Peace and Justice
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Statement
adopted by the
Standing
Conference of
Middle
Eastern Christian & Muslim Religious Leaders
Meeting
in Englewood, New Jersey on Wednesday, November 8, 2000
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Signed by:
The
Most Reverend Metropolitan PHILIP, Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
of North America
The
Right Reverend Bishop Stephen Doueihi
Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
The
Most Reverend Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan Prelacy of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of America
Imam
Fadhel Al-Sahlani Imam AI-Khoei Islamic Center, Jamaica, NY
The
Most Reverend John A. Elya Eparch
of Newton, Melkite Diocese of Newton
Very
Reverend Chorepiscopus ]ohn Meno, For The Most Reverend Archbishop
Cyril Aphrem Karim - Archdiocese
of the Syrian Orthodox Church
for the Eastern United States
Sheikh
Sami T. Merhi, Chairman
The Druze Council of North America
Sheikh
Hamad Ahmad Chebli Islamic Society of Central New Jersey
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The
recent wave of violence in the Middle East is of grave concern. We condemn the
violence, especially the excessive use of force by Israeli forces that has
resulted in the killing of over 150 and the injury of 3,000 Palestinian
civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including Jerusalem.
The
demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, represent the collective expression
by the Palestinian people against the long years of occupation and the
difficulties of their daily lives under Israeli occupation. The protests have
been an expression of deep frustration with the failure of the peace process to
bring about better living conditions and a final peace settlement, including the
long-awaited establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
They
have been an expression of their determination to protect their holy places.
They have been an expression in defense of their inalienable rights and their
land.
Regrettably,
the Palestinian people continue to be denied the ability to
restore even their minimum rights as a people, including the right to
self-determination. We express our solidarity with the Palestinian people, who
have been the victims of a long and unjust military occupation, and we call for
the realization of their rights.
We
express our deep concern and strong feelings regarding the sacred
religious sites in Occupied East Jerusalem. We stress the importance of
Jerusalem and the need to ensure respect for all holy sites. Any final solution
must ensure the freedom of access and of worship for all believers of the three
monotheistic religions. Any solution must also ensure Palestinian sovereignty
over East Jerusalem.
We
believe that what is required now is an immediate cessation by Israel of the
excessive, indiscriminate and unjustified use of force against the Palestinian
people. The Israeli siege on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian land
must be terminated. To restore calm, the understanding reached at the Sharm
El-Sheikh Summit must be implemented. Only then can there be any true resumption
of the peace process between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides. Such a
process must require a sincere desire for peace and a full commitment on the
part of all parties to its realization.
We
believe that in order to resolve this tragic conflict between the Palestinians
and the Israelis, the UN Resolutions 242, 338 and 425 (concerning the farmlands
of Shib'aa Lebanon) must be fully implemented
because they express the will of the international community. In addition, we
strongly believe that Resolution 194 and the Geneva Convention of 1949, namely
Article IV, give the Palestinian refugees, whether they are in Lebanon or Syria,
etc. the right to return to their homes and land which they have inhabited from
time immemorial. The right of refugees to return home is a most sacred right and
it should be respected.
As
for the role of the United States in the Middle East peace process, we stress
our disappointment with the adoption by our American Congress of the very unfair
and very biased resolution //426 against the leadership of the Palestinian
people. We demand a more balanced American position reflective of American
traditions and the wishes of more than five million Arab-Americans in support of
human rights, justice and international law. Such a position would enable the
United States to play a truly objective and supportive role as a sponsor of the
peace process.
In
conclusion, our support for the Middle East peace process is unwavering. Our
support for the rights of the Palestinian people and their efforts to realize
those rights, including their right to an independent state, is unwavering as
well. The time has come for justice and peace to prevail in the Holy Land and
the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people as well as security for
all states in the region.
