New Delhi (AsiaNews) - "The Pope's appeal for peace in Syria is something pure; something everyone should follow. Peace is a duty everywhere. God created this world to give humans a home, not to let them destroy it," Syed Razi Ahmad Kamal, head of the Department of Islamic studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, a historic Islamic University in India, told AsiaNews.
Since Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and fasting on 7 September, different voices from different communities, Christian and non-Christian, have expressed their support for the initiative to see peace "break out in Syria, the Middle East and the world."
"The situation in Syria is quite serious and worrying," the professor said. "Both parties are responsible for the killing of innocent civilians. It is a massacre that is bleeding that land. Nobody has the right to kill another human being. Everyone has the right and the desire to be respected by others."
What is more, "according to the Bible and the Qur'an, it is everyone's duty to try to create an environment of peace, so that everyone on earth can enjoy life."
Hence, for Prof Kamal, there absolutely must be "a peace conference as soon as possible. It must be organised and all the parties must participate. It is important to identify who is responsible and stop them, and every possible effort must be made to bring peace to the region." (GM)