"AMMAN MESSAGE" INTERFAITH IFTAR PROMOTES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 009040

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KISL KIRF PREL PHUM KPAO JO
SUBJECT: "AMMAN MESSAGE" INTERFAITH IFTAR PROMOTES
COEXISTENCE AND UNDERSTANDING

REF: 04 AMMAN 9152


1. Summary. The Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research
Center (JICRC) hosted an interfaith conference on October 31
in Amman. With post financial help, the conference brought
together representatives of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism
from the U.S. and the Middle East to discuss moderation in
religion - the theme of King Abdullah's "Amman Message" -
which was launched one year earlier. Following three panel
discussions, the event concluded with an Iftar and final
statement. End Summary.


2. Just over one year ago, on November 9, 2004 during
Ramadan, King Abdullah announced the "Amman Message"
(reftel),a declaration issued by Jordan's leading Muslim
cleric, and Advisor to the Royal Court Sheikh Izzedine
Tamimi, that called on all Muslims to embrace moderation and
tolerance, and to denounce extremism and terrorism. To mark
the first anniversary of the Amman Message, the JICRC sought
to expand its endorsement of non-violence and moderation to
all three principal monotheistic faiths. To achieve this
goal, the JICRC organized a conference - partially funded
through post's Public Affairs PASA funds - entitled "The
Amman Message in Action" that brought together Christian,
Muslim, and Jewish leaders from the U.S., Jordan, Israel,
Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to discuss the concepts of
coexistence and tolerance as they apply universally to all
faiths, and singularly to each.


3. The conference consisted of panel-led discussions on the
following subjects: Perspectives of the Amman Message from
the Muslim World; Interfaith Interpretations of the Amman
Message; and The Amman Message - A Global Call for
Coexistence. Following the final panel of speakers, JICRC
executive director and conference host Father Nabil Haddad -
head of the Melkite Church in Jordan - presented the
conference's final statement, an interfaith endorsement of
the Amman Message. NOTE: The complete text of the final
statement is contained in paragraph 5 below. END NOTE. At
the conclusion of this presentation, the conference
participants and guests shared an Iftar banquet to break that
day's Ramadan fasting.


4. Reactions to the panelists and to the discussions that
followed were generally positive. While much work lies ahead
on the road toward full acceptance of differing views and
perspectives, the conference succeeded in bringing together
scholars and clerics who otherwise would not have had the
chance to meet and discuss the shared values of their
respective faiths. At the presentation of the conference
statement, one panelist remarked, and several in the audience
echoed, that action must follow the conference to achieve its
message.


5. Following is the complete text of the conference
statement, titled the "Amman Message Interfaith Declaration":

We, participants from the three monotheistic faiths, have met
in Amman in the Holy Month of Ramadan of the year 2005 in
order to commemorate and reiterate the principles embodied in
the Amman Message in the year 2004, under the auspices and
support of His Majesty King Abdullah II, who has also so
kindly honored all of us by patronizing our auspicious
gathering.

The Amman Message, as all of us gathered in this
international, interfaith conference have made clear,
epitomizes, embraces, and asserts the fundamental and noble
principles of all faiths. The Amman Message is a message of
coexistence, diversity, and peace. It privileges tolerance,
cooperation, and understanding at the local, regional, and
global levels.

The significance of the Amman Message, which seeks to restate
and underscore the fundamentals of the message of Islam
itself, stems essentially from two dimensions. First, it
underlines the everlasting truth, relevance and role of Islam
as a religion of moderation and peace, and as a religion
which rejects and condemns all acts of chauvinism, bigotry,
extremism, violence, terror, injustice, and terrorism.

Secondly, the Amman Message stresses the universality of the
Islamic message as well as its affinities with and
confirmation of the messages of Judaism and Christianity,
religions of the People of the Book, that are united with the
Muslim world community in their affirmation, recognition, and
respect of dialogue, common understanding, the right to life,
liberty, prosperity, and peace to all inhabitants of this
small globe. The three monotheistic religions recognize
differences as healthy, capitalize on similarities, and
emphasize and uphold righteousness

Furthermore, they all espouse the notion of a faith founded
on knowledge and denounce ignorance or misinterpretation of
faiths for narcissistic, solipsistic, and extremist purposes.
Inspired by the values of our religions, and of the Amman
Message, we pledge our support of the principles of the Amman
Message, and to reciprocate its principles and vow to work
actively together for the sake of mutual, interfaith and
global understanding, respect, and peace.

The Amman Message is the Message of all of us. END TEXT.
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