I am addressing you as a convinced Christian theologian and at the same time as a sincere friend of Islam who wishes to understand Islam better and to work for a constructive cooperation among Christians and Muslims. These were exactly the words with which I opened my lecture in March 1985 to a distinguished group of high ranking mullahs in Tehran. And this was indeed my most challenging dialogue experience with Muslims, among them the later president Chatami. Before and after this event I had numerous encounters and dialogues with Muslims all over the world. All this encouraged me to write my big volume on Islam.

But, ladies and gentlemen, I am addressing you also as a sincere friend of Judaism. Already as the theological adviser to the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, together with Professor Joseph Ratzinger, the current pope, I struggled in favour of a positive document on the Jews and on religious freedom. And also spoke out constantly in favour of the official recognition of the State of Israel by the Vatican and for a two-state-solution for Israelis and Palestinians. Before and afterwards I had numerous encounters and dialogues also with Jews all over the world. And this encouraged me to write my big volume on Judaism.

But I do not want to bore you with past memories, but I wish to address today’s global crisis and to convey ultimately a message of hope.

Especially after September 11 2001 we face in Europe and America the threat of a general suspicion – this time not of Jews but of Muslims. It is as if they were all incited up by their religion, and were all potentially violent. Whereas conversely, Christians, because they are taught by their religion, are all seen as non-violent, peaceful and loving… That would be a fine thing!

Of course there are many problems with Islam, especially in Europe with its big Muslim minorities, but let’s be fair: of course we citizens of a democratic constitutional state reject forced marriages, the oppression of women, honour killings and other archaic inhumanities in the name of human dignity. But most Muslims join us in doing so. They suffer from the fact that the condemnations made are sweepingly of the "Muslims" and the "Islam", without differentiation. They do not recognize themselves in our picture of Islam, because they want to be loyal citizens of the Islamic religion.

Let’s be fair: those who make "Islam" responsible for kidnappings, suicide attacks, car bombs and beheadings carried out by a few blind extremists ought at the same time to condemn "Christianity" or "Judaism" for the barbarous maltreatment of prisoners, the air strikes and tank attacks carried out by the US Army (several 10,000 civilians have been murdered in Iraq alone), and the terrorism of the Israeli army of occupation in Palestine. After five years of war also a majority of Americans realize that those who pretend that the battle for oil and hegemony in the Middle East and elsewhere is a "battle for democracy" and a "war against terror" are trying to deceive the world – though without success.

In the third Global Ethic Lecture in Tübingen in 2003 the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan emphasized: "No religion or ethical system should ever be condemned because of the moral lapses of some of its adherents. If I, as a Christian, for instance, would not wish my faith to be judged by the actions of the Crusaders or the Inquisition, I should be very careful to judge anyone else’s faith by the actions that a few terrorists may commit in its name."

So I am asking you: Should we go on with a tit-for-tat reckoning which leads only deeper into misery?

No, another basic attitude to violence and war is called for. And basically people everywhere want it, unless – in the Arab countries and sometimes also in the USA – they are being led astray by power-obsessed and blind governments and are having their minds dulled by ideologues and demagogues in the media.

Violence has been practised in the sign of the crescent, but also in the sign of the cross, by mediaeval and contemporary "crusaders", who perverted the sign of reconciliation, the cross, so that it became a sign of war against Muslims and Jews (Spain). Both religions Christianity and Islam have expanded their spheres of influence aggressively in history and defended their power with violence. In their sphere they have propagated an ideology, not of peace, but of war. So the problem is a complicated one.

We are all in danger of being inundated by the gigantic floods of information and thus losing our bearings. And one can sometimes hear even scholars of religion expressing the opinion that in their own discipline it is hardly possible to see the woods for the trees. So I shall attempt to offer you a wider context and give you some basic orientation on Islam in relation to the other two Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Christianity. To get straight to the point: I want to address three complexes of questions: I. The abiding centre and foundation, what must unconditionally be preserved: II. Epoch-making upheavals: what can change; III. Present-day challenges: the tasks that press in on us.

I. The abiding centre and foundation