Nostra Aetate and inter-religious dialogue : an Islamic perspective

Abstract

The violation and vilification of the cardinal principles of Islam and Christianity, throughout the history have led both, Muslims and Christians to engage themselves in promoting inter-religious conflicts and hostilities instead of encouraging mutual respect and co-operation. Such inter-religious enmity between the Muslim and Christian worlds is seen as the main obstacle for the establishment of a peaceful co-existence and interrelationship between two religious communities living in a society characterized by diversity. This study attempts to examine the concept of inter-religious dialogue promoted by Nostra Aeate (The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions, promulgated on October 28, 1965), as the only means to change the attitude of Muslims and Christians from that of hostility to mutual respect and better, objective and unbiased understanding of one another’s way of belief. Despite the fact that the concept of inter-religious dialogue has been promoted by Nostra Aetate, the spirit of such dialogue is found as well in the religion of al-Islam, which by its nature is a homogeneous religion that promotes and encourages openness in dialogue with others in general, and Christians in particular, and not isolation as some might think. Al-Qur’an has spoken fourteen centuries ago as it speaks today about the cardinal principles of amicable Muslim Christian inter-religious dialogue, like tolerance, esteemed cooperation, freedom of choice, justice, mutual respect and better religious understanding. This study has arrived at the following conclusions: (1) Muslims’ sincere intention of participating in amicable inter-religious dialogue with Christians will serve as the main factor to change the distorted image of al-Islam, as well to convey its altruistic message to the Christian World, (2) the spirit of Islamic-Christian inter-religious dialogue will help both Muslims and Christians to accept each other as they are, to understand why they are so, and to avoid themselves from the subjective and normative claims in the form of why not so? (3) amicable Islamic-Christian inter-religious dialogue is the only hope to avoid contemporary problems and obstacles that make religious coexistence difficult, and to bring peace and harmony for the Muslim and Christian communities in particular, and humanity in general.