Religious dialogue is necessary alternative to extremism, says Iranian
leader

Cf. WCC Press Information Info-03-16 of 4 December 2003

Free high resolution photos available (see below)

Speaking during a visit to the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva,
the Iranian president Sayyid Mohammad Khatami made a
forceful appeal for inter-religious dialogue to be seen as an alternative to
religious fundamentalism, and as a source of international peace and
stability.

Speaking as a religious personality and an intellectual, President Khatami
addressed an audience of religious leaders, diplomats, academics,
journalists and staff of the WCC and other ecumenical organizations based in
Geneva on 11 December 2003 on
the theme of "Religious dialogue and international relations". The prime
minister of Norway, H.E. Kjell Magne Bondevik, and the
WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, responded to his presentation.

Faced with international tensions that can appear to have a religious
dimension, "the dialogue of civilizations, but also the dialogue between
religions, particularly between Islam and Christianity, seems to be an
absolute and vital necessity," President Khatami said. The Islamic leader
noted that it was precisely during the 2001 UN Year of Dialogue among
Civilizations that terrorism showed its "ugliest face" with the "tragic
attacks" in the USA. "The future of religion will depend on the abandoning
of fanaticism, and on (...) mutual comprehension and openness," he stressed.
"No religion can hold claim to absolute Truth (...). Dialogue is the
foundation which allows for unity in diversity," he said.

The WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, welcomed the commitment to
an "open and truthful encounter" manifested by the
Iranian leader, and denounced the instrumentalization of religious
sentiments by political interests. "We, in the World Council of Churches,
are committed to seeing voices of faith defeat those of bigotry, fear and
nihilism. Voices of fraternity are called to drown those of hostility,
racism and ignorance. We reject the tendency, not uncommon in many Western
countries, to perceive Muslims as a threat and to portray Islam and some
Islamic nations in negative terms."

Echoing these sentiments, the Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik,
who is an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church of Norway, agreed that
"we in the West sometimes treat the Islamic world with unforgivable
arrogance," but he warned against the danger of religious fundamentalism.
"Extremists are trying to spread the message of hate in the name of God
(...). Religious leaders can - and must - combat, in words and deeds, the
poison spread by extremists in the name of religion. Those who have a strong
belief can better understand others with strong belief (...). In many
conflicts, religion is considered to be part of the problem. I uphold the
idea that religion should be seen as part of the solution".

The visit of the Iranian leader was made in the context of a long-standing
involvement of the WCC in inter-religious dialogue.
Since 1995, the WCC has sought to foster regular contacts and conversation
with Iranian Islamic leaders and intellectuals, with
Christian-Muslim seminars being organized alternately in Teheran and Geneva.
According to Dr Tarek Mitri, in charge of
Christian-Muslim relations at the WCC, these encounters revealed a genuine
desire for dialogue and were received with wide
interest among Iranians. While focusing on challenges faced today by people
of faith, discussions included sometimes divisive
issues that preoccupy Muslims and Christians, including human rights and the
role of women.

The texts of the speeches by Sayyid Mohammad Khatami, Kjell Magne Bondevik
and Konrad Raiser, as well as high-resolution
photos of the event are available on our website:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/interreligious/khatami-anchor.html

Additional photos are available on the Photo Oikoumene website:
http://www.photooikoumene.org/photo.nsf/3fc947933bc3f8e2c1256d480040a0be?Ope
nView

For further information, please contact Juan Michel, WCC media
relations officer, tel: +41 22 791 6153, mobile +41 79 507 6363,
media@wcc-coe.org