The Midwest Regional Muslim-Catholic Dialogue met from Sunday, October 21 through Tuesday morning, October 23, 2007 at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan. The topic was “The Mission of Muslim-Catholic Dialogue in the USA,” with particular attention to producing a guiding “mission statement” for the work of this long-standing annual meeting.

In his welcome address at the Islamic Center, Imam Hassan al-Qazwini cited recent efforts on the part of Muslim leaders to remind the participants that there is an urgent need for a worldwide, permanent dialogue between Catholics and Muslims.

Dr. Sayyid Syeed, National Director of the Islamic Society of North America, highlighted the common concerns of Muslims and Catholics at this time for religious identity. Dr. Syeed expressed appreciation for Catholic support in areas of social ethics and religious freedom that presently have a high profile among American Muslims.

Bishop Francis Reiss, Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, distinguished interreligious dialogue from political dialogue by signaling the importance of spiritual growth – rather than theological compromise – as a key result of dialogues such as this one. He urged participants to concretize their work by adopting a mission statement to guide their future collaboration.

The atmosphere of spiritual exchange was greatly enhanced by the presence of His Eminence Cardinal Adam Maida at the group’s luncheon on Monday. His Eminence was accompanied by a group of pastors from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Professor Scott Alexander of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago began the formal presentations with an examination of conscience based on the “Dialogue Decalogue” of Temple University’s Leonard Swidler. Alexander’s approach opened up a discussion of the religious ethics that must govern the practice of dialogue.

Dr. Shahid Athar gave a presentation on the ethics of dialogue based on his own experience as an immigrant Muslim physician and father of a family. Moved by his account of the struggle to achieve interfaith understanding over the past 35 years, the participants emphasized the need for improvements in the ways that Americans are educated about world religions.

The presentation by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq of Upper Iowa University on the historic and legal issues involved in Muslim responses to the sin of apostasy opened up a vigorous discussion of religious freedom, issues of conscience, and the problem of proselytism.

Local leadership surveyed recent efforts in Muslim-Catholic dialogue in the upper Midwest. Many groups have addressed the Regensburg Lecture of Pope Benedict XVI, which was given simultaneously with our own 2006 dialogue meeting.

During the recent celebration of the holy month of Ramadan, local Muslim communities opened their doors to interfaith guests. Many of the participants highlighted efforts to work more effectively with the mass media, benefiting from friendly contacts among journalists. Training programs for interreligious leadership and the use of online resources reflect some new trends in the course of 2007.

The ISNA national convention remains a significant venue for interreligious panels at which our efforts as a dialogue group can be shared with a wide Muslim public; similarly, Catholic educational conventions may provide us with ways to make the fruits of formal dialogue available to teachers, clergy, and other Catholic leadership.

The following “Mission Statement” was adopted by the participants:

Catholics and Muslims engage in interreligious dialogue because it is part of our core identities as people of faith. Our common belief in the one God of mercy and love calls us into relationship with one another; therefore we see our dialogue as a spiritual journey. Common ethical concerns compel us to take responsibility for our relationship within U.S. American society. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Islamic Society of North America sponsor our annual gathering of official representatives for formal dialogue on topics of mutual concern. Our Dialogue provides a forum for Muslim-Catholic discussion, critique, and exchange of information that is supportive of the programs of our respective institutions.

The next meeting is planned for Northwest Indiana on October 26-28, 2008. The topic will be: “In the Public Square: Muslims and Catholics on Religious Freedom”.

Participants in the 2007 meeting were: Bishop Francis Reiss, Archdiocese of Detroit; Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); Imam Hassan al-Qazwini, Islamic Center of American, Dearborn, Michigan; Rev. David Bruning, Diocese of Toledo; Dr. Donald W. Mitchell, Purdue University; Dr. Scott Alexander, Catholic Theological Union; Rev. Raymond Webb, University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein; Sr. Joan McGuire, OP, Archdiocese of Chicago; Rev. William Skudlarek, O.S.B., Monastic Interreligious Dialogue; Michael Hovey, Archdiocese of Detroit; Judith Longdin, Archdiocese of Milwaukee; Inshirah Farhoud, Islamic Society of Milwaukee; Eide Alawan, Islamic Center of America; Victor Ghalib Begg, Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan; Msgr. Patrick Halfpenny, Archdiocese of Detroit; Joan Crist, Diocese of Gary, Indiana; Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq, Upper Iowa University; Dr. Shahid Athar, Interfaith Alliance of Indianapolis; Dr. Gulam Haider Aasi, American Islamic College, Chicago, Illinois; Rev. Thomas Baima, University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein; Rev. Vincent Heier, Archdiocese of St. Louis; Rev. Francis Tiso, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.