ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

MIDDLE EAST IN TURMOIL: A PERSPECTIVE Below some notes from the conference in the Interclub of R.C Milano Sud-Est and R.C., Milano Cà Granda of District 2040. Information are taken from the book by the same author, Christians and Muslims towards 2000 a possible coexistence, Fi- glie di San Paolo, Milano, Milan, 1995 re- viewed by Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi. Introduction: The instability of the Middle East accom- panied by widespread hatred against the West have been the main source of Islamic terrorism, a source of danger not only for the USA but for the whole West and for the governments of the Mediter- ranean area themselves. An Arab popu- lation frustrated in its aspirations in terms of education, social welfare, health care, prosperity, would be easy prey to political disorder, continuing to pose a threat to the stability of the region and the world. Moreover, the majority presence of Saudi Arabian terrorists has shaken US confi- dence in its iron ally, the main supplier of crude oil but still the financier of Islamic movements opposed to the Western way of life. Benedict XVI and prejudices In September 2006 the Pope gave a spe- ech at the University of Regensburg in September 2006, in which he extended a hand to Islamic institutions on issues im- portant for peace. Benedict XVI devoted a few lines to the irrationality of violence in Islam and religions, but he devoted long pages to the irrationality of Western cul- ture that wants to do without the religious dimension and Christianity. He has dealt with burning current issues such as fre- edom of expression, of belief, of worship and religious practice, of bioethics, of the human values of life and the family. He questioned the Islamic world about the massacres in the name of God, asking for reflection to establish serenity in relations between believers in the one God; he took the opportunity to express his regret for the little felt presence of God in the We- stern world. The speech had a worldwide resonance, but was misunderstood in the Islamic world, with violent reactions to the point of causing considerable material damage to Christian institutions and even the murder of a nun. At the same time I was in Egypt and was reading the reply of the president of the Union of Journalists, a famous intellectual, to the Pope's speech; he pointed out that the authors of the violent reactions, who apologized to the Pope or retracted his statements, had not read the original text of the speech, but had based themselves on other sources! We know today that the misunderstandings have been cleared up, but without the pre-existing prejudices we would have saved human lives and da- mage. The Middle East and Islam: the reli- gious factor The religious factor cannot be overlooked in addressing the problems of the Mid- dle East. Islam is the religion born with Muhammad in the 7th century AD. The Arab Middle East, with more than two hundred million Muslim inhabitants in overwhelming majority, is the heart of the Islamic world; there are 1 billion 200 mil- lion Muslims, where the three main holy places venerated by Muslims in the order: Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. The so-