The “survival of the world” is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace with each other, leaders of the Muslim world have told the Pope and other Christian leaders.

In an open letter signed by 138 leading scholars from every branch of Islam, the Muslims pleaded with Christian leaders “to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions”.

The scholars stated: “As Muslims, we say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not against them — so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their homes.” The phrasing has echoes of the biblical passage “He that is not with Me is against Me”, which was used by President Bush when addressing Congress after the September 11 attacks.

The open letter, addressed to the Pope, the Orthodox patriarchs, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and “leaders of Christian Churches, everywhere”, has been backed by the Archbishop and by the Bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres. It is expected to be followed by a joint conference.

“Finding common ground between Muslims and Christians is not simply a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue between leaders,” the Muslim scholars said. The faiths comprise more than half of humanity, “making the relationship between these communities the most important factor in contributing to meaningful peace around the world. If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace.”

The Muslims even quoted verbatim from the Bible, a very rare move in this kind of publication. They said: “And to those who nevertheless relish conflict and destruction for their own sake or reckon that ultimately they stand to gain through them, we say that our very eternal souls are all also at stake if we fail to sincerely make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony.”

Signatories of the letter, sent out yesterday by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Jordan, include Sheikh Sevki Omarbasic, Grand Mufti of Croatia; Dr Abdul Hamid Othman, adviser to the Prime Minister of Malaysia; Dr Ali Ozak, head of the endowment for Islamic scientific studies in Istanbul; Sheikh Dr Nuh Ali Salman al-Qudah, Grand Mufti of Jordan; and Sheikh Dr Ikrima Said Sabri, former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Imam of al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, an expert on Islam, criticised the letter, saying the appeal was based on the Muslim belief in the oneness of God. He added: “One partner cannot dictate the terms on which dialogue must be conducted. This document seems to be on the verge of doing that.”

Dr Williams said: “The letter’s understanding of the unity of God provides an opportunity for Christians and Muslims to explore together their distinctive understandings and the ways in which these mould . . . our lives.”