Dr. Janneke Stegeman’s call for ecumenism with Islam is sympathetic. The problem, however, is the blend of religion and politics. Rulers/governments tend to make use of religion for their own benefit. Religious leaders, on the other hand, try to win the support of the political leaders of their days. This mix is already visible in the formational periods of different religions and thus influences the way religious texts and principles have been formulated and later on are being interpreted. Peter Frankopan describes this masterly in his book “The Silk Roads: A New History of the World” (Bloomsbury, 2015).

This text was written in response to Dr. Janneke Stegeman’s call for Ecumenism with Islam.