Christian and Muslim leaders "condemn violence" in Mosul

*  The evil crusaders must be attacking poor widdle Muslims again:

A Shia, Sunni, Druid, and Copt share “common ground”

And, while condemning violence, they “find no justification in Islam or Christianity for those promoting the insecurity or perpetuating the violence evident in parts of Iraq.” A half-truth if ever there was one. Yes, there is very little “justification” for violence in Christianity. Remember that whole thing about “turning the other cheek”? But why is Christianity brought into this in the first place? The issue is Muslims persecuting Christians in Mosul — not Christians persecuting Muslims nor Christians persecuting Christians, for that matter. As for Muslim persecution of Christians (or “infidels” in general), Islam does indeed offer “justification” — indeed commandments — to subjugate them and dominate the world.

“Christians and Muslims condemn violence,” by Bill Bowder for the Church Times, DW

* “The future of the Christian community in the Middle East looks rather bleak”

ISLAMIC and Christian leaders and scholars condemned religious violence in a communiqué issued on Wednesday at Lambeth Palace, at the end of a three-day conference to mark the first anniversary of the Muslim letter “A Common Word”. 

In a two-page text, 17 religious leaders and scholars from Europe and the Middle East say they are “deeply troubled” by the threats to the Christian community in Mosul, northern Iraq.

“We find no justification in Islam or Christianity for those promoting the insecurity or perpetuating the violence evident in parts of Iraq.” The conference, entitled “A Com mon Word and Future Muslim-Christian Engagement”, built on the letter sent by Muslim scholars to Western and Eastern church leaders last year. It proposed that the two faiths draw together on the basis of all that they had in common.

In the communiqué, they also announce that in the coming year they will translate “significant texts” from each tradition to be used by the other; promote educational material that provided “a fair reflection of our faiths”; and link academic institu­tions together to work on shared values.

During a press conference on Wednesday, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Ali Gomaa, rejected press reports that he had praised suicide- bombers in Palestine. The reports were wrong and had “muddied the picture. . . We are against any per­secution of any minorities,” he said.