Even in the atmosphere of mutual suspicion and hatred that has arisen between the Muslim world and the west following 9/11 and the war in Iraq, one thing remains clear: in Islam, as in Christianity, there are many voices. It makes as little sense to speak of a single Muslim view of, for example, free market economics as it does a Christian one. What is true in politics is equally true in science. Yet in science, the diversity of Islamic voices is not getting heard. On everything from stem cell research to abortion, the conservative line is crowding out more liberal views. An unofficial alliance forged this year between Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, a top Vatican official, and Abdulaziz Sachedina, a leading Muslim bioethicist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, seems likely to reinforce this trend. The two called for more dialogue between Catholics and Muslims. This is undoubtedly a good idea. But the alliance was also designed to push the Vatican's agenda on issues like abortion, stem cells and condoms.
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