Pakistan's opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, greets Dr Charis Waddy at the launching of the third edition of Dr Waddy's book, The Muslim Mind. Also present were the Pakistan High Commissioner, Dr Humayun Khan, as well as academics, university lecturers, community leaders and representatives of Britain's 1.8 million Muslim population. It took place at Moral Re-Armament's London residence.
Dr Waddy, who was the first woman graduate in Arabic and Hebrew studies from Oxford University, said that she had embarked on compiling The Muslim Mind following the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War of 1967. 'At that time,' she said, 'I had no influence but I did have a lifetime of friendships throughout the Muslim world. My aim was to give Muslims the chance to express for the West what they actually believed and lived by.' The third edition of her book has been expanded and updated, and contains a foreword by the late Dr Muhammad Abdul Halim Mahmud, Shaikh al-Azhar in Cairo, regarded by most Muslims as the highest theological authority.
A Roman Catholic bishop and a leader of Britain's Muslim community both spoke in appreciation of Dr Waddy's role in furthering understanding between the faiths. Bishop Charles Henderson, Chairman of the Roman Catholic Church's National Committee for Other Faiths, said that Dr Waddy 'has put before us the inspired approach through friendships that build bridges'. He wished that more church members understood the church's teachings on the approach to other faiths. 'The Catholic Church,' he said, 'specifically states that every faith has its own genuine core that must be respected. If you start with prejudice you close the heart. In every major religion there are fundamental principles that strike a chord in one's own heart.'
Dr Zaki Badawi, Principal of the Muslim College in London, said that Dr Waddy's book 'not only built bridges but also spoke to all our hearts, and that is her achievement'. He had recently taken part in discussions in Malta between Muslim leaders and representatives of the Vatican. 'We began by one scholar from each side writing out his vision of the other person's faith, based on appreciation. Our views coincided remarkably and that was the spirit that guided all our discussions,' said Dr Badawi.
'The Muslim Mind', Grosvenor Books, London and New Amsterdam Books, New York.
