The fallout over Pope Benedict XVI’s comments on Islam and violence during a Sept. 12, 2006, lecture in Germany may have done serious damage to relations between the Catholic Church and global Islam, in addition to inflaming tensions between Muslims and Christians of every denomination. The story could grow more complex in the coming weeks because Benedict is scheduled to visit Turkey from Nov. 28-Dec. 1. The pope’s trip is principally an ecumenical visit to the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, with a brief visit to the small community of Catholics in the region. Because the patriarch is based in the Turkish city now known as Istanbul, and because Benedict’s comments referred to a 14th-century episode during a war between Christians and Muslims over Constantinople, Turkey has been a focus of the controversy.
Experts say there are many other aspects of the uproar, ranging from renewed questions over the “clash of civilizations” theory to concerns about relations between Christians and Muslims at the local level. As the controversy over the pope’s remarks grew, the nation’s leading Islamic rights group released a report claiming that incidents of discrimination against Muslims in the United States had spiked 30 percent in 2005.
Experts also note that the comments by Benedict – who is an academic theologian as well as a head of state — involve two separate, but often entwined issues. One is a theological discussion about violence and religion, including what sacred texts and traditions say in that regard. That issue tends to be the focus of interreligious dialogues. The other issue concerns efforts to halt violence committed by religious believers, which tends to involve questions of international politics, diplomacy and human rights.
Journalists will find many avenues for stories, including the importance of Christian-Muslim relations in local, national and global arenas; tensions within interfaith groups, many of which have become more active since the 2001 terrorist attacks; conflicting attitudes toward other faiths within both Christianity and Islam; and, of course, the effect on perceptions of Pope Benedict himself.
Why it matters
Catholics and Muslims constitute communities of more than 1 billion believers each, and relations between them are widely viewed as a critical bellwether for the state of religious dialogue. They also provide a crucial point of contact between the West and the Islamic world. Despite frequent restrictions and attacks against Christians in many Muslim countries, Catholics and Muslims have had a relatively constructive dialogue in recent years and have often found themselves as allies at international gatherings. Experts say that the fallout from Benedict’s speech could change that delicate dynamic.
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National and international sources
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RELIGIONLINK ARCHIVES
For more sources and background, refer to these ReligionLink issues:
• Islam: A guide to U.S. experts and organizations
• Assessing the first year of Pope Benedict XVI (March 27, 2006)
National and international sources
U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS RESOURCES
• The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has sponsored regional dialogues between Catholics and Muslims since 2000. The Rev. Francis V. Tiso, associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, directs the bishops’ dialogue with Islam. Contact 202-541-3020, ftiso@usccb.org, or through the USCCB communications office, 202-541-3200.
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• Mid-Atlantic region: See a 2006 report about the Mid-Atlantic dialogue and its participants, and read a March 29, 2006, Catholic News Service story about the dialogue, which has been going on for six years. The dialogue began in 1998. Co-chairmen are Khurshid Khan, president of the Islamic Circle of North America, and Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden of Baltimore. |
• See a list of members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, which includes bishops from around the nation.
• See a resource page with essays on Muslim-Catholic dialogue.
• Catholic-Muslim Dialogue Day is observed each year on Feb. 24. It was established in 2000 by the Vatican-Muslim Committee, a joint venture by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Permanent Committee of al-Azhar for Dialogue with Monotheistic Religions. Read a March 2004 article about Catholic-Muslim Dialogue Day from the Muslim American Society.
• Read a 2003 report on Catholic-Muslim dialogueand activities from John Borelli of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN ACADEMIC CENTERS
• John L. Esposito is founding director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, where he teaches religion, Islamic studies and international affairs. Contact 202-687-8375, jle2@georgetown.edu.
• Ingrid Mattson is president of the Islamic Society of North America and a professor of Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations. She is also director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn. Contact 860-509-9531 (office), 860-509-9534 (department), imattson@hartsem.edu or through ISNA, by calling David S. Barrett, director of public and institutional Affairs, 860-509-9519, dbarrett@hartsem.edu.
