Republican Muslims of Minnesota
March 30, 2000
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Republican Muslims of Minnesota (RMM) would like to take this
opportunity to praise the actions and words of Pope John Paul II. In
setting the stage for his visit to Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, John
Paul
said: "It is appropriate that, as the Second Millennium of Christianity
draws to a close, the Church should become more fully conscious of the
sinfulness of her children, recalling all those times in history when
they
departed from the spirit of Christ and his Gospel, and, instead of
offering
to the world the witness of a life inspired by the values of faith,
indulged in ways of thinking and acting that were truly forms of
counterwitness and scandal."
Speaking at the beginning of Lent, the Pope acknowledged the sin of the
Inquisitions and the Crusades and asked God for His forgiveness. Of
those
who seek forgiveness from God, the Qur'an says: "And those who, having
done
something of which to be ashamed, or wronged their own souls, earnestly
bring God to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins,- and who can
forgive sins except God?- and are never obstinate in persisting
knowingly
in (the wrong) they have done. For such the reward is forgiveness from
their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing
underneath,- an eternal dwelling: How excellent a
recompense for those who work (and strive)." (Qur'an 3:135-136)
The Republican Muslims of Minnesota further congratulates the Pope on
his
words of comfort to the Palestinian people. One will never forget his
words promising that the Vatican would always "be at the side" of the
Palestinians in their quest for statehood. Instead of speaking in an
anti-Israel tone, as many do, the Pope spoke with support and love
directing both Palestine and Israel to a better way.
Further, the Pope showed his respect for the religion of Islam by
respecting the Muslim call to prayer, pausing his speech until its
conclusion. Indeed, the cause of Muslim-Catholic relations has turned a
new page that both Muslims and Catholics can look to with satisfaction.
Of Christians, God says in the Qur'an "...And you will find the nearest
of
them [people] in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say:
We
are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks,
and
because they are not proud." (5:82) John Paul fulfills this vision.
Muslims who thought the Crusades were still being waged against them
should
take comfort in these words and actions. The RMM urges that Muslims
also
move towards acknowledging some of our past misdeeds. In the coming
months, the RMM will be in contact with national Muslim organizations to
draft a statement regarding our relations with Christians and Jews. We
will also push for concrete actions by the Muslims of the United States
to
increase our ties with the world community of the believers in God. We
hope that these actions will further bond our relationship with our
brethren in God, the People of the Book.
Questions and comments should be directed to
Khalid Kader
Director - RMM
Khalid Kader
"Arrogance is the enemy of piety."
_________________________________________________________________________
Khalid Kader Biomaterials, Cell and Tissue Engineering
[log in to unmask] Department of Biomedical Engineering
Phone: (216)721-4657 (H) Case Western Reserve University
(216)368-4143
(216)368-4969 (F)
http://convolve.cwru.edu/facilities_dir/bcte/home.html
_________________________________________________________________________
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