Rev. Canon Andrew P B White CGNews - Baghdad - There is certainly a crisis between Islam and the West, and all the time we are being told to both strengthen and deal with the
moderates. The term “moderate” is being used to describe the tolerant Muslims who shun violence and terrorism. The problem is that this word itself shows a total misunderstanding of the very nature of Islam. What’s more it strengthens further the position of the intolerant as the true disciples of their faith tradition.
I am a Christian and a priest of the Anglican Church. I would take great offence to being called a “moderate” Christian. I am not; I am serious about my faith tradition. When I say the creed on Sundays, I mean it and believe it. I share with my Muslim brothers and sisters their concern about growing Western secularism and disbelief.

I have the privilege of spending most of my time in the Middle East; most of my colleagues are Muslims. Some of my most trusted staff are Muslim, including those who translate for me at church services. I probably have the only Church in the world that meets in a Shi‘a Muslim Prime Minister’s office. My staff and colleagues are not moderates. They are serious about their faith and beliefs. They shun all forms of violence and terrorist activity. They are, like the majority of Muslims, loving, trustworthy and ardently against all forms of violence.

The reality is that I have more in common with many of my Muslim
brothers and sisters than I do with many of my so-called Christian
colleagues. I do not consider any of these people moderates; they are not, yet they are totally serious about their faith and totally tolerant to the
“other”, both Christians and Jews. What they want to see are people who are serious about their faith and their service of the Almighty.

If we are going to be serious about dealing with the very real problems
between Islam and the West, we need to begin by using the right language. In the very first place it will mean doing away with the language of the “moderates”. We need to truly respect Islam, which will mean having regard for those who are serious about their faith. Realising that if we really want to make progress in Muslim-Western relations we must begin by respecting Islam and the language and means it uses of self-identification. We must realise that most Muslims are tolerant and serious about their faith. They want to work with others, but they want others to respect them, and even be willing to learn from them.

Maybe, just maybe, the West has a lot to learn from Islam. Maybe even
we as Christians can learn from them and become more serious about our
faith tradition. If we are going to seriously break down the barriers
between Islam and the West, let us begin by looking at ourselves in the
West and seeing how we can become more serious about our faith and
beliefs, and let us begin by doing away with this language of moderations,
for what is being asked for is to disregard the fundamental tenants of
Islam. Islam requires both serious commitment and tolerance of the other. Let us also stop thinking that those from the West who engage with Islam should just be liberal Christians in the West. We can be serious about our own faith, and we don’t all have to be Western either.

* The Reverend Canon Andrew P B White is President of the Foundation
for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East and Anglican Priest for
Iraq. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service
(CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.