"Abrahamic Heritage"
Eight Points of Consensus

1. Abrahamic faith is pure monotheistic faith, the inheritance of all monotheists, forging between them and Abraham (upon him peace) a spiritual link stronger than the blood-line link to which international Zionism clings and of which it claims unique possession.

2. The faith-bond of the physical and spiritual descendants of Abraham does not imply a preference of one group over the other. It does not give one people or religious group the right to discriminate against any others nor to exclusively possess that over which they have no legal claim on the basis of international law or the documents which are recognized on the level of international jurisprudence.

3. An integrative reading of Jewish and Christian traditions represented in the texts of both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible cannot be used to justify Abrahamic exclusivity nor Zionist propaganda claiming monopoly and proprietary rights.

4. The status of Abraham (upon him peace) in Muslim tradition is as a model and example of complete faith and absolute sincerity in the worship of and obedience to God Most High. It is a status which founds the Islamic sense of belonging to Abraham (upon him peace) upon following his true religious community in submission to God (praise be to him). This sense of belonging cannot be an excuse for political or religious rivalry with other religions.

5. The participants in this conference pay special heed and regard with circumspect caution tripartite discussions between Muslims, Christians and Jews, especially those which western bodies essay to initiate in cooperation with Zionist and Zionist-leaning organizations. These have a clear political agenda aimed consistently at solidifying gains and serve the Zionist enemy at the expense of Muslims and Christians.

6. Furthermore, the participants call Arab intellectual and political circles to keep an eye on developments especially in Zionist/Israeli and American relations, but also in Zionist relations with the West in general. They are particularly sensitive to the penchant of western politicians to escalate that which will serve to revive a sense of enmity between the West and the Arab East (both Christian and Muslim). This circumstance engenders ethical and social changes which threaten the basic values of western Christian society, which, in the natural course of things, will have an impact upon our Arab societies through conscious or sub-conscious efforts to imitate a western lifestyle.

7. No matter what the official Arab political position on these issues might be, the participants in the conference concur that world Zionism has no right to seize the land of Palestine, establish a Hebrew state on it, expel its people, or judaize Jerusalem. The intellectual, grass roots and religious position is called to remain committed to the Arab Palestinian right in Palestine and most especially in Jerusalem, a city holy to the faithful of all religions and the capital of the state of Palestine.

8. The Christian and Muslim position accepts no form of discrimination between people based upon blood lines. Moreover, it cannot countenance some people exercising an oppressive sovereignty which usurps the lands, freedoms and possessions of others on the basis of a claim to racial exclusivity (no matter what might have precipitated that claim).

These eight points are the kernel of the statement released to the press following the conference on "The Abrahamic Heritage" held in Beirut from July 9 to 12, 1998.