Finding Common Ground in a Common Word

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<span lang=”EN-GB”>Last month, 138 Muslim thinkers and leaders signed an open letter called</span>
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<a title=”A Common Word between Us and You” href=”http://acommonword.com/” target=”_blank”>A Common Word between Us and You</a>
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<span lang=”EN-GB”>to Pope Benedict XVI and Christian leaders everywhere calling for peace and understanding between Christians and Muslims. “If Muslims and Christians are not at peace,” the letter said, “the world cannot be at peace.” Quoting extensively from both the Bible and the Qur’an, the signatories expressed their conviction to find a common ground between the two religions.</span>
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<a title=”The latest issue of <I>Christian Century</I>” href=”http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=3821″ target=”_blank”>The latest issue of <i>Christian Century</i>
</a> covers the high praise the letter is receiving. Many Christian leaders have praised the emphasis on forgiveness and the love of God and neighbours as central to both faiths. Mirtoslav Volf, director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, spoke of the “enormous interfaith significance” he hopes the effort will have.</span>
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