From : Tarek Ibrahim <b4u2@sbcglobal.net>
Sent : Saturday, November 19, 2005 8:05 PM
To : arabtimesnewspaper@hotmail.com
Subject : The Washington Conference
 

Dear Dr. Mansour,

I'm obliged to write to you in regards to the Washington Conference and the attempts of some Christians in the middle east-more so in Egypt-to undermine the unity of our motherland. It has been noted that freedom of speech, like any other human right, can be abused and employed for evil functions to achieve self-serving objectives or even to destroy a great reality such as the relationship between Muslims and Christians in Egypt. I have to say that I'm speaking from a personal experience perspective, yet this personal experience leads me to believe that those who are trying to trigger a religious conflict and undermine our decent example of unity are enemies to God, themselves and enemies to us all, Muslims and Christians alike. They are using the name of faith again and again to fire up hatred and plague us with a destructive virus. It makes you wonder if the Devil has divided his time between all religions equally.

Reading about the Conference in Arab Times, made me recall all my memories about my good strong friendships with my classmates, neighbors and colleagues that were enhanced by their values and their faith whether it was based on Islam or Christianity.

I have no doubt that freedom issues as well as quality of life and lots of other fundamentals need to improve; but, most of those aspects of society deteriorated due to all reasons except for lack of tolerance or understanding between Christians and Muslims in a country like Egypt.

God is one, and the Divine teachings of any religion show that oneness in a crystal clear display of the "Ten Commandments", "turn the other cheek", and "you are created of peoples and tribes to understand each other". On the other hand, hatred and destruction as well as pure evil has many faces because it is manufactured and tailored by the imperfect human hands and minds to serve lunatics and fanatics of any kind.

Despite the fact that the contemporary civilization has evolved through decades of combined human work and study, mankind in general, some of us more than others, still don't know how to dispose of waste products properly, and we keep dealing with the Devil and his human servants whose only mission is to bastardize the Divine Word and abuse its fundamental truth which is "God is Love".

Thank you for your efforts, you and all the christian leaders who understood your stand on this vital issue.

Sincerely,
Tarek Ibrahim