Syria's Grand Mufti: Civilisation based on morality and reason

Dr Hassoun, Syria's senior Sunni Muslim cleric, came to the Parliament with a delegation of representatives of other faiths. One of the Christian Bishops who accompanied him was Antoine Odo, President of the Chaldean Bishops of Syria. Bishop Odo was kind enough to act as an interpreter from Arabic to French for our interview.

 

 

Yesterday I said there is one civilisation and many cultures. Civilisation is like a huge vessel into which all cultures flow. Culture may be, say, French or German, but all cultures flow into one recipient which forms human civilisation. But spiritual culture, be it, say, Christian or Muslim, gives humanity its moral dimension. Human civilisation is based on morality and reason. Reason builds the material part of life, and morality builds love between us and binds man to man as brothers, culturally and spiritually.

 

 

In a world which has become a small village we may benefit from all cultures and gather them together in one civilisation for the good of all. Once, a person could only hear a preacher or a sermon in his own place of worship. Today it is possible to receive thousands of TV channels, each one delivering a culture. Our children are able to hear the whole world. We cannot deny them from being universal in their culture, but at the same time one must defend one's own identity so as to protect the beauty of the world.

 

Here the dialogue of cultures becomes a route of happiness for man, a road which takes us away from conflict. Hence we cannot make war for one civilisation or one culture but we will help each other to build the civilisation of the world.

 

 

The problem is not one caused by men or religions but by politicians who have misinterpreted the religious texts: the Bible, the Torah and the Koran. It is man who is sacred; not any piece of land, any church, the Wall of Lamentations or any mosque. In the Torah, Koran and the Bible we read that the finger of a little child is more sacred than the entire earth. This child is the work of God; he who destroys that attacks God. Destroy all the religious buildings, we can rebuild them! Destroy a creature of God, who can give him life again?

 

 

The prophets came for man, and the angelic missions are for man. What is so strange is that we have transformed the holy message to justify killing man. We have said there is a holy people, and an unholy people; a holy place and an unholy place. God alone is holy. If one destroys a work of Michelangelo what will we think of him - ignorant, violent, animal like without respect for human values?

 

But if one destroys the creature God himself created? Those who build landmines and weapons of mass destruction are the enemies of human civilisation, because they kill man. I think perhaps Alfred Nobel tried to redeem some of the evil caused by his invention of dynamite by creating the Nobel Prize.  

 

Tell us about your role in encouraging the peaceful coexistence of religious communities 

 

When I was appointed the Grand Mufti of Syria, people thought I was only Mufti of the Muslims. However, after my first speech, transmitted via radio and TV, I became Mufti of the Muslims, Christians, secularists and all citizens of my country.

 

I don't limit myself to one community. I asked all spiritual leaders to be fathers to every Syrian citizen without closing themselves to their own community. I am trying to spread this approach all over the Arabic and Muslim world and then to the whole world. Spiritual leaders ought to be universal, not limited to their community or confession. The Pope is not only responsible for the Catholics but for all mankind, a Mufti is not only responsible for Muslims but for the whole world.