• Jane I. Smith is professor of Islamic studies and co-director of the Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. She co-edited Islam and the West Post 9/11 (Ashgate, 2005). Contact 860-509-9532, jsmith@hartsem.edu.
• Ibrahim Abu-Rabi’ is co-director of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. Contact 860-509-9530, aburabi@hartsem.edu.
• On Sept. 21, 2006, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is establishing its new Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice. Read a press release. Harold S. Vogelaar, resident scholar of world religions, is the center’s new director. He said it is unfortunate that extremists in both Christianity and Islam are misusing the pope’s comments for their own purposes. The center will begin a two-day conference called “Christians and Muslims Together: Owning our Pasts–Visioning the Future” on Sept. 21. See a list of speakers. Contact at 773-256-0755, hvogelaar@lstc.edu.
• Scott Alexander is director of the Catholic-Muslim Program and associate professor of Islam at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Contact 773-256-4251, scalexan@ctu.edu.
• Sheila McLaughlin is director of the Bernardin Center for Theology and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. In May 2006, the center hosted a conference on Muslim-Catholic dialogue called “For All Humanity: Muslim-Catholic Dialogue in Global Perspective.” See a list of presenters. Contact smclaughlin@ctu.edu.
INTERFAITH ORGANIZATIONS
• Elinor J. Pierce is research director of the Pluralism Project, based at Harvard University. The center studies the nation’s growing religious diversity and lists more than 600 interfaith organizations on its web site. Contact 617-496-2481.
• Ron Young is executive director of the U.S. Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East, a national organization of 2,500 American Jews, Christians and Muslims that is based in Stanwood, Wash. The committee carries on programs nationwide on dialogue, education and advocacy in support of U.S. policies in the Middle East. Contact 360-652-4285, usicpme@aol.com.
• The Rev. Shanta Premawardhana is associate general secretary for interfaith relations of National Council of Churches. The NCC represents Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African-American and Peace churches and engages in interfaith dialogue. Contact 212-870-2560, Shanta@ncccusa.org.
• The North American Interfaith Network is a nonprofit association of interfaith organizations and agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Contact Vice Chairman Kay Lindahl, 949-661-3087, Kay@sacredlistening.com.
• The Interfaith Center of New York is an educational nonprofit dedicated to understanding and cooperation among faiths. The center works with a wide variety of religious leaders. Contact program director Matt Weiner, 212-685-4242 ext. 31, Gotoku@aol.com.
• The Interfaith Alliance represents more than 75 faith traditions and has more than 150,000 members in 38 states. Contact President Welton Gaddy, 202-639-6370.
• The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, based in Chicago, sponsors interfaith dialogue and encourages cooperation among religious and spiritual communities and institutions. Contact 312-629-2990.
• The United Religions Initiative, based in San Francisco, promotes interfaith cooperation and ending religiously motivated violence. It has “cooperation circles” around the globe. Contact 415-561-2300.
MUSLIM SOURCES
• Amir Hussain is author of Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God (Wood Lake Books, 2006) in which he identifies the key points for dialogue between Christians and Muslims and discusses the practical aspects of interfaith dialogue. He is an associate professor in the department of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Contact 310-338-5987, amir.hussain@lmu.edu.
• Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed is secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization in America. Read its Sept. 18, 2006, condemnation of the pope’s comments. Contact 317-839-8157 ext. 222.
• The Minaret of Freedom Institute, based in Bethesda, Md., conducts independent scholarly research into issues involving Islam in the U.S. and policy issues affecting Muslim countries. The institute’s emphasis is on Islam, freedom and free markets, and the political and economic implications of Islamic law. Contact Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, 301-907-0947, mfi@minerat.org.
