Sir, As long as politicians ignore the religious roots of the terrible conflict in the Middle East the violence will continue.

The report that Tuesday’s suicide bomber in Jerusalem was an imam and an Islamic scholar underlined, at least for me, the urgency to revive the Alexandria Declaration that I was honoured to co-chair with Dr Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Cairo.

Supported by Canon Andrew White of the Coventry Cathedral Centre for Reconciliation, we managed to convene key religious leaders from the three great faiths — Judaism, Islam and Christianity — at Alexandria in January 2001 and we hammered out a remarkable statement condemning such acts of violence. Furthermore, we committed ourselves to going to the theological and intellectual roots of such despicable crimes done in the name of God.

In my final week as Archbishop of Canterbury (October 2002) I convened a second meeting of the declaration at Lambeth Palace, where the religious leaders again pledged to do all in their power to address the underlying issues of the evil that is tearing the Middle East apart.

Since then a permanent committee has been set up in Jerusalem. This historic and remarkable initiative has been ignored by politicians in the region and those responsible for the “road map” for peace. I am glad to say, however, that it has been supported by our own Government and that of Norway, but the sad and lamentable lack of support for this initiative by those nations most involved in pursuing the road map will, I am afraid, drive us into the abyss that your excellent leading article (August 21) forecasts, if the fragile peace talks fail.

The religious leaders involved in the declaration and the excellent work of the Coventry centre, together with myself and my co-chair, stand ready to implement the goals of the Alexandria Declaration process but we cannot do this unaided or ignored. Surely this is an idea whose time has come? It is time to show, especially for Islam, that religion can be a force for good and not evil.

I know from my extensive talks with Islamic leaders, scholars and ordinary Muslims that they are horrified by the way Islam is being manipulated by misguided people. Now is the time for this declaration to be an important part of the road map.

Yours sincerely,
GEORGE CAREY,
House of Lords.
August 22.

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