World Council of Churches head meets top Egyptian Islamic cleric
The World Council of Churches general secretary, Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, has met with senior Egyptin Islamic cleric Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim in Cairo to discuss relations between different faiths in the North African country that experienced a revolution in February 2011.
In their meeting Monday the religious leaders engaged in in-depth dialogue to promote peaceful relations among diverse communities and values for equal citizenship, the WCC said in a statement.
In February 2011 the military regime of Hosni Mubarak was overthrown and after an election an Islamist government led by the Muslim Brotherhood was elected.
Many Christians say minorities have been sidelined by a new constitution that is slanted to Islam.
Recent sectartian violence has taken place with attacks on Christians, which have been increasing recently.
Speaking with the WCC general secretary, Abdel-Karim pointed out the common roots and experiences of both Muslims and Christians living together for centuries in Egypt, which he said should be the basis of a constructive engagement for promoting peaceful relations.
"We are a family, and our personal relations do not merely reflect in our faith identities in Egypt. We have been neighbours for centuries, interlocked in close proximity as religious communities," said the Grand Mufti, who is also a professor in Islamic jurisprudence.
He noted that, "alliances between Christians and Muslims are not only possible but already exist on the ground among ordinary people in their everyday lives. The values of honesty, trust and respect are shared among people of both Christian and Muslim faiths."
Tveit met the Grand Mufti at the office of Dar Al-Itfa Al-Misriyya in Cairo.