all pray that the
Lets us all pray that the world will follow the example of Pope Benedict XVI and strive for a world of peace.
Examples are like brains ...
Examples are like brains ... they are useless unless they result in actions!
Talk is cheap, B16 ... let's see some concrete actions.
It does sound good, but the
It does sound good, but the Bible warns us, "When they shall say 'Peace and safety,' then sudden destruction comes." 1 Thessalonians 5:2,3. Japan talked about peace when their planes were headed to Pearl Harbor. We should be cautious and compare what we see with Scripture.
As mentioned in my earlier
As mentioned in my earlier NCR blogs, I come into this topic with relatives who are of Middle Eastern descent. So this issue is an in-my-face issue, probably more relevant and hot, than for the typical NCR blogger.
From what I know of athletes and corporations, we three religions could make a lot of progress by ENVISIONING what we want our PEACE to look like.
Here's what I would like to see:
1. TRADITIONAL ARTS: Not only would I like to see/be educated in more music, dance, and theater, I am well aware that many TRADITIONAL ARTS are being lost in remote areas around the world. To me Arab/Jewish PEACE could bring about preservation/reenactment/audio&video recordings of these sometimes rare and unique artistic creations from the Arab/Jewish heritage.
2. DEAD SEA SCROLLS: Face it, during the 2009 Gaza bombings, precious archeological remains probably were further damaged. I WANT TO BE DEDICATED TO FURTHER IN DEPTH STUDY OF ANCIENT HOLY LAND/MIDDLE-EASTERN ARCHEOLOGY. I want the world to experience further gains (instead of losses) in time and property in what could be called Holy Archeology.
I am still grieving from the destruction of archeology in Iraq, for which the United States is largely responsible.
I WANT PRECIOUS MIDDLE-EASTERN ARCHEOLOGY PRESERVED FOR my DESCENDANTS, AT LEAST.
3. PEOPLE VALUES: I want the human contributions of shared dialogue in potential interfaith discussion to be PRESERVED, PROMOTED, ENJOYED.
4. FILL IN THE BLANK: I invite fellow bloggers/bloggees. "What vision do you have for Arab/Jewish PEACE and harmonious living?"
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