Sir, - It is commendable that Patrick Comerford wishes to redress the balance of prejudice against Muslims which has sadly gained so much ground in recent days (Rite and Reason, November 25th). However, I am not convinced that the methodology he employs in his thoughtful and serious appeal (addressed primarily to the Christian community) will yield the progress we yearn for in Christian-Muslim debate.
He reverts to proof texting, quoting random verses from the Koran which appear in isolation to encourage a benign approach to non-Muslims. However, one could as well have selected a set of texts from the Koran which contain incitement to hatred and violence. In the area of the Islamic world I am familiar with, such texts explain why an 88-year-old Moroccan Christian, a follower of Christ all his adult life, was jailed in Tangier recently for refusing to recant and released only after an international outcry to the government in Rabat.
Any development of an agreed hermeneutic by which Christians and Muslims might approach their respective scriptures together would be a huge step forward. Proof texting from within both communities of faith has been the bane of dialogue. Thus any appeal to Christians or Muslims to continue in the necessary search for common ground is best made without resort to this device. It would be a cause for thanksgiving if Christian-Muslim relationships in Ireland developed, by common agreement, from a baseline devoid of proof texting from either Bible or Koran. - Yours, etc.,
Crinken Parsonage, Bray, Co Wicklow.