Philos Project Hosts Interfaith Conversation on Abrahamic Roots

Charles Malik Institute event examines seminal essay

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 20, the Philos Project and the Charles Malik Institute hosted "Isaac & Ishmael," a Muslim-Christian- Jewish conversation on shared roots and difference between three scholars: Mustafa Akyol, Dr. Habib Malik, and Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm. 

The discussion drew from the essay "Israel and Ishmael," written more than four decades ago by Fr. Luke (Ramzi) Malik. The essay, the origins of which date back to the 1940s, might be seen as a theological precursor to recent attempts at cooperation and normalization in the region. 

According to Dr. Malik, the author's nephew, platitudes that generally characterize "interreligious dialogue" have often become vehicles for political statements that "paper over" serious and fundamental differences between religious traditions. He cautioned against this superficial treatment, saying, "Facing and acknowledging the differences among the three Abrahamic traditions is the mature way to proceed instead of watering them down... Differences, even profound ones, need not become occasions for perpetual conflict."

Mustafa Akyol acknowledged that Abrahamic faiths are competitive in guarding "[their] truth," but said, "I believe Jews, Christians, and Muslims can live together. Political sovereignty is a political issue not a theological issue," a distinction often lost in the Near East, but one he felt "a lot of Muslims" shared.

In a nod to this long held idea of religion as an impediment to progress of the sort seen in the Abraham Accords Rabbi Lamm mused "whether or not the forces of enlightenment, progress, technology really are so incompatible with traditional faith, with community, with values. Or perhaps, in fact, they are powered by those very forces."

Robert Nicholson, Founder and President of the Philos Project, echoed this hopeful and forward-looking vision of the Abrahamic faiths: "All Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have this teleological view of history... it's this idea that history is going somewhere." 

Indeed, the Near East is on the move. Two years since their signing, the Abraham Accords show no signs of reversing. Further gestures toward normalization like Saudi Arabia's opening of its airspace to Israeli flights point to a future Father Malik so presciently envisioned.

This momentum is inspiring efforts like Philos' Abraham's Missing Child Initiative, which aims to seize upon this historical moment to support and sustain Christian communities in the Near East.

See the full video here. 

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SOURCE Philos Project