• The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy in Washington, D.C., is a 7-year-old think tank with the aim of furthering Islamic discourse on a modern Islamic democracy. Contact its president, Radwan Masmoudi, 202-942-2183, masmoudi@islam-democracy.org.
• Nihad Awad is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Contact through Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair-net.org.
• Salam Al-Marayati is executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Contact 213-383-3443, salam@mpac.org.
CATHOLIC SOURCES
• James A. Donahue is president of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., and an expert on interfaith theological dialogue. He has spoken in interviews about the crisis over the pope’s remarks. Contact 510-649-2410, jdonahue@gtu.edu.
• The Rev. Francis X. Clooney, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and the Parkman Professor of Divinity at Harvard University. He wrote an Oct. 21, 2005, article for Commonweal magazine about the pope’s approach to interfaith dialogue titled “Dialogue Not Monologue: Benedict XVI & Religious Pluralism.” Clooney is currently on leave but can be contacted through his assistant, Eric Unverzagt, at 607-496-2779, eric_unverzagt@harvard.edu.
• The Rev. Drew Christiansen, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and editor in chief of America magazine in New York. Christiansen is a longtime adviser to the Catholic bishops of the United States on international affairs, with an emphasis on the Middle East, where he spent many years. Contact 212-515-0106.
• John Borelli is special assistant to the president for interreligious initiatives at Georgetown University. He has been a longtime leader in Catholic dialogue with other religions, especially Islam. For 16 years he was associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Contact 202-687-4936.
• The Rev. Patrick J. Ryan, SJ, is a Jesuit priest at Fordham University in New York, where he serves as vice president for mission and ministry. Ryan is an expert on Islam and the tensions with the West. Contact 718-817-3013, 212-636-7584, or ryansj@fordham.edu.
OTHER CHRISTIAN LEADERS
• Ted Haggard is head of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo. He is one of several evangelical leaders who called for evangelicals to temper their language about Islam. (See an Associated Press story posted on Beliefnet.) Contact 719-268-8214.
• Frank Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention, which has 16 million members worldwide. Contact through Kenyn Cureton, vice president for convention relations, 615-782-8610, kcureton@sbc.net.
• Johan Candelin is executive director of the Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, a network of churches in 127 countries. He can talk about how relations between Christians and Muslims affect Christians and Christian missionaries in other countries. Contact candelin@kolumbus.fi or through the press office, 202-223-7556.
• Carl A. Moeller is president and CEO of Open Doors USA, which supports persecuted Christians in 60 countries. It’s based in Santa Ana, Calif. Contact 949-752-6600.
Chronology
The following is a brief chronology of the major events in the uproar over Pope Benedict’s remarks about Islam:
Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006: During a homecoming visit to his native Bavaria, Benedict delivers a lecture at the University of Regensburg, where he once taught theology.
Thursday, Sept. 14: As Muslim protests increase, Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, issues a statement declaring that “It was certainly not the intention of the Holy Father to undertake a comprehensive study of the jihad and of Muslim ideas on the subject, still less to offend the sensibilities of Muslim faithful.”
Saturday, Sept. 16: Benedict’s newly appointed secretary of state, Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, issues another statement that attempts to clarify the pope’s remarks.
Sunday, Sept. 17: With Muslim anger still apparent and a number of violent attacks apparently linked to the pope’s comments, Benedict uses his noontime Angelus address at his summer villa at Castelgandolfo to apologize for “the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a Medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought.” Debate continues over whether this expression of regret was sufficient.
Wednesday, Sept. 20: At his mid-week General Audience, open to the public, Benedict once again says that he believes his lecture was misunderstood and that in fact he has “profound respect” for Muslims. The Vatican posted the full text in Italian and a synthesis of his remarks in English.
Background
• Beliefnet posts a page about interfaith dialogue, which includes links to guidelines about dialogue, interfaith organizations, and essays about interfaith dialogue.
• The BBC posts a page on the relationship of Islam and the West.