The
Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip, Chairman Antiochian Orthodox Christian
Archdiocese
of North America
The
Right Reverend Bishop Stephen Doueihi
Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
The
Most Reverend Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America
Imam
Fadhel Al-Sahlani Imam AI-Khoei Islamic Center, Jamaica, NY
The
Most Reverend John A. Elya Eparch
of Newton, Melkite Diocese of Newton
Very
Reverend Chorepiscopus ]ohn Meno, For The Most Reverend Archbishop Cyril Aphrem
Karim - Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church
for the Eastern United States
Sheikh
Sami T. Merhi, Chairman
The Druze Council of North America
Sheikh
Hamad Ahmad Chebli Islamic Society of Central New Jersey
Marriage and Family Life is Topic
of Islamic-Catholic Dialogue
WASHINGTON (March 11, 1998)--Marriage and
family life in the Catholic and Islamic traditions was discussed at the initial
meeting of what is expected to be an on-going Islamic-Catholic dialogue.
Muslims and Catholics from several dioceses and Islamic centers in the
northeast United States attended the meeting, which was held March 3-4 at
Manresa Jesuit Retreat Housen on Staten Island, New York. Twenty participants
and observers agreed to meet again next year under the same title, the
Mid-Atlantic Islamic-Catholic Dialogue, and to continue discussing marriage and
family life in the Catholic and Islamic traditions.
The group heard presentations on the Catholic and Islamic views of marriage
and family by Professor Zulfiqar Ali Shah of the University of North Florida and
Dr. H. Richard McCord, Director of the NCCB Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women
and Youth. Time was allotted for the participants to introduce themselves to one
another and to share their experiences of past dialogues and Islamic-Christian
relations. The retreat environment and schedule provided ample opportunity for
prayer and informal conversation. During discussions and at prayer the
participants remembered those who are suffering and who have died due to
violence particularly in situations where the lives of Muslims and Christians
are intertwined, especially in Kosovo, Bosnia, Sudan, Iraq and the Middle East.
The participants shared views about the religious meaning of marriage and the
importance of family life for both Christians and Muslims. In preparation for
next year, some participants hope to facilitate local dialogues between Catholic
and Muslim couples. Others will begin drafting a statement that enumerates and
explains “family values” in both traditions. Participants hope to produce a
statement that will introduce and explain these values to Christians and
Muslims.
The national co-sponsors and co-conveners of this dialogue are the Islamic
Circle of North America, headquartered in Queens, New York, and the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. Participating for ICNA were: Dr.
Khurshid Khan, who served as co-presider, Dr. Zahid Bukhari, Imam Mohammed
Naseem, and Professor Shah. Bishop Ignatius A. Catanello, Auxiliary Bishop of
Brooklyn, served as co-presider and represented the Bishops’ Committee for
Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph F. Martino of
Philadelphia and Dr. John Borelli, NCCB staff for interreligious relations, also
participated. Catholics and Muslims from Buffalo, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens,
Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, and Vermont also attended.
Among the other participants were: Dr. Khalid Qazi of Buffalo, Mr. Salman
Yussuf of Philadelphia, Imam Hamad Ahmad Chebli of the Islamic Society of
Central New Jersey, Msgr. Donald Beckman of the Diocese of Rockville Center,
Father James Loughran, SA, of the Archdiocese of New York, Father Francis X.
Mazur of the Diocese of Buffalo, Father Philip Latronico of the Archdiocese of
Newark, Father Michael Lynch of the Diocese of Brooklyn, Father Jeffrey Lee of
the Diocese of Trenton, Father William Corcoran of the Diocese of Burlington,
Brother David Carroll, FSC, of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and Dr.
Bert Breiner of the Interfaith Relations Office of the National Council of
Churches of Christ.
Mid-Atlantic Dialogue of Muslims
and Catholics Commits to Preparing
Materials on Marriage and Family Life
WASHINGTON (March 28, 2000) -- At the
third meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Dialogue of Muslims and Catholics, held at
Immaculate Conception Center in Queens, New York, February 23-24, participants
agreed to begin preparing a text together that covers their views of marriage
and family life. They hope to produce a text that will present information
clearly on how each group views marriage, the requirements of each tradition for
marriage, and various aspects of family life, especially those values which
Catholics and Muslims hold in common.
This dialogue meets annually under the sponsorship of the Islamic Circle of
North America (ICNA) and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB). Dr.
Khurshid Khan, representing ICNA, and Bishop Ignatius Catanello, Auxiliary
Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, co-chair the working sessions of the
dialogue, and Catholics and Muslims from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
participate. This dialogue began in 1998 and convened again last year in
Philadelphia.
