After heavy criticism, an institute affiliated with the highest authority in Sunni Islam said Wednesday it hadn't intended to promote Muslim-Christian conflict by characterizing war on Iraq as a "new Crusade."
In a March 10 statement, the Islamic Research Center at Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar university, said: "if the enemy descends on the land of Muslims, jihad (holy war) becomes an Islamic obligation ... because our Arab and Islamic community will be facing a new Crusade targeting our land, honor, faith and nation."
Since then, Grand Sheik of Al-Azhar Mohammed Sayed Tantawi has said "the use of such word now is unjustifiable and completely rejected," according to his office manager, Omar Bastaweissy.
In a new statement Wednesday, the institute backed off its earlier remarks.
"The phrase of 'new Crusade,' which was mentioned in the statement, was interpreted by some as declaring war between Islam and Christianity. No doubt, this understanding was not correct," the institute said in its new statement.
It noted that hundreds of years had passed since the Crusades, but did not explain what it had meant in using the phrase "new Crusade."
In remarks to the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al-Hayat, Tantawi was quoted Monday as saying: "It is impossible that the phrase of 'new Crusade' means a war of Christians against Islam. ...Inciting strife and wars in the name of religion is rejected now, as it was rejected in the past."
Wednesday's statement, faxed to The Associated Press, said "Islam was not, and won't be at war with Christianity because all divine laws call for spreading peace and security among sons of all humanity."