For instance...

For instance, we refer hereunder to the reasonable and logical letter of MP of Iranian Assyrians in the Islamic Consultative Parliament: In the name of God His Eminence Pope Benedict XVI It was very astounding for the Assyrian Christian society that you criticised harshly all beliefs of Islam and Muslims with a different and of course hostile conception.

We know that you are in the same position that Pope John Paul II as the symbol of peace and dialogue among religions, not only did he not mention anything unreasonable against Islam and Muslims, but he also forgave the Turkish Muslim who shot him. Jesting Jihad and calling Islam violent is a questionable judgment which you utter carelessly in this critical time.

Didn’t your predecessor remind the Christians in an impressive statement that they shall learn religious zeal and support as well as sincerity and servitude from Muslims? It is very surprising for the Christians in the world that why you revive the divisive utterances of the Christian Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Palaeologus in the recent centuries and renew the old wounds of Crusade Wars dressed by present civilised world?

If you renew the old wounds, Muslims too will naturally talk about the crimes committed by Crusade fighters of Catholic Church during the Middle Ages against other Christians, Jews and Muslims. We, Assyrians, as a Christian society converting to Christianity at the time of its appearance in the east, have been living many centuries in the Islamic territories and especially in our home country, Iran. We have never been transgressed or offended by Muslims for our religious beliefs.

Rather, we have been laudably honoured and respected by our countrymen. We, Assyrians, had most cultural and scientific transactions and deals with Muslims at the beginning of Islam, and have rendered valuable services to Islamic caliphs and Muslims. Now, it is the time of dialogue and our deals at the beginning of appearance of Islam could be a live notation for our dialogue.

Regretfully, your attitude is far from the dynamic civilisation We are living with our Christian beliefs and ideas, and our eastern religion is still alive with remembrance of Eastern Church in our country, Iran. Our language and script is also alive in the territory where Islam is ruling for centuries. We have never heard nor seen the violence you are talking about, and we believe that it is not true.