In the Arab world, Islamic-Christian dialogue takes on special importance, because Muslims and Christians not only meet in conferences and official committees, but also live together daily in the neighborhood, school, university, workplace, and one country. Over the past decades, friendships have developed between religious leaders, councils and platforms for dialogue have been established, and pioneering initiatives have been launched, including the Amman Message, the "Word is Equal" initiative, the Global Harmony Week, papal visits to Arab countries and mosques, up to the Document of Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Among the high-level initiatives is the establishment of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Center for Dialogue of Religions and Cultures in 2012, from which the Dialogue and Cooperation Platform emerged in 2017.
The document emphasizes that dialogue is no longer an intellectual luxury or diplomatic courtesy. Hence, the words of Pope Benedict XVI are very meaningful when he said that dialogue between Christians and Muslims "cannot be reduced to an additional optional matter, but is a vital necessity, on which our future largely depends".
However, the new phase requires moving from dialogue in halls to dialogue in life and dialogue in work. The question is not only: what do we believe? But also: what can we do together for the human being? How do Muslims and Christians stand by the poor, the sick, the refugees, and the suffering? How do they support young people, protect the family, and confront hate speech and extremism? The wounded person does not first ask about the identity of the hand that reaches out to him, but needs a compassionate hand.
The new document stresses the rejection of using religion to justify terrorism, war, or violence, and clearly addresses the phenomenon of Islamophobia or fear of Islam, rejecting the confusion between Islam and extremism, and affirming that the lives of the majority of Muslims are peaceful lives that contribute to building their societies. At the same time, it emphasizes the need to respect religious freedom and the dignity of all believers, and to reject the persecution of any person because of their faith.
Pope Leo XIV places dialogue in a clear framework of peace, justice, and truth, and emphasizes that those who use God's name to justify terrorism, violence, or war "betray their true nature," and that fighting in the name of religion is an attack on religion itself.
Today, a new challenge is the era of artificial intelligence. Here, Islamic-Christian dialogue is called upon to contribute to building "the ethics of technology," confronting false news and religious incitement, protecting human dignity and privacy, and using digital means to serve peace and rapprochement rather than hatred and division. It is the era of "disarming modern technologies," and the term will be the title of the peace message next year 2027.
After sixty years from the document "In Our Time," reaching the document "Journey of Hope," it is no longer required to just say that Muslims and Christians are able to live together, but to move from coexistence to cooperation, from acquaintance to solidarity, and from dialogue about the human being to serving the human being together.
