Islamic dialogue, itself a contributory factor to positive exchange of knowledge between the disciples of Islamic law schools. He went on, “Internal dialogue will certainly help bridge gaps by allowing for the spread and mutual exchange among Muslims of the knowledge pertaining to this or the other madhhab. This is how to increase mutual respect, a sine qua non condition for rapprochement.” Certainly, he further argued, any endeavor in this area is futile unless there is mutual respect for creeds, religious symbols, ideologies and independent opinions of other madhahib. These, he explained, are tools to maintain (religious peace), which is the foundation for (civil peace), not only within a particular Muslim society but across the Muslim world. In addition, Dr Altwaijri faulted the lack of mutual respect as a major cause for rampant (sectarian strife) among the followers of Islamic jurisprudence schools, saying that this is particularly manifest in the media slander campaigns circulating so widely against Ummahat Al-Mu'minin (Mothers of the Believers) regarding whom Allah says, “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers,” and against the Prophet's righteous companions whom Allah praised in His sacred book. Moreover, he mentioned that dozens of satellite channels have been launched which engage in libels against the Prophet's companions and his wives, may Allah be pleased with them all. Similarly, he added, a plethora of books have been released; their authors, often hiding behind fake names, curse and revile the Prophet's companions. He described such defamatory attitudes as being extremist, feeding on sheer illusions and erroneous beliefs, which, he warned, would sap the effort being made to bring Islamic madhahib closer together. --More
