VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI received a potentially ground-breaking initiative to combat Islamic extremism from King Abdullah II of Jordan.

When the two met Sept. 12, the Middle Eastern monarch brought with him news of the initiative. Since November 2004, the King, in collaboration with an impressive number of prominent and influential Muslim religious leaders, has been trying to spread a true understanding of Islam.

Called the Amman Message, his aides say the aim is to “pull the rug” from under the extremists’ feet by giving a greater voice to what he calls true Muslims.

In an article by Abdullah printed in Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper on the day of the audience, he laid out the vision of the message that calls for “an honest and continuing dialogue” between the West and the Muslim world.

“For the past five years, I have maintained that the global battle against terrorism cannot be fought with only military means,” he wrote. “It is also a moral, intellectual and social commitment. … In order to defeat the extremists, we have to reject their attempts to create a clash of culture.”

According to the monarch, the Amman Message attempts to articulate “Islam's essential values,” which he lists as “compassion, respect for others, tolerance and acceptance, and freedom of religion.”

Pope's Plea

The initiative also seeks to root out extremism by other means; in July this year King Abdullah, together with leading Muslim clerics, including Grand Ayatollah Al Sistani of Iraq and followers of the Wahhabi tradition (once the ideological home of Osama bin Laden), reached a unanimous consensus condemning the practice of calling others takfir (apostates), a means used by extremists to justify violence.

Now the king, who was educated in England and the United States, is trying to export the message. Pope Benedict is understood to have welcomed his efforts.

At World Youth Day in Cologne, the Holy Father made his own plea for Muslims to turn back what he called the “wave of cruel fanaticism” which uses religion to instigate hate, to focus on those values which the two faiths hold in common, and to provide better formation for young Muslims.

The day after the papal audience, King Abdullah, the son of the late King Hussein of Jordan, addressed The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. — all part of an effort, according to his aides, “to expand the circle” of those who are likely to back this approach.

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, The Catholic University of America's chancellor, responded very warmly to the king's talk.

“You have taken to heart the words of Pope Benedict XVI,” he said. “May Allah, the merciful and compassionate, continue to guide your steps along this noble path. …Your thoughtful leadership is a stirring invitation to all of us, especially to the people of the Book, the family of Abraham”.

Commentators on Islam and interfaith dialogue also welcomed the initiative as “well-meaning.”

Daniel Pipes, director of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum, believes that it can work.

“Radical Islam is the problem, moderate Islam is the solution,” he said.

However, he would like to have seen Abdullah tackle “difficult subjects,” such as the problems of jihad, the rights of women and minorities in Muslim society, and the Shari'a (canonical law based on the teachings of the Koran and the traditions of Mohammed). In countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Nigeria, where Shari'a is used in the civil context (i.e. in courts), it is interpreted particularly harshly.

Abdullah's failure to address these issues makes his comments “superficial”, Pipes said, adding, “He merely asserts that Islam is moderate rather than doing the hard work of making it moderate.”

Taj Hargey, chairman of the Muslim Educational Center in Oxford, England, agreed.

“I would have liked to have seen something more hard-hitting,” he said. “He knows it's a can of worms, and so he can't address these [difficult] issues. What he should have said is that Islam needs root-and-branch transformation to revive and purify its message.”

Hargey, who considers himself in the Muslim minority, contended that most of the problems come from the mullahs (a Muslim learned in Islamic theology and sacred law).

“They have done a lot of harm, allowing a climate of ‘victim mentality’ to develop, and making sure we don't have genuine integration and dialogue with other faiths,” he said.

The answer, he maintained, lies in “bottom-up” approach with “better grassroots teaching” that encourages Muslims to analyze the Koran rather than simply read it.

“When one looks closely at the Koran, it's not as the Wahhabis and the other Nazis out there would have you believe,” he explained. “As long as the mullahs and the clerical class maintain a monopoly of theological interpretation, it's difficult for ordinary Muslims to become more tolerant.”

Hargey remained unimpressed by the support of prominent mullahs for the King's plan.

“The Wahhabis will give it lip service,” he said. “They interpret these two verses in the Koran [on tolerance and equal rights] as applicable in Mohammed's time, not today's.”

He added, “We need to do a lot of work within the Muslim community rather than focusing on the external community.”

Edward Pentin writes from Rome.