In Syria, Islamic moderates work to preserve interreligious harmony

Published: 2004-11-01

DAMASCUS, Syria (CNS) -- In a part of the world where Islamic extremism is growing, Sheik Salah Kuftaro spends his days forming moderates. His well-known center in Damascus operates as a mosque, as a school for thousands of future Muslim scholars and as a bridge to non-Muslims around the world. In an interview Oct. 28, Kuftaro condemned the "counterfeit clergy" who promote the idea of intolerance and conflict among Islam, Christianity and Judaism. He was equally critical, however, of U.S. government actions in Iraq, which he said have created a breeding ground for the kind of fanaticism he is trying to counter. "The atrocities and enmities that occur now between Muslims and Christians are only happening because one religion is claiming a monopoly as the only right religion," Kuftaro said. He said all three monotheistic faiths have a duty to "return to the genuine teachings of our religions, as they were revealed to Moses, Jesus Christ and Mohammed."

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