At previous meetings, participants agreed to explore further the topic of
marriage and family since both religious groups emphasize the sacred aspects of
the bond between a man and a woman in marriage. They also emphasize the sacred
character of family life. The family is central to Islamic views of revelation,
and family laws are pivotal Islamic social laws. For Catholics, a marriage
between two baptized persons is a sacramental partnership, and the bond formed
between a Christian and one who is not baptized is sacred because marriage
belongs to the order of creation. For both religious groups, marriage is a
divinely structured reality joining together a woman and a man. They also agree
that understandings of family should include certain realities of contemporary
life–single parent homes, blended families from previous marriages, and
extended families. Those in the dialogue also believe that Muslims and Catholics
can agree that family life includes spiritual practices and attests faith in the
one God even when the couple are members of two religious traditions.
The Mid-Atlantic dialogue heard a presentation by Sheikh Ibrahim Nejm, Valley
Stream, Long Island, on the marriage contract and ceremony in Islam, and another
presentation by Fr. Philip Latronico of the Archdiocese of Newark on Pope John
Paul II's apostolic exhortation on the family and the pastoral message of U.S.
Catholic bishops to families. Dr. Khalid Qazi and Fr. Francis X. Mazur of
Buffalo, New York, reported on a dialogue of Catholic and Muslim married couples
which they have convened over the past several months. A similar dialogue of
married couples had also met in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Deacon Charles
Clark of the Diocese of Harrisburg reported on that.
Also attending this year's meeting were: Bishop Joseph F. Martino (Archdiocese
of Philadelphia), Dr. Zahid Bukhari (Georgetown University), Fr. Michael Lynch
(Diocese of Brooklyn), Dr. Salman Yusuf (Vineland, New Jersey), Imam Hamad Ahmad
Chebli (Islamic Society of Central New Jersey), Br. David Carroll (Catholic Near
East Welfare Association), Imam Salihou Djabi (Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, Harlem,
New York), Msgr. Donald Beckmann (Diocese of Rockville Centre), Al-Haaj Ghazi
Khankan (Islamic Center of Long Island), Sr. Josephine Kase (Archdiocese of
Philadelphia), Fr. William D. Corcoran (Congregation for Eastern Churches,
Vatican City), Fr. James Loughran (Archdiocese of New York), Ms. Kathleen Bala
(Diocese of Brooklyn), Fr. Guy Massie (Diocese of Brooklyn), and Dr. John
Borelli (National Conference of Catholic Bishops).
The Mid-Atlantic Dialogue of Muslims and Catholics, co-sponsored with ICNA, is
one of three regional dialogues which the NCCB holds with Islamic organizations.
The two other dialogues, which also meet annually, are in Indiana and
co-sponsored with the Islamic Society of North America and in California and
co-sponsored with various Islamic consultative (shurah) councils of Northern and
Southern California. The dialogue in Indiana is examining how Muslims and
Catholics use the expression "the Word of God," and the dialogue in
California, which held its initial meeting in early February, will begin
examining at its next meeting the concept of surrender to God.
The Following Statement was adopted by the
Standing Conference of Middle Eastern
Christian & Muslim Religious Leaders at their meeting in Englewood, New
Jersey on
Wednesday, November 8, 2000
The recent wave of violence in the Middle East is of grave
concern. We condemn the violence, especially the excessive use of force by
Israeli forces that has resulted in the killing of over 150 and the injury of
3,000 Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including
Jerusalem.
The demonstrations and protests that have been taking place
in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, represent the
collective expression by the Palestinian people against the long years of
occupation and the difficulties of their daily lives under Israeli occupation.
The protests have been an expression of deep frustration with the failure of the
peace process to bring about better living conditions and a final peace
settlement, including the long-awaited establishment of an independent
Palestinian state. They have been an expression of their determination to
protect their holy places. They have been an expression in defense of their
inalienable rights and their land.
Regrettably, the Palestinian people continue to be denied the
ability to restore even their minimum rights as a people, including the right to
self-determination. We express our solidarity with the Palestinian people, who
have been the victims of a long and unjust military occupation, and we call for
the realization of their rights.
We express our deep concern and strong feelings regarding the
sacred religious sites in Occupied East Jerusalem. We stress the importance of
Jerusalem and the need to ensure respect for all holy sites. Any final solution
must ensure the freedom of access and of worship for all believers of the three
monotheistic religions. Any solution must also ensure Palestinian sovereignty
over East Jerusalem.
