On the fault line between Christian Europe and Muslim Africa, we often cast ourselves in the role of bridge-builders, in our rhetoric. But in fact, in our mindsets and behaviour we still live within our Christian fortifications built to keep the hostile Muslims out.

Although in my teen years Vatican Council II was opening up the Catholic Church and engaging it in dialogue with other religions, we are still rooted in an upbringing and culture of deep disrespect towards Islam, although political correctness requires that this is not articulated explicitly.

Five years before the terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York that reopened the deep divide between these two religions that have so much in common, Samuel Huntington had already theorised that ne'er the twain shall meet in his book Clash of Civilisations. To try and heal this tragic division, the prime ministers of Spain and Turkey have come up with a cultural project that sets out to create an alliance of civilisations.

Towards the end of his term as United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan received a copy of the first report by a high level group, charting the way to deepening political, cultural and education relations between those who represent the so-called Western world and, in this historic moment, the area of Arab and Muslim countries.

On that occasion Mr Annan said it was clear that religion is not at the root of current tensions: "The problem is not the Koran or the Torah or the Bible. The problem is never the faith, it is the faithful and how they behave towards each other." When he proposed the Alliance of Civilisations, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero said the world could become a clash of civilisations, with poverty and Islamic radicalisation tearing Western and Muslim countries apart. Instead, the alliance he envisaged would prevent hatred and misunderstanding from developing by looking at political and cultural issues - everything from joint peace keeping missions to interfaith dialogue.

The High Level Group working on the project is made up of some 20 "eminent personalities" from 19 countries, including Nobel Peace Prize-winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami. In its first report the group concluded: "It is our view that the Israeli-Palestinian issue has taken on a symbolic value that colours cross cultural and political relations... well beyond its limited geographic scope although our emphasis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not meant to imply that it is the overt cause of all tensions between Muslim and Western societies."

The High Level Group report includes a set of concrete recommendations for the international community. Among the recommendations:

• The international community should draft a White Paper to analyse the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• An international conference should be convened to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process.

• Ruling parties in the Muslim world should provide space for the participation of peaceful political groups.

• Leaders and shapers of public opinion should behave responsibly and work to promote understanding among cultures.

• The UN should appoint a high representative to assist in defusing cross-cultural tensions.

• The UN should establish a forum for the alliance of civilisations under its auspices.

• Journalists should receive improved training in inter-cultural understanding.

• Media content should aim to promote inter-cultural dialogue.

• Educational materials and media literacy programmes in schools should face a critical review.

• Governments should increase the number of international youth exchanges and youth-oriented Websites.

• The international community should create media campaigns to combat discrimination.

We should take an active part in this Alliance of Civilisations, but so far we have done very little to promote its objectives. We should take more initiatives like that organised by the Augustinian order a few weeks ago at the local mosque and the Millennium Chapel to bring Christian and Muslim children closer.

It is not surprising that the followers of St Augustine organized this initiative as the saint lived in North Africa.

As the Dominican Timothy Radcliffe points out: "We do not know anything for certain about the immediate future of the Church. If we knew, we might be astonished. In the sixth century they could never have imagined that by the eighth century, vast areas that had been the central homelands of the Church would have become part of a religion that did not then exist, Islam: what are now Turkey, the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa."

Augustine and the Koran

At the Millennium Chapel, the Augustinian provincial, Fr Lucian Borg, gave a very interesting speech on St Augustine and the Koran. He concluded: "We should not be surprised if the teaching of Augustine inspired by the Bible and that of the Koran concerning peace and justice are essentially identical. This identity derives from our common monotheistic heritage. Such an identity imposes on us, Christians and Muslims as well, an identical mission. We are both called to foster, promote and spread peace and justice.

"Such a mission is not a luxury but a necessity. An unjust society is a contradiction, both for Muslims and Christians. None of us, whether we are Christians or Muslims, can rest peacefully at the end of the day knowing that peace is endangered by all kinds of behaviours and injustices. We must all be against fanatics and fundamentalism. But we must also be against racism, racial or religious discrimination and so forth. We all live in glasshouses and every one of these houses is fragile."

Fr Borg quoted Augustine: "Remove justice and what are kingdoms but gangs of criminals on a large scale? ...For it were a witty reminder and a truthful rejoinder which was given by a captured pirate to Alexander the Great. The king asked the fellow, 'What is your idea in infesting the sea?' And the pirate answered, with uninhibited insolence, 'the same as yours, in infesting the earth! But because I do it with a tiny craft, I am called a pirate: because you have a mighty navy, you are called an emperor." (IV, 4).

For Augustine a true state is not a mob of individuals but a multitude of human beings 'united in association by a common sense of right and a community of interest' and that 'a state cannot be maintained without justice, and where there is no true justice there can be no right'.

Fr Borg explains: "In the Koran the word for 'Peace' is As-salaam, a word formed from the root SLM from which derives also the name Al-Islaam, which is the name of the Muslim religion, that is, Islam ... Paradise is called Dar is-Salaam: 'But God doth call to the Home of Peace' (Surate of Yunis, X, 25) where the blessed will greet each other by the word Salaam: 'This will be their cry therein: 'Glory to Thee, O God!'; and 'Peace' will be their greeting therein' (Surate of Yunis, X, 10) (surat Miryam, XIX, 62). On earth as well, Muslims are to greet each other by the famous phrase: As-salaam 'alejkom u 'alejkom is-salaam."

Fr Borg cites two verses regarding the peaceful coexistence with others even if these are not Muslims. In surate IV, surat en-Nisa verse 90 we read:

"Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not and (instead) send you (guarantees of) peace, then God hath opened no way for you (to war against them). In surat el-Infaal (the booty) verse 61 we have: "If they incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in God'. There is 'no Holy War'; only peace is holy. The jihad promoted by the teaching of the Koran has nothing to do with the horrible deeds of the fundamentalists. It is first and foremost a personal spiritual effort to purify oneself in order to come into communion with God and to live in a good relationship with the neighbour."

"As far as war is concerned, the Koran admits only the self-defence of the Islamic community. For the Koran, peace is brought about by different personal and collective behaviours - such as a polite, non-aggressive language and courtesy. Verse 8 of sura 60 says: 'For God loveth those who are just'. Peace in the Koran goes hand in hand with justice. The Koran has always considered Justice as God's attribute, and one of noblest aims of Islam has always been to create a just society.

"Three things are mentioned as gifts of God. In concrete terms they are the Book, the Balance and Iron, which stand as emblems of three things that hold society together, i.e., Revelation, which commands Good and forbids evil, Justice which gives to each person his due; and the strong arm of Law, which maintains sanctions for evil-doers."

The Book stands for the Koran which for the Muslims is the Revelation that commands Good and forbid evil. The Balance stands for 'justice' and the 'Iron' for the 'strong arm of the Law that punishes evil-doers'. Justice is the second gift God gives to mankind so as this can build itself as a society. It follows that for the Koran 'justice' is a fundamental element of the being of society. Where there is no justice there is no true humanity and consequently there is no society."

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