ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

74 THENEWLYPERSECUTED Email to Paolo Mieli - 30-05-2002 Sent by Samir on Thursday, May 30, 2002 23:10-Time 2002 To Antonio Socci: copy of what was sent to Paolo Mieli From: Giuseppe Samir Eid SUBJECT: The newly persecuted I hope you had time to take note of the index of the book I gave you at the end of your speech: Christians and Muslims around 2000 , published by the Paulines. Despite your many commitments, I ask you to read page 27 that I wrote eight ye- ars ago; I believe that Muslim centres are bombs that one day or another will explo- de if Italians and public authorities will not rediscovering their identity and apply the Law without hesitation. In the long term, these are dangerous centres, not because they are Muslim, but because of the identity of the finan- cier, the undeclared agenda, and the kind of people who follow them. It took Jewish personalities to bring up the subject! Without presumptuousness, here is my view on the questions asked to the public that evening; the opinion of a Christian Arab emigrated from Egypt to Italy: 1st Question: Why did the Church not intervene? Answer: Although Catholic Christians in the Mid- dle East are a small minority, all of them, Protestant and Orthodox Catholics, reject interference from abroad, to avoid being identified with the West and thus increase the discrimination in place (p.93 of the book). 2nd Question: Why are the media not talking about it? Public opinion, the authorities... Answers: 1.Frankly, Italians do not speak much about religion, or about professing their faith to others; even many priests and re- ligious are fearful and have no missionary spirit. 2.The TV transmissions are deleterious: I remember those of Santoro who enjoys putting the Muslim on the pedestal in ter- ms of moral and religious qualities, while contrasting them dissolute to Christian characters, with the cross well in sight. I had complained about the fact with Cardi- ni, when he sat on the RAI board of direc- tors, but without results. 3.Economic interests prevail over the rest. Muslim leaders do not dissociate re- ligion from economic negotiations, while our rulers are not interested in it: the void is interpreted by the Muslim interlocutor to be in the truth. 4.The most famous intellectuals are left- wing and consequently pro-Arab and pro-Islam: the disinformation was evident during the last war in Lebanon. I thank you for your intervention in favour of the Arab Christians with the hope that the seed will flourish and bear fruit.