It is promoted by the Oasis Foundation, after the Crotone shipwreck with dozens of victims. They sign the Card. Angelo Scola, numerous bishops from the Middle East and personalities from the Italian Islamic communities. In the spirit of the Document on Human Fraternity, the call for a common commitment “against the oppression that pushes people to leave, the nationalistic and selfish closures and the unscrupulous action of human traffickers”.
Milan () – The dialogue between Christians and Muslims today cannot ignore the issue of migration. This is what is stated in an appeal published by the Oasis Foundation after the tragic shipwreck of a migrant boat off the coast of Crotone, in Italy, with dozens of victims from Afghanistan and other countries, which sailed from Turkey. Together with Card. Angelo Scola, archbishop emeritus of Milan and forerunner of the Oasis Foundation for Dialogue between Christians and Muslims, the text is signed by numerous bishops and apostolic vicars of the Middle East, the imam of the Great Mosque of Rome Nader Akkad and other representatives of the Italian Islamic communities. The text, which expressly refers to the Document on Human Fraternity signed in 2019 in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the imam of al Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib, invites Christians and Muslims to “feel particularly touched” by the reality of migration. While acknowledging that it is not the immediate task of the religious authorities and the faithful to “suggest technical solutions” to the challenges of migration, the call calls for a common commitment “against the injustices and oppression that are often behind the decision to leave, opposing self-serving and nationalist lockdowns and condemning the unscrupulous actions of human traffickers and smugglers.” We publish the full text below (in this linkthe list of signatories).
The latest and tragic shipwreck of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean Sea calls all of us to take responsibility. Due to its complexity, the migratory phenomenon requires solutions of various kinds, which take into account the political, social, economic and environmental factors of the countries involved. But it is above all a human fact that challenges the conscience of each one.
Christians and Muslims should feel especially touched by this reality. Indeed, most of the emigrants who try to reach Europe are people of Christian or Muslim confession, the territories through which they transit have a significant Christian or Muslim presence, and the places from which they embark are generally Muslim-majority countries .
In recent years, the dialogue between Christians and Muslims has understandably focused on issues such as peaceful coexistence, citizen equality and the prevention of religious violence, with the publication of shared documents, position statements and the organization of conferences. . We believe that emigration, with all the suffering that accompanies it, deserves similar attention. There are already many initiatives launched in this field by individuals or institutions, but a joint action would help to deepen the reasons for the Islamo-Christian friendship.
It is not the immediate task of religious authorities and Christian and Muslim faithful to propose technical solutions to the challenges posed by emigration. However, they can intervene on both a humanitarian and a cultural level, contributing to the debate on this issue in light of the values that their traditions embody. As stated in the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Common Coexistence, signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmad al-Tayyib on February 4, 2019, “faith leads the believer to see in the other a brother to support and love.From faith in God, creator of the universe, of creatures and of all human beings -equal by His Mercy-, the believer is called to express this human brotherhood, safeguarding the creation and the entire universe and supporting everyone, especially the most needy and poor”.
in the encyclical Fratelli TuttiIn addition, Pope Francis pointed out that emigration is always an experience of uprooting and for this reason he reaffirmed “the right not to emigrate, that is, to be in a position to remain in one’s own land.” But at the same time he recalled that many “flee from war, from persecution, from natural catastrophes”, while “others, with full rights, seek opportunities for themselves and their families. They dream of a better future and want to create the conditions to make it come true.”
In its development, emigration consists of several stages and involves a plurality of actors. To govern it, it is necessary to act at all levels, from end to end, at the same time: work to try to eliminate the causes that generate it, thus limiting its scope, and at the same time provide safe pathways and adequate forms of reception and integration to people who decide to leave their country.
Christians and Muslims are called to make their contribution in each of these areas, committing themselves against the injustices and oppression that often underlie the decision to leave, opposing nationalistic and selfish closures that prevent reception, and condemning the unscrupulous actions of human traffickers and smugglers who enrich themselves at the cost of the lives of migrants.
The call for an Islamo-Christian mobilization around these questions does not intend in any way to exclude or deny the contribution of people of other religious traditions and convictions, but rather to make a spiritual and moral heritage partly shared between Christians and Muslims put at the service of the welfare of all.
Photo: Flickr / Principality
