Dengl 6 Muslim Moves to Find Common Cause with Christendom

After a trip abroad I have been catching up with The Spectator and was most interested to read Piers Paul Read's piece (25 October: "The Muslims' letter to the Pope is not all it seems").

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100012117&docId=l:690305803&start=22

Read quotes the letter as saying that "Islam is not against (Christians) as long as they do not wage war against Muslims"... and he goes on to exonerate Christians of any such charge. He does not mention that the war which many Muslim readers would think this referred to arose with the appearance of Israel in what is considered the territory of Islam - from the early British support via the Balfour Declaration - to the more recent aid to Israel from the USA. A large proportion of westerners, many of whom are Christians, do not see this as an anti-Muslim war; a large proportion of Muslims, do.

Read refers to a "historic enmity between the two religions" but argues that very important moves have been made to put this in the past. Read welcomes Islam's "veneration of Jesus and Mary". However a fact little known in the west is that on the inside of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem are Arabic inscriptions which set out essential theological differences between the faiths. Excerpts from these writings (not difficult to find by websearch via google) include:

The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of God, and His Word which He conveyed unto Mary, ....So believe in God and His messengers, and say not 'Three'.... . Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son...... It befitteth not (the Majesty of) God that He should take unto Himself a son. ..... Say: He is God, the One! God, the eternally Besought of all! He begetteth not nor was begotten. .... Praise be to God, Who hath not taken unto Himself a son, and Who hath no partner in the Sovereignty,

These standpoints suggest that Islam is much closer to Judaism than to Christianity. If ecumenial progress is being worked upon this is an excellent thing and one hopes that not just two faiths but three will carry on with efforts to understand each other and inhabit this planet without conflict.