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PRESS
RELEASE The Council Mourns the Passing of Pope John Paul II Chicago, April 2, 2005 … The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (the Council) mourns the passing of Pope John Paul II, whose compassion, leadership and outreach to Muslims and people of other faith has forever changed the way Catholic church is perceived by Muslims.
Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chairman of the Council, issued the following statement:
On behalf of the Muslim community, I would like to convey our heartfelt condolences. We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Pope John Paul II. We respect and admire his contributions to humanity in the last quarter of the century, and he will be missed by those who pray for peace and goodwill on this Earth. The Pope was a great inspiration to all believers, and a great supporter of the Muslim community.
One of the most significant contribution of Pope John Paul II's was his reaching out to other religions. John Paul II spearheaded a move by the Catholic Church towards respect conciliation with the Islamic faith, confident in the ethical values Catholics and Muslims share.
His visits to Muslim countries, his opposition to the Gulf war in 1991 and the invasion of Iraq in 2004 gained him much support among the Muslims of the world. His statement that "we can call one another brothers and sisters in faith in one God," verbalizes Muslim's feelings towards Christians.
Editors Note: To arrange an interview, contact the Councils Media Relations at muneer@ciogc.org or call 630.629.7491.
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago area is the federation of mosques and Islamic organizations serving 400,000 Muslims of Greater Chicago area.
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