In Presence of PA Chairman Abu Mazen, Moderate Palestinian Friday Sermon: We Must Recognize the "Other" and Respect His Humanity.

The following are excerpts from a Friday sermon in Gaza that was aired live on Palestinian Authority TV. Sheik Muhammad Gamal Abu Al-Hunud preached in the "Presidency Mosque" to a small congeregation that included PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbad "Abu Mazen" as well as Tayyeb Abd Al-Rahim and Hani Al-Hassan:

Sheik Muhammad Jammal Abu Hunud: The religion of Islam is relevant to every time and place. It is not detached from everything that is happening in this era or in any future time. Islam by its nature, Islam in its essence, is a religion of life in all its aspects, and all dimensions, whether material or spiritual.

Contemporary Islamic discourse should not remain shackled by specific paradigms or stagnant frameworks that no longer correspond with the developments of this era and this life. There is a need to develop and renew modern Islamic discourse. The call for this renewal is not foreign to Islam or Islamic thought. Renewal is the law of life; it is the law of existence. Oh brothers, the opposite of renewal is stagnation.

Dear brothers, this means that we must respect the human mind; it means recognizing the "other," respecting his humanity, and being tolerant to him. Coercion is forbidden, because forcing conversion to any religion begets nothing but hypocrites. Islam despises hypocrisy, and despises hypocrites.

Through this Islamic way of preaching the religion of Allah, meanings of moderation become deeply rooted in people's souls, and so does avoiding any kind of extremism or inclination towards violence or fanaticism…

We should please our friends and harm our enemies, In other words: uniting our message and our ranks and rejecting of factionism.