|
In London today, in the residence of the Bishop of London, Reisu-l-ulema Dr. Mustafa Ceric took part in the inaugurating session of the International Council “C-1 for the Common Goodâ€. The council is about furthering relationship between the West and the Islamic world and in that it succeeds the Council C-100 which was created by the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2001 in response to the September 11, and with the aim to avoid the Islam-phobia in the West and the West-phobia in the Islamic world. The Mission of this council is to promote, further, expand and affirm peace, co-existence and friendship between the West and the Islamic world and especially among Christians and Muslims. Council “C-1 for the Common Good†will implement upon principles of the two God’s Commands which bind Muslims and Christians and those are love toward God and love toward neighbour, which also was the essence of the message within the Muslims’ Open Letter “The Common Wordâ€, of October 13, 2007.
The fact that such religious authorities as Grand Mufti Ali El-Jum’a and the Bishop of London Richard Chartres met in London to establish the “C-1 for Common Good†speaks volumes about the significance in founding of this international body for furthering of relationships between the West and the Islamic world. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s concurrence to chair the Assembly of this Council is a testimony of the import of the Christian-Muslim dialogue for Europe, the West and the Islamic world which seeks its adequate seat at the table in the area of international relations. Personal engagement by Prince Ghazi bin Talal of Jordan, the initiator of the Open Letter to the Christian world “A Common Word Among You and Us†shows that the idea about a common word which brings together, rather than separates, Muslims from Christians as well as Christians from Muslims, is needed today more than ever before.
Reisu-l-ulema Dr. Mustafa Ceric has been, from the start, an active party to the Christian-Muslim dialogue, which dialogue was initiated by the an open letter of 138 Muslim intellectuals in which he played a role in the dialogue with The Vatican where he lead the Muslim delegation. He is one of the founders of the London Council for Muslim-Christian dialogue which will publish an annual report on the real conditions in relations between the Muslim world and the West, with a special reference being made to the relations between Muslims and Christians. It is important to note that another Bosnian, Haris Hromic, M.Sc., is a member of the Executive of the Council “C-1 for the Common Good†and is also a special advisor for global strategy.
It is not a happenstance that the inaugurating session of the Council “C-1 for the Common Good†was held today, March 31, 2009 in London, on the eve of the G20 Summit as the issue of the financial crisis in the world is not only an economic one, but, to a large degree a moral one, in terms of relations toward common good of humanity. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered presentations today, on the eve of the G20 Summit, in the Saint Paul Cathedral in London, to an audience of hundreds of faithful and religious leaders – founders of the Council for Muslim-Christian dialogue.
It is interesting to note how politicians and economists invoke moral values within the context of the world financial crisis. Both Premiers, Brow and Rudd, stressed several times that the free market can not survive without morality, nor can an individual live without a society, which means that the world is in a crisis of morality from which it can extricate itself by way of reviving the moral values which develop in people a sense of the stronger having to help the weaker and the rich having to share their wealth with the poor.
Invited to comment on the London Council and presentations of the two Prime Ministers in the London Cathedral, Reisu-l-ulema said:
Today is a significant date in the Muslim-Christian dialogue as we expect, when London and Cairo move about the Muslim-Christian dialogue, that there will be good for all of the world. There are a lot of prejudices and stereotypes about Muslims in the West and also about Christians in the East. Therefore it is important that those in authority and with influence in the Christian and Muslim world meet to search for ways of coexistence and tolerance. Dialogue for us in Bosnia and Herzegovina is important as the disease of Islam-phobia has been on the rise recently. Certainly, we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of the West-phobia which can occur when people are under constant pressure. It is important for us that the West and the East understand one another and cooperate for the common good of the humanity. Therefore the Council for the Christian-Muslim dialogue, which was founded in London today is of great import for peace and security in the world, as well as for us in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as nothing happens in a part of the world without affecting, in one way or another, whether good or bad, the whole world. Prime Ministers Brown and Rudd have clearly emphasized that in their presentations – financial crisis, global warming, poverty and hunger in the world are not concerns for just one state, nation, religion or culture. That has to be a concern of all of us; that has to be a concern of every individual; that has to be a concern of every community; that has to be a concern of every state.
Hence, we live in a world in which politics is too important to be left to politicians alone; theology is too precious to be left to theologians alone; economy is too significant to be left to economists alone; and media is too influential to be left to media moguls. Simply put, we all refer to one another and therefore there is no other way than to understand one another upon principles of mutual respect and mutual assistance – were the closing words of Reisu-l-ulema Dr. Mustafa Ceric.