Source: Qantara
Under the banner “Bound to live together”, an international peace congress promoting dialogue and reconciliation was held in Munich with representatives from all major religions. Yet, issues such as the Middle East conflict, the Arab Spring, and the role of Islam in Europe pose new challenges for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. By Claudia Mende
Ten years after the terrorist attacks of September 11 in New York, some 300 religious scholars and politicians from all over the world met in Munich. After a decade of terrorism and counter strikes, the delegates worked towards new ways of reconciliation and dialogue. Representatives of all Christian denominations, Islamic theologians, rabbis, Buddhist monks, and Hindu delegates talked, prayed, and argued with each other.
Also attending were prominent politicians, such as the Muslim opposition leader from Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, and Fatih Mohammad Baja from the new National Transitional Council in Libya. “There is no alternative to dialogue,” stated the closing appeal for peace at the religious meeting. “There is a great temptation just to turn inwards. The global economic crisis merely increases this temptation.”
Hosting the event was the Catholic Sant Egidio movement, which was established in 1968 in Italy. The community, together with its founder, the historian Andrea Ricardi, attempts to mediate in conflicts and contribute to the fight against poverty. Its greatest success was the negotiation of the 1992 peace treaty for Mozambique.
Other attempts have failed, such as mediation work in the Algerian civil war. The members of Sant Egidio are no idle dreamers, but rather tenacious workers, who don’t simply give up when things get difficult. Once a year, they bring religious leaders from all of the major religions together for something akin to a religious summit.