So Muslims and Christians can live in peace

BY JANE LAMPMAN

For the past year, high-level Muslim and Christian religious leaders have worked to bring the power of love and truth to bear on the tensions between the Western and Muslim worlds.

Thanks to an unprecedented letter in October 2007 from Muslim leaders in 40 countries to the world's Christian churches, a set of dialogues has begun that is based upon two shared principles: love for God and love for one's neighbor. The Muslim letter identified those principles and invited Christian leaders to join in building a solid foundation for living together in peace.

"Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world," the letter said. The Christian churches responded positively, setting the stage for gatherings that seek greater mutual understanding as well as practical outcomes in political and social relations.