Kabul (AsiaNews) – The "blasphemous" cartoons are the initiative of a lay society, which is aware of neither Islam nor itself, a society which gravely undermines the dedication of many who work in Muslim nations to bring about peace and mutual understanding.  This is the chief concern of Fr. Giuseppe Moretti, parish priest at the only Catholic church in Afghanistan, where 8 people have died during two days of violent protests against the caricatures of Muhammad.   

Following the assassination of Fr. Santoro in Turkey, Fr. Moretti – the only Catholic priest in a country that is 99% Muslim- says there is a real risk that the situation generated by the cartoons will cancel out efforts made by many, such as the Church, to promote and build channels of dialogue with the Islamic world. "In order to avoid this happening – says the director of missio sui iuris in Afghanistan – the west must transform this episode into a lesson and learn what respect for religious beliefs means".

Fr. Moretti says that "the situation on the round is extremely tense: every day the embassies issues directives urging foreign nationals to be careful, but so far there have been no real threats carried out against our community, all of whom are western". "I think the demonstrations will ware themselves out shortly, but this time we must not forget".

The priest invites the West to "free itself of it's psychological submission to Islam, to retain a healthy criticism of it but one that is based on knowledge of the religion and culture and respect thereof". "Europe, - he adds – has to learn that its concept of religious freedom is different to the Arab worlds',  it must also take into account that Islam is also a state religion. There are cannons which the West must respect in relation to Islam, while still maintaining its' identity". "This – and it is the crux of the problem – requires a deeper knowledge of Islam, which in itself is not possible if we do not truly know ourselves".  

Fr. Moretti explains that "Muslims have a great respect for Christians who truly testify to their faith".   Based on his experience in Afghanistan he says that "Muslims deeply admire people who interrupt their work in order to make time for prayer, at the same time if they hear a Christian does not attend mass not only are they shocked by it, they then find it difficult to respect the person".

The failure of possible dialogue between the two religions seems to be the greatest danger:  "The sacrifice of Fr. Andrea Santoro is an example of this". "The controversy created by the cartoons – comments the priest of  Kabul – risks destroying the daily work of the Church in Islamic countries. Work that brings great risks, that costs great fatigue, that tries to find a way to make Muslims understand that a Christian is a person who holds out his hand, who appreciates friendship, the witness of faith and dialogue".  Fr. Moretti brings to mind the "shining example" of Fr. Andrea. "I never knew him, but I feel close to him even though the work we do is different.  I can only admire the choice he made to risk all for his mission.  He has left us an immense message of love a dedication to others".