We need to do far more to redress a deeply damaging situation and some misrepresentations of both Christianity and Islam, says Reverend Richard Cheetham.
London – In London, where I live, scarcely a day goes by without some media interest in relations between Muslims and Christians. Usually the coverage is negative and often implies that religion is a constant and inevitable source of conflict. The recent clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians in Cairo which have left several dead and many injured, for example, have been widely reported in the British press.
There have been many statements of condemnation of these atrocities from Muslims and Christians alike, but unfortunately in such cases words are not enough. We need to do far more to redress a deeply damaging situation and some misrepresentations of both Christianity and Islam. In order to address this need in England, the Christian Muslim Forum was created five years ago after an initiative by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to increase understanding and to find ways that Muslims and Christians can live together with faith.
