Priest calls July gathering in Jordan 'victory for moderate Muslims'

Published: 2005-07-28

AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) -- A Melkite Catholic priest and peace activist called a July gathering of Muslim clerics and scholars a "victory for moderate Muslims." Melkite Father Nabil Haddad of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center in Amman also said the conference was unprecedented in its approach to finding consensus and reaching out to the world. Father Haddad was an official observer at the gathering of more than 180 Islamic clerics and scholars in Amman in early July. Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose religious and historical status as a direct descendent of the prophet Mohammed marks him as a significant leader among Muslims, called the meeting, which had the theme "True Islam and Its Role in Modern Society." Participants came from a range of countries, including Egypt, India, Sudan, Nigeria, Iraq, Algeria, the United States and Great Britain. "The conference legitimized the tolerant approach in dealings among Muslims," said Father Haddad.

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