A senior Islamic preacher in Sabah has encouraged Catholic priests to build interreligious harmony by stressing the common beliefs shared by followers of Islam and Christianity.

According to a report in the Herald, the Catholic weekly of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Ustaz Abuhuraira Abdurrahman made the appeal in a talk he gave to some 25 priests in Kota Kinabalu early this month.

In his paper themed "Unity between Muslims and Christians" Abdurrahman quoted from both the Qu'ran nd Bible and cited "common points of meeting" between the two religions.

He noted that both religions oppose the worship of idols but share a belief in the oneness of God and other convictions concerning the prophets, social justice, the condemnation of evil deeds, and the prohibition of unjustified bloodshed such as murder, abortion and suicide.

No absolute unity

He pointed out that Islam and Christianity cannot form an absolute unity, nor can their differences be minimised.

Nevertheless, he said, what we are seeking is a mutual understanding between followers of both religions to harmonise relations among all religions worldwide.

Abdurrahman was accompanied on his first visit to the Sacred Heart Cathedral where the talk was held by Hasbullah Haji Mohd Taha, deputy president of the United Sabah Islamic Association.

Taha said that his association operates as an NGO and that its primary function is to preach and explain Islam to others. He also noted that Sabah has enjoyed peace and all ethnic groups live harmoniously together.

Kota Kinabalu Bishop John Lee, in welcoming the Islamic visitors said that "we have been looking forward to this sort of interreligious dialogue.

"We made history today with this meeting," he noted proudly.

According to Rev Fr Nicholas Ong, assistant pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Abdurrahman was the first Islamic preacher in Sabah to address Catholic priests in the state on Muslim and Cahristian unity.