Catholic to Catholic: Islamophobia

The cover of Time magazine and the current flap about the Manhattan Muslim YMCA-like facility have upset many people. Some Catholics seem confused about how we should speak in public to and about adherents to the other great Abrahamic faith, Islam. The foundational document is Nostra Aetate, which reminds us:

"3. The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth,(5) who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting."


I thought it might be helpful to post two models from our Holy Father. Both speeches are worth reading in full.



His speech in Amman Jordan in 2009:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2009/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20090509_capi-musulmani_en.html

"However, is it not also the case that often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division, and at times even violence in society? In the face of this situation, where the opponents of religion seek not simply to silence its voice but to replace it with their own, the need for believers to be true to their principles and beliefs is felt all the more keenly."



His speech in Cologne to Muslim Communities in 2005:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2005/august/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20050820_meeting-muslims_en.html

"If together we can succeed in eliminating from hearts any trace of rancour, in resisting every form of intolerance and in opposing every manifestation of violence, we will turn back the wave of cruel fanaticism that endangers the lives of so many people and hinders progress towards world peace."


I hope that, if we model our speech on his, that we will help to moderate the many emotions and corresponding dangers that this discussion is bringing to the surface.



What's The Word

Muslims got around the problem of translating the 'Word' into the babel of human languages by simply demanding that converts receive the Koran in Arabic; this was extremely important because their 'Word' was the physical book and message of the Koran.

Christians and Jews aren't 'people of the book' like them despite their claims to the contrary. The Jewish people's 'Word' isn't Scripture, or Talmud traditions, but a lived a covenant relationship between (1) Abram named Abraham and (2) The Lord; their relationship has been maintained for millenia, passed from father to son to the 12 tribes and then their whole nation. Our Christian 'Word' is a physical, divine, spiritual, living person: the Risen Lord, Jesus the Christ, who lived, died, and lives today; our relationship to Him and His Father who is known through Him is continually taught by the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

Sometimes, our languages still get in the way...but today we have technology tools to serve The Lord better.