ENI – Christian communities should improve their knowledge of Islam, be good neighbours to Muslims and bear witness to their faith in an appropriate manner, 50 church leaders and experts said in a joint statement.
They noted that Christians have seen Muslims both as friends and rivals, neighbours and strangers. There has been a history of “mixed” relationships between Christians and Muslims, with both positive and negative dimensions, the World Council of Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches leaders said in a joint press release.
“In spite of the significant growth of Muslim-Christian dialogue and relations, Muslims and Christians continue to misconstrue each other's religion,” Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Apostolic Church, a former WCC moderator, told the consultation in a keynote address. “We must endeavour together with our Muslim neighbours to consolidate our commonalties, which ensure wholeness and integrity, and we must preserve our diversities, which enrich community.”
