Editor RNSAW: Dr. Tareq Mitri wrote us he was very upset with Mustafa Suleiman’s article in Al-Usbua, November 5. Unlike Suleiman claimed Dr. Mitri did not support
the Vatican’s objection to what was thought an improper use of the word rabbani (divine) as a qualification of religious values. "In fact, I did not do that at all. Sulayman’s reporting was unacceptably inaccurate. What he attributes to me is not true. Is it the search for sensationalism or deficient professionalism? I wrote letters to Al Usbua, to Al Qahera and to al Quds al Arabi asking to publish a correction. I also wrote to Dr. Muhammad Selim Al-Awa who wrote himself an article about the controversy and did the appropriate correction. Al Quds Al Arabi referred to the gist of Al-Awa’s article. I still do not know if Al Qahera published my letter or corrected in some other way the misreported information. It goes without saying that poor and inaccurate reporting does not happen in Egypt only. This morning I found out that I was improperly quoted in a Swiss paper. Although the matter is less serious, one recognizes a comparable tendency towards sensationalism at the expense of accuracy."
Text of Dr. Al-Awa:
The American accusations that Arabs and Muslims committed the terrorist attacks in the two big cities created a terrible fitna [civil strife]. The consequences and traces of this will most probably remain for a long time to come.
We as Muslims and Arabs have to face such fitna and its consequences and correct the wrong ideas, unjustified attitudes and the untrue news [lies], which was created by those who benefit from it.
These consequences and traces are not limited to our relations with Western Europe and America only but have stretched also to our internal relations in our countries. Among those who are fascinated with the strong muscled cowboy, who is not afraid to fight even in the deserts, mountains and forests. To fight against the innocent, unarmed, poor and homeless who live in the valleys of Afghanistan and on its soft ground and mountain caves.
They are calling for right and justify it. They care to say ’well done’ to the good ones and ’not well done’ to the bad ones. The strength of the same cowboy made him more foolish and careless and did not give him wisdom, deliberation and reason.
The interested parties behind this fitna and its consequences did not stop at this but they went on searching for reasons to make it expand and to use it in order to cause a new divergence between Muslims and Christians. They are following two heavenly religions which are belonging to two international civilizations. Each one is directed by its faith to guide the world and open the gates of divine mercy to those who stray and are unaware whether they are near or far away.
The latest thing of this sort was an article related to Dr. Tareq Mitri (a member of the World Council of Churches and its representative in the international Islamic assembly for dialogue) and father Khalid Akasheh (from the Vatican and one of the permanent attendants in most of the dialogue meetings), which was published in Al-Usboa newspaper [RNSAW, 2001, week 44A, art. 1] and which was also reported by other local and Arabic newspapers.
The article said that they had rejected describing the true Islam as a heavenly and divine religion in the final session of the conference in Cairo. They said that "this issue is still a point of disagreement" The newspaper commented on this by saying that the dialogue with Christians is not productive. It published the commentary of the most erudite Dr. Youssef Al-Qaradawi who denied and rejected it [he denied and rejected that this dialogue is unproductive].
I was not surprised when I received the news, declaring such a strange thing by father Khaled Akasheh, a representative of the Vatican [or one of the representatives]. He cares for his opinions only and does not accept more than one opinion. His expressions are sharp in a way that disturbs the calmest and steadiest of people. When he participates in dialogue meetings, he all the time likes to point out his opinions in a way that makes the dialogue seem impossible. I and other members of the Arabic team of the Islamic-Christian dialogue, one of whom is brother Dr. Tareq Mitri, found this a lot and suffered from this several times. It is strange that such words concerning Islam were linked to Dr. Tareq Mitri.
Tareq Mitri, for those who do not know him, is an Orthodox Christian from Tripoli, Lebanon. He was raised under the shades of the real human brotherhood between Muslims and Christians. When he was appointed to be in charge of the dialogue among religions in the World Council of Churches we said: that the divine destiny had chosen the right person because of his personal opinions, his human capability and his tolerant spirit [editor: the word ’qadr’ was translated as ’divine destiny.’ This is a strong formulation. The word qadr is used in the formulation ’lailat el-qadr’, the night the Qur’an was revealed - Qur’an sura 97. Muslims celebrate this revelation on either the 27th or 28th of the month of Ramadan.] Lots of times I said to some friends that Tareq Mitri is an example of the Qur’an’s description of the kind monks and good priests who are not arrogant. I did not introduce him to anybody and yet he was found as a friend worthy of respect because of his sincerity, intelligence, stable ideas and opinions and his fair and equal attitude towards his opponents and friends.
I stayed in this increasing wonder of what was [allegedly] said by Tareq Mitri towards Islam which the newspapers linked to him, until he phoned me yesterday from Geneva and denied even speaking at the final session of the conference in Cairo.
He told me that when he heard what was said by father Khaled Akasheh, he felt very disturbed and was afraid/concerned that if he replied to him all the members of the conference might be outrageous. He found the erudite Qaradawi’s reply [RNSAW, 2001, week 45A, art. 28] was enough and sufficient. He also told me that he had sent a reply to the newspapers that published such news concerning him and he sent me a copy of that reply by fax.
In his response he [Tareq Mitri] says "it is regrettable [that there was] this mix up and imprecision in talking about the events of an assembly of which one of the aims was Islamic-Christian cooperation in facing the unjustified campaign against Islam and Muslims. This is supported by the World Council of Churches and a large number of Christians all around the world." He added "I did not say what was mentioned and I was not in such a situation, not personally of course or as a representative of the World Council of Churches."
This correction is necessary and it is our duty to give it attention. We see in the true dialogue and the continuous frankness a way that is indispensable to establish Muslim-Christian relations on the right path. This is needed to serve humanity and its well being. We should not encourage conflict, destroy civilizations and working from every side to destroy the other side and eliminate them.
That is what made me welcome what Tareq Mitri told me. I wanted to share this knowledge with the readers and feel relieved by it, because losing a friend like him would be a great loss which could not be replaced. Honest people who are trying to practice what they preach cannot sacrifice him. They [these honest people] hate lies about what they do.
