Islam and Peace
Progress in Inter-Religious Dialogue
~ 162 ~
Here I would like to add another point. We should
not judge our efforts in this matter only by the
results of meetings held in the name of formally
arranged interreligious dialogue. The truth is that
“interreligious dialogue” is not now limited to
specific meetings held in the field of religion. It has
rather assumed the form of a vast historical process
– spontaneous, ongoing and perhaps never fully
recorded. Negotiation in controversial matters is in
tune with the spirit of the age. Today, it has
permeated all walks of national as well as
international life.
Modern industrial revolution and modern
communication have added such vast dimensions
to human relations that now the entire world has
been converted into a global village. People of
various persuasions are coming closer, on a
universal scale. This interaction serves as an on-
going dialogue of an informal nature. In this way
with distances narrowed, the confrontational
attitude now gives way to compromise.
Interaction in itself is an unproclaimed dialogue.
When, as a result of circumstances, interaction
