RELIGIOUS LEADERS DISCUSS INTERFAITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DOHA 000665 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2019 TAGS: PHUM KIRF QA SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS LEADERS DISCUSS INTERFAITH UNDERSTANDING: QARADAWI DISSENTS Classified By: Ambassador Joseph E. LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b and d). -------------- (SBU) KEY POINTS -------------- -- Leaders from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths gathered in Doha October 20-21 for the Seventh Annual Conference on Interfaith Dialogue. Topics included the general state of interfaith dialogue, the protection of holy sites, and the role of religion-based financial practices. -- Some members of the audience challenged the panel members on why no leaders from the Buddhist, Hindu, Bahai, and minority Muslim sects had been invited to speak. The panel members sidestepped the issue. -- The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference called for Jewish-Muslim reconciliation, but condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and accused Israel of endangering Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. -- Scholars praised the principles of Islamic finance as preferable to the Western practices they blamed for the global financial crisis, but struggled when reminded of the low levels of development in nations practicing Islamic banking. -- Noted Muslim scholar Yousef Qaradawi boycotted the meeting, saying in his sermon on the Friday following the Conference that he refused to sit down with Jews as long as they continued their policies in Gaza and Jerusalem. He characterized dialogue with Christians as "a waste of time." -------------- (C) COMMENTS -------------- -- Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is committed to the principle of interfaith dialogue, and while a conference of this type may appear commonplace to Westerner observers, the fact that it is hosted every year in an Islamic country as traditional as Qatar is noteworthy. That being said, we should not expect participants from the non-Abrahamic faiths to be invited any time soon. Even this level of dialogue, given that it implies at a certain level the equality of the non-Islamic Abrahamic faiths, raises some eyebrows in Qatar. End Key Points and Comments. ¶1. (SBU) More than 250 participants from 59 countries gathered in Doha October 20-21 for the Seventh Annual Conference on Interfaith Dialogue. Among those giving speeches and participating in the panel discussions were Christian clergy, Muslim imams, and Jewish rabbis. There �0A;were no representatives from faiths outside the Abrahamic traditions. Among the topics were the state of interfaith dialogue in general, the protection of holy sites, and the role of religious-based financial systems. ¶2. (SBU) While the panel members discussed the issue of human solidarity and urged the three monotheistic religions to stand together against poverty, war, and injustice, some audience members questioned why no religious leaders from the Buddhist, Hindu, and Bahai traditions had been invited. When the panel members demurred, another asked why minority sects within Islam, such as the Druze, had not been invited. The panel members did not have an answer, but instead identified the common roots of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths as the starting point for dialogue. ¶3. (SBU) Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the Islamic and Jewish faiths needed to reconcile with one another, much as Christians and Jews did in recent centuries. Still, he condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and Jerusalem as obstacles to such reconciliation. He reiterated his support of the Goldstone Report, describing it as the means of holding Israel accountable for its "heinous acts" in Gaza. He also called upon Israel to protect Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, accusing Israel of attempting the "complete judaization" of the city by the destruction of those sites. ¶4. (SBU) On the matter of the current global financial crisis, Dr. Hatem El Karanshawy, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Qatar University, blamed speculation in the derivatives market. He compared such speculation, and the nature of derivatives in general, to the vice of gambling, which he said is forbidden by all religions. Dr. DOHA 00000665 002 OF 003 El Karanshawy was challenged by an audience member who asked "If Islamic finance is so superior, then why do we lag so far behind in economic development?" El Karanshawy said that the real issue was the concentration of wealth in the developed countries, and that the goal of Islam, and indeed of all religions, was to increase the wealth of all mankind. ¶5. (SBU) Sunni Imam Yousef Qaradawi, the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and the most prominent cleric in Qatar, refused to attend the Conference and condemned it in his Friday sermon on October 31. According to the Arabic-language daily Al-Raya, Qaradawi said that he did not attend because Jewish rabbis were in attendance, and that he would continue to boycott any meeting attended by Jews as long as "they keep usurping Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque and shedding the blood of innocent people." ¶6. (SBU) Qaradawi then turned his attention to dialogue with the Christian community, saying that "holding meetings with Christians is a waste of time, since they do not recognize Muslims and say that Mohammed (peace and blessings of God be upon him) is dishonest and that he created the Qu'ran and attributed it to himself. This comes at a time when Muslims recognize Christianity, Jesus Christ, and his book and religion." ¶7. Below is an unofficial Embassy translation of the statement issued at the conclusion of the Conference: Declaration Human Solidarity Through Interfaith Dialogue Over 250 participants from 59 countries, Jews, Christians, and Muslims, met for the Seventh Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue. They expressed their deep gratitude to His Royal Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the people of Qatar for their generous hospitality. In addition, they paid tribute to the organizers of the conference, the Doha Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DCID),the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Qatar University for continuing this series of conferences and thereby helping to build confidence and trust among all the participants. This made possible serious but serene discussion on a number of difficult and sometimes painful issues ranging from violent conflict to extreme poverty which degrades humanity. The theme of human solidarity challenged the participants to draw on the best of their spiritual resources while at the same acknowledging that no community can be complacent until they have implemented the high ideals of their respective religions. Only through cooperation, understanding, and mutual respect can a truly human solidarity be achieved. HUMAN SOLIDARITY THROUGH COOPERATION IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE TO NEED AND SUFFERING Participants discussed together the continuing existence of wars, violence, and injustice. They recognized that it is often the weak and innocent who are the first victims. In the context of the current global financial crisis they deplored the increase in extreme poverty, hunger, and disease. Recognizing that religious communities are deeply involved in humanitarian response to such need and suffering, they urged greater cooperation in tackling these challenges. Whether disasters are natural or human-made, there remains a major responsibility on humankind to deploy resources with greater equity and more ecological sustainability. Human beings need each other to overcome obstacles to peace and justice, and should draw on the guidance of the common wisdom of their particular but often converging religious traditions. HUMAN SOLIDARITY THROUGH PROTECTION FOR ALL HUMAN RIGHTS While claiming human rights of all human beings, there must be a recognition of the duties to protect such rights and to promote their implementation. It is not only necessary to have protection through constitutions and internationally recognized conventions but there should be a change in mentalities and attitudes whereby one is conscious of one's own rights but also of those of the neighbor and stranger. There was a specific concern for the need to protect places of worship and holy sites, whether in a place so central to all three religions as is Jerusalem, or whether minorities seek hospitality and facilities as have been generously offered by the State of Qatar. A further fundamental right which was emphasized was the DOHA 00000665 003 OF 003 right of education and this should include the right for a child to be educated in his or her own religious tradition as well as to learn with truth and sensitivity about other religions and cultures: it could well be a constructive project for DCID to study and develop models for such relevant educational materials. The participants were convinced that human solidarity in the widest sense can only be built through patient dialogue, common action as well as planned programs to help all in need and through scrupulous respect for the rights and duties which our respective religions should inspire us to embrace. the participants committed themselves to seek to overcome the conflicts and injustices which still too often separate us and to work at every level international, regional, and local to build human solidarity. LeBaron