We believe that what is required now is an immediate
cessation by Israel of the excessive, indiscriminate and unjustified use of
force against the Palestinian people. The Israeli siege on the Palestinian
people and the Palestinian land must be terminated. To restore calm, the
understanding reached at the Sharm EI-Sheikh Summit must be implemented. Only
then can there be any true resumption of the peace process between the
Palestinian and the Israeli sides. Such a process must require a sincere desire
for peace and a full commitment on the part of all parties to its realization.
We believe that in order to resolve this tragic conflict
between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the UN Resolutions 242, 338 and 425
(concerning the farmlands of Shib'aa Lebanon) must be fully implemented because
they express the will of the international community. In addition, we strongly
believe that Resolution 194 and the Geneva Convention of 1949, namely Article
IV, give the Palestinian refugees, whether they are in Lebanon or Syria, etc.
the right to return to their homes and land which they have inhabited from time
immemorial. The right of refugees to return home is a most sacred right and it
should be respected.
As for the role of the United States in the Middle East peace
process, we stress our disappointment with the adoption by our American Congress
of the very unfair and very biased resolution #426 against the leadership of the
Palestinian people. We demand a more balanced American position reflective of
American traditions and the wishes of more than five million Arab-Americans in
support of human rights, justice and international law. Such a position would
enable the United States to play a truly objective and supportive role as a
sponsor of the peace process.
In conclusion, our support for the Middle East peace process
is unwavering. Our support for the rights of the Palestinian people and their
efforts to realize those rights, including their right to an independent state,
is unwavering as well. The time has come for justice and peace to prevail in the
Holy Land and the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people as well as
security for all states in the region.
Local Muslim Leader Begins Dialogue with Seminary
Community
by Kristi Upson
Hamad Ahmad Chebli, imam of the Islamic Society of Central
Jersey, addressed the Seminary community in early March as part of the
faculty’s History Department lectures. Imam Chebli, a native of Lebanon,
earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Islamic studies in Cairo,
Egypt.
Following his studies, he was an imam in Tripoli, Lebanon, and at the Muslim
Association in New Orleans before coming to the Islamic Society of Central
Jersey.
His lecture was titled "Islam and Muslim-Christian
Dialogue." Chebli outlined the Islamic understanding of the progressing
corruption of the world and Islam’s Five Pillars, which address such a state.
Chebli asserted the teachings of the Koran with humility and with confidence. In
addition to his lecture, he was concerned with beginning the dialogue of which
he spoke. "I came here with open hands and an open mind to share with you
what I have learned through my study and my experience, and maybe we can open a
wide door through which we can dialogue," he said.
After his address, Chebli responded to questions. Discussion
topics included: the changes imposed on Muslims in a westernized context; the
ethical stance of Islam with respect to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim mixed
marriages; religious conversion; homosexuality; and Islam’s theological
understanding of Jesus. Early in the dialogue Princeton Seminary professor
Daniel Migliore asked what role forgiveness played in the interrelationship of
Christians and Muslims in light of their historically strained relationship.
Chebli wove this theme of forgiveness into each of his responses.
The lecture and subsequent conversation proved to be a time of
honest grappling with theological, ethical, and social issues. Though the
difficult subjects of theological disparity created some tension, dialogue, in
Chebli’s own words, "is our faithful response to God’s Word."
Whether that Word be the Bible or the Koran, dialogue is necessary to keep us
mindful of our common roots in the God of Abraham, and perhaps to help our
"separate tribes" to know one another.
Noon -- Muslims find strength as they pray together
Published in the Home News Tribune 6/15/00
By RICK MALWITZ
STAFF WRITER
They have left their jobs at engineering firms, computer software companies
and brokerage houses. They could have found space at the workplace, but they
would rather conduct their noon prayers in the company of others, bowing at an
altar facing Mecca, at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey on Route 1.
JASON TOWLEN photo
1:23 p.m. -- Imam Hamid Ahmad Chebli, spiritual director
of the Islamic Society of Central New Jersey, offers one of the five
daily prayers to Mecca. |
The prayer is led by Imam Hamid Ahmad Chebli, the society's spiritual leader --
a 52-year-old man of regal bearing who opens with a traditional chant. Then 21
men silently say individual prayers.
