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http://www.oikoumene.org:80/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1722/in-tehran-a-christian-mu.html
17.12.08
Equal
participation and shared responsibility in society are at the basis of a
peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, stated participants at an
inter-religious symposium in Tehran, Iran last week. They highlighted the value
of learning from each other's faith and criticized "irresponsible
media".
The 13-14 December symposium on "Religion and peaceful coexistence" was jointly convened by the Tehran-based Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization and the World Council of Churches (WCC).
A joint communiqué summarizing eight points of agreement highlighted the co-existence between Christians and Muslims in Iran, as well as the value of dialogue, which "should not be confined to scholars and spiritual leaders," and of "learning about each other's faith".
The joint communiqué states: "Peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims should be based on their equal participation and shared responsibility towards society and each other. This includes recognizing and respecting one another's religious and civil rights, and taking a common stand whenever the rights of religious communities are violated and whenever irresponsible media try to present a distorted image of any particular religion, offending its symbols and followers."
The fifth of a series started in 1995, the symposium brought together six Christian representatives (see participants list below) and some 15 Muslim scholars and spiritual leaders. Its opening session, broadcast by an Iranian TV channel, was attended by nearly 80 guests, including Iranian clergy and lay leaders, as well as scholars and university students.
For the first time, the symposium saw the participation of representatives from Iranian churches. A parallel programme provided an opportunity for the Christians from abroad to worship and maintain extensive contacts with local Christian communities.
Full text of the joint communiqué
______________________________________________________________________
Joint
Communiqué of the Symposium on "Religion and Peaceful
Co-existence"
Tehran,
Islamic Republic of Iran, 13-14 December 2008
The World Council of Churches (WCC, Geneva, Switzerland) and Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (Tehran, Iran) held their fifth symposium in Tehran on13-14 December 2008.
Representatives of Islam and Christianity found new points of commonality during a two-day high level symposium of scholars and spiritual leaders in Tehran, and discussed models of co-existence between Christians and Muslims in different contexts. They explored further the conditions and principles that foster peaceful coexistence between communities of faith.
The symposium, held at the invitation of the Organization of Islamic Culture and Relations in Iran, was a continuation of a dialogue between Iranian Muslim and Christian scholars related to the World Council of Churches (WCC) which began in 1995. Participants from the WCC included six Christian scholars from Europe, North America and the Middle East, together with representatives of the WCC member churches in Tehran. From Iran, participants included some fifteen scholars and religious leaders from Tehran and Qom.
During the two-day dialogue the symposium discussed issues related to the concept of salvation in relation to other religions, the religious understanding of human dignity, conversion, the status of religious minorities in different contexts, the common values and shared principles between religious communities, the role of education in promoting peaceful co-existence, the concept of cultural and religious identity, and the role of religion in the public space.
The dialogue reached agreement on the following points:
At the end of this symposium the organizers felt that it is important to deepen the dialogue in the time to come by academic research, exchange of concerns, and common projects. At the same time, all participants were encouraged to engage with their respective communities to correct prejudices and enhance mutual understanding.
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