Clerics say human greed to blame for global crisis

The archbishop of Canterbury and the grand mufti of Egypt call on world governments to protect the poor from the current global economic crisis.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams (right) and Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr Ali Gomaa at a conference on A Common Word and Future Muslim-Christian Engagement at Lambeth Palace in London.

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND // Muslim and Christian leaders yesterday called on world governments to take action to protect the poor from the current global economic crisis. The call came at the end of a three-day conference between leading clerics and scholars from the two faiths in Cambridge, aimed at fostering peace and understanding between the two religions. In outspoken remarks at a press conference at Lambeth Palace yesterday afternoon, Dr Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the worldwide Anglican communion, blamed greed as the root of the current financial turmoil. Sitting alongside Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the grand mufti of Egypt and joint chairman of the Cambridge Common Word conference, Dr Williams said: "Clearly, as religious leaders we want to say that the root problem is human greed, which is not specific to any one nation or even to the governing class or any one religion." Asked about the Islamic position outlawing usury, Dr Williams said he would like to see a dialogue between Christianity and Islam about what constituted a just and reasonable rate of interest. "I would like very much to see a dialogue developing with Islam about this question of what a just, a reasonable rate of interest might look like in the light of a religious ethic - but this is work, reflection, very much in its infancy to put it mildly," he said. In a statement issued at the end of the conference, the two religions said the divine commandment to love our neighbours should prompt all people to act with compassion towards others, and to fulfil their duty of helping to alleviate misery and hardship. "It is out of an understanding of shared values that we urge world leaders and our faithful everywhere to act together to ensure that the burden of this financial crisis, and also the global environmental crisis, does not fall unevenly on the weak and the poor," the statement said. Sheikh Gomaa condemned the persecution of minorities throughout the world and said there was "great concern" about the persecution of Christians in Iraq. "This is something that both Christianity and Islam reject," he said through an interpreter. He added: "We hope to leave this world a better place for our children and grandchildren, a place where there is mutual co-operation." The meeting at Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge coincided with the first anniversary of the publication of A Common Word Between Us and You, a letter from 138 Islamic scholars, clerics and intellectuals to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders. "If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace," the letter said. "With the terrible weaponry of the modern world - with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before - no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world's inhabitants. "Our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake." The scholars quoted the Bible and the Quran to illustrate similarities between the two faiths, such as the requirement to worship one God and to love one's neighbour. This year, in his own letter formally responding to the document, Dr Williams welcomed it as a "significant development" in relations between Christians and Muslims. David Ford, director of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme, described the Common Word letters as "probably the most important step forward in Muslim-Christian relations in 50 years". He said: "They engage with each other from the core of each faith and they face up to many big issues, including practical matters of violence, religious freedom and how to collaborate for the sake of peace. "They also touch on some of the deepest religious issues to do with God, prayer, love of one's neighbour and dealing with global problems. "The Cambridge conference aimed to offer a model of partnership between Muslims and Christians at the highest level of intellectual engagement and the deepest level of scriptural attentiveness." The conference, which was not open to the public, began on Sunday. In his opening remarks, Dr Williams warned that Christians and Muslims faced an "extensive and demanding" agenda as they searched for understanding. But he said there were good reasons to believe that the difficulties could be overcome. "If we say that love of God and neighbour represents an area in which we can talk to each other in a way that points to at least some common goals, what we are saying by implication is that we are able to recognise some common marks of holy or reconciled human lives in each other," he said. "The God we speak about is a God whose presence and action generate care for the poor, mercy, fidelity and the willingness to make and preserve peace among human beings. "Neither the Muslim nor the Christian will fully recognise their own story in the way that the other faith tells it and this sets a difficult and important agenda for dialogue. "Ahead of us lies a very extensive and demanding agenda, both intellectual and practical - not to say political - but we have good reason to think that it can be addressed with hope." The two sides have agreed to further discussions in a bid to build bridges between the two faiths. The next is to be held in Rome with one scheduled for a year hence in Jordan. [e-mail]