Only men participate in the prayers with the imam, in keeping with tradition.
Three women, two with baby strollers, pray in a section of the mosque about 40
feet behind the men.
After individual prayers, Chebli again prays aloud, as the men, who now have
formed an even row, bow in unison, each man with his forehead touching the rug.
"It's the lowest you can get. It teaches humility," Imran Ahmed,
who has driven here from his job with Computer Associates in Belle Mead, later
explains.
Why not pray alone? "Individually, we are all weak, we make mistakes.
Together we are stronger," says Abid Shaikh, taking a lunch break from his
job at Merrill Lynch in Plainsboro.
The noon prayer is the second of five prayers offered daily in the direction
of Mecca, to the east, halfway around the world. The first prayer was offered
before sunrise, which today was exactly 5:30 a.m. Muslims will pray in the late
afternoon, at sunset and before going to bed.
"No matter what else we do -- eat, sleep or drink -- the prayers are the
most important thing we do," says Shaikh.
More impressive to a visitor than 21 men praying together is what immediately
follows, as 10 times as many children conduct their noon prayer.
The Noor--Ul--Iman School uses portions of the ISCJ complex to instruct
children from three-year-olds to eighth graders. About 200 students, with boys
in front and girls in the rear, kneel and bow in unison. There is no fooling
around. The behavior inside the mosque is consistent with the serious attitude
that prevails in the classrooms.
"Education is not only part of the religion, it is the religion,"
says Chebli. "We focus on knowledge. Education is your future."
JASON TOWLEN photo
1:12 p.m. -- Worshipers gather for one of the five daily
prayer services at the Islamic Society of Central New Jersey. |
In addition to a traditional curriculum it prepares in conjunction with the
South Brunswick board of education, the school offers three extra courses, in
the Arabic language, the Qur'an (or Koran) and the Islamic religion. Next year
the school will add ninth grade, and in four years will have a complete high
school.
Nagdy Hagag, who left his engineering job in Princeton to join the noon
prayer, has enrolled his three-year-old son Abdourrahman in the school, and
would like him to learn Arabic, which is the language of the Qur'an.
He allows that Muslims are like other immigrant groups who hope their
children born in the United States learn, for example German or Italian or
Hindi. "I would like to say it's 50-50 he'll learn Arabic. But it is better
than zero," says Hagag.
Mohammad Chebli, the 18-year-old son of the imam, was six months old when the
family came from Lebanon to the United States. Today his voice sounds like that
of a typical American teen-ager. But he can switch languages on a dime, and
speak with his father in what sounds like fluid Arabic.
The imam, who can recite the 6,000 verses of the Qur'an by heart, boasts of
the fact that the society has sent young people to universities like Princeton,
Yale and MIT.
In standardized tests given to students at Nooruliman School,
"Fifty-nine percent tested in the top 25 percent (nationwide),"
reports principal Janet Nazib, a Montgomery resident who converted to the
Islamic faith in her 20s.
The Islamic religion accepts the teachings of Old Testament prophets and of
Jesus Christ. To those core beliefs of Judaism and Christianity, it adds
teachings of the prophet Mohammad. "They say if a Christian reads the
Qur'an he will believe (the Qur'an)," says Nazib.
Many of the members of the society are first-generation immigrants, drawn to
universities and professional jobs in the Central Jersey corridor, from Trenton
to New Brunswick. Chebli is a native of Lebanon, Shaikh is from India and Ahmed
from Pakistan. There are first-generation immigrants from Saudi Arabia, Egypt
and other African nations, and second generations from Jersey City, Newark and
Elizabeth.
There are about 200 families that form the core of membership in the society,
which grew from a small group of Muslims at Rutgers University in the 1970s.
During the Islamic holiday of Ramadan up to 2,000 persons will come to services.
For weekly prayer services on Fridays, up to 500 will attend, and be directed
into the site by South Brunswick police officers needed to direct traffic.
The community has embraced the society, says Chebli. "Without 100
percent cooperation between ISCJ and the neighbors, and the South Brunswick
police, and board of education and planning board . . . we would never be
here."
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