The secretary general of the WCC, Konrad Raiser, has sent a letter to the heads of the Islamic communities throughout the world to mark the beginning of Ramadan, a month sacred to Islam, which this year coincides with the Christian period of Advent. In his letter, pastor Raiser invites Christians and Moslems to rediscover in “this time of challenge” the spiritual links that “unite us”. “ As Christians he writes we reject the tendency, very common in many Western countries, to consider Moslems as a threat and to paint Islam with negative features, attributing a positive image only to ourselves. God asks Christians not to bear false witness against our neighbours. The meeting of Christians with Islam and with Moslems requires intellectual honesty and integrity”. To the leaders of the Islamic communities Raiser makes an appeal: “The time has come to give proof of real cooperation by launching common initiatives to help the victims and to defend human rights”.