ARTICLES
• News articles related to the pope’s comments are posted at ReligionHeadlines.org, a free service from Religion Newswriters.
• See a Sept. 19, 2006, Catholic News Service story in which Catholic leaders say Pope Benedict’s comments will not stop Catholic-Muslim dialogue.
• Listen to an April 7, 2005, Morning Edition report from National Public Radio about how Pope Benedict takes a less conciliatory approach to Islam than did his predecessor.
• In 2004, the Joint Committee of the Permanent Committee of al-Azhar for Dialogue with the Monotheistic Religions and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue called on Catholics and Muslims to “avoid generalizations in their mutual relations and to make room for more self-criticism.” Read a March 8, 2004, Worldwide Religious News article.
• Read a March 29, 2001, BBC report about Pope John Paul II becoming the first pope to visit a mosque.
SURVEYS AND RESOURCES
• See the 2006 annual report (in a PDF format) on discrimination against Muslims released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
• See the 2006 International Religious Freedom Report from the U.S. State Department.
• PollingReport.com posts surveys on its religion page, including surveys about attitudes toward Islam.
• On Aug. 18, 2006, in anticipation of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life interviewed the author of the “clash of civilizations” idea, political scientist Samuel P. Huntington. The Pew Forum posts a transcript of the conversation. Four days later, it interviewed Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and professor of International Relations at American University in Washington, D.C. Ahmed’s books include After Terror: Promoting Dialogue among Civilizations (Polity Press, 2005). The transcript of the conversation is titled “Dialogue with Islam Cause for Hope.”
• Read the transcript of an April 27, 2006, Pew panel titled “Islam and the West: A Conversation with Bernard Lewis,” an interview with one of the leading scholars and critics of Islam.
• Read the transcript of a July 10, 2006, Pew Forum panel exploring the results of an international survey “focusing on Muslim and Western perceptions of each other and on the Muslim experience in Europe.” The panel, titled “Islam and the West: How Great a Divide?” featured Amaney Jamal, assistant professor in the department of politics at Princeton University and a specialist in the study of Muslim public opinion.
Regional sources
IN THE NORTHEAST
• The Alliance for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Understanding was created after Sept. 11, 2001, to build understanding across the three faiths. It’s based in Lexington, Mass. See a list of contacts from all three faiths.
IN THE EAST
• Shireen T. Hunter is director of the Carnegie Project on Reformist Islam at Georgetown University. She is also a distinguished scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where she directed the Islam Program from 1998 to 2005. She is author of The Future of Islam and the West: Clash of Civilizations or Peaceful Coexistence? (Praeger/CSIS, 1998), among other books. Contact 202-687-8205, sth23@georgetown.edu.
• Diana Hayes, professor of systematic theology at Georgetown University, gave an opening speech at Sisters, a conference on the role of women’s leadership in Catholicism and Islam, in 2003. The conference took place at the Catholic Theological Union. It began on the first day of the war in Iraq. Contact Hayes at 202-687-4515, hayesd@georgetown.edu.
• Omid Safi is an assistant professor of philosophy and religion at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. He edited Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism (Oneworld Publications, 2003). Contact 315-228-7690, osafi@mail.colgate.edu.
• Christopher Bellitto is an assistant professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey, where he teaches a course on the papacy. His most recent book is Ten Ways the Church Has Changed (Pauline Books and Media, 2006). He has also written many articles on Catholicism and is a regular television commentator on Vatican stories. Contact 914-584-3961 (cell), cbellitt@kean.edu.
• Yvonne Y Haddad is professor of the history of Islam and Muslim-Christian relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Contact 202-687-2575, haddady@georgetown.edu.
• The Buxton Initiative works to encourage dialogue among people of different faiths, particularly young people and particularly Muslims and Christians. Its Young Leaders Program brings young Christian and Muslims together, and each year the Buxton Initiatives selects a Christian and Muslim intern who work together. The program was initiated by Akbar Ahmed, the noted Muslim scholar, and Ambassador J. Douglas Holladay. Contact 202-467-2070, buildingbridges@gmail.com.
