Opinion

Forgive and Forget

By Shahid Athar
Past President
Interfaith Alliance of Indianapolis
Indianapolis , IN

The Muslim response to the Pope’s observations is excessive. Prophet Muhammad would not have approved of it. Islam and Muslims can't be served by burning churches or killing nuns. If at the end of his speech the Pope had said that he disagreed with the opinion of the emperor, the crisis would have been averted. Now that the damage to Islamic-Christian relations has been done and the Pope has regretted his remarks, Muslims should appreciate his conciliatory gesture and accept his regrets in the spirit of ‘forgive and forget.’

I have been involved in Islamic-Catholic dialogue locally and nationally for the last 10 years and have been trying to bring people of both faiths together. The current crisis is a challenge for all of us. We must engage the other in the much-needed interfaith dialogue to promote mutual understanding and religious harmony in our great nation and the world at large.