IN THE SOUTHEAST
• John-Peter Pham is director of the William R. Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs James Madison University in Virginia. He is a former Vatican diplomat who worked under John Paul II and is author of Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession (Oxford University Press, 2004). Pham is a frequent commentator on papal politics and processes. Contact 540-568-2281, phamjp@jmu.edu.
• The Rev. Joseph Fessio is a former student of Cardinal Ratzinger and remains a confidant of the pope. Fessio is a widely quoted promoter and defender of Benedict and of conservative Catholic views. Fessio founded Ignatius Press but now serves as provost of Ave Maria University in Florida, where he also teaches theology. Contact 239-280-2516, jdfsj@avemaria.edu.
• Carl W. Ernst is a professor Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He wrote Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (UNC Press, 2003). Contact 919-962-3924, cernst@email.unc.edu.
IN THE SOUTH
• Roberta Avila is director of the Mississippi Coast Interfaith Disaster Task Force, which has assisted in the recovery after Hurricane Katrina. Contact 228-868-0961.
• The Inter-Religious Council at Emory University in Georgia organized the university’s first campus-wide interfaith service project, helping families affected by Hurricane Katrina. Contact Contact Susan Henry-Crowe, 404-727-6226, shenryc@emory.edu.
IN THE MIDWEST
• The Rev. Chrys McVey, OP, is scheduled to give a lecture on Sept. 21, 2006, titled, “Beyond Christ, for Christ’s Sake: The Promise of Muslim-Catholic Dialogue” at the Dominican University’s Siena Center in River Forest, Ill. McVey serves as the Socius to the Order for Apostolic Life in Rome. See a Sept. 1, 2006, press release. Contact Jessica Mackinnon, director of public relations, at 708-524-6289.
• Geneive Abdo is a fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She is writing a book about Muslims in America. Contact 574-631-6970, Geneive.E.Abdo.3@nd.edu.
• Paul M. Cobb is an associate professor of Islamic history at the University of Notre Dame and fellow of the Medieval Institute and the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. See his Sept. 19, 2006, commentary in the Chicago Tribune. Contact Paul.Cobb.3@nd.edu.
• Juan Cole is a professor of modern Middle East and South Asian history at the University of Michigan and frequent commentator on Islam. Read his comments about Pope Benedict on his blog. Contact 734-764-6305, 763-1599, jrcole@umich.edu, jricole@yahoo.com.
• Dennis Doyle, professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, says he believes the pope was challenging both the secular West and Islamic Middle East to renounce violence by appealing to reason. Contact 937-229-4219.
• The Rev. Michael Kinnamon is Allen and Dottie Miller Professor of Mission and Peace at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., and an expert on interfaith dialogue. Contact 314-918-2588, mkinnamon@eden.edu.
IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Robert Blair Kaiser is a former Jesuit priest and author of several books on the Catholic Church. His latest is A Church in Search of Itself: Benedict XVI and the Battle for the Future (Knopf, 2006). Kaiser lives in Phoenix, Ariz.Contact 602-358-7274, rbkaiser@justgoodcompany.com.
• Samuel Shahid is director of missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. A native of Lebanon, he formerly was president of Good News for the Crescent World, a nonprofit that reached out to Muslims. Contact 817-923-1921 ext. 7115, sshahid@swbts.edu.
IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• The Rev. Thomas P. Rausch is a professor of theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A Catholic priest, Rausch is the author of Authority and Leadership in the Church: Past Directions and Future Possibilities (Liturgical Press, 1988). Contact 310-338-7670, trausch@lmu.edu.
• Joel S. Fetzer is assistant professor of political science at Seaver College at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. He co-wrote Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany (Cambridge University Press, 2004). Contact 310-506-6250, Joel.Fetzer@pepperdine.edu.
