Bishop and Imam co-author book about hope

Bishop Glettler and Imam Abualwafa write book about hope

Dialogue book "Don't Choose Hate, Choose Love" aims to send a signal against the "new harshness in our society" - chapter with impulses for action for a non-prejudiced approach to one another

In their joint book "Don't Choose Hate, Choose Love," Innsbruck Bishop Hermann Glettler and Imam Abualwafa Mohammed have set out to search for traces of hope in a wounded society. The two are worlds apart, the foreword states: Bishop Glettler grew up on a farm in Styria, while Imam Abualwafa, the son of an Egyptian Sufi master, grew up in the Ni Delta north of Cairo. But 15 years ago, their paths crossed in Graz, and the two became friends. Since then, they have been discussing social cohesion in a pluralistic society. Readers can follow their exchange in the book, which is structured as a dialogue.

Their first joint book has become a "document of friendship" and aims to "be a small sign against the new harshness in our society" and to "inspire true humanity," the two write at the beginning. According to the blurb, the focus is on questions such as: When hatred grows louder and the bouts of aggression in our time become more dangerous - what should we do? Or: When the social climate becomes harsher, hostility increases, and worlds drift further apart - are there ways out? The two see a "prejudice-free, honest approach" as the only chance "to avoid being completely at the mercy of the dangerous bouts of aggression in our time."

Abualwafa and Glettler have set themselves the goal of demonstrating that personal or collective hatred can never serve as a "solution or viable path in conflict situations." Five chapters are intended to stimulate theoretical discourse on dialogue in hostile environments, fear, manipulation, and freedom, ways out of the spiral of hatred, the coexistence of religions, and the highest commandment of love. Prompts for action at the end of each chapter are intended to provide an impetus "to take concrete action as quickly as possible."

The book "Not Hate, Choose Love. A Bishop and an Imam on Traces of Hope in a Wounded Society" was published by Herder Verlag in May 2025. The book will be presented on Friday (May 16) at 7 p.m. at Kultum Graz (Mariahilferplatz 3), on May 22 at 7 p.m. at the Christian bookstore Arche in Bregenz (Rathausstraße 25), on May 23 at 8 p.m. at the Bischofshaus Innsbruck during the "Long Night of the Churches," and on May 26 at 7 p.m. at the Herder bookstore (Wollzeile 33) in Vienna.

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Bishop Glettler has previously been known for his promotion of obscene modern art featuring blood orgies and pig hearts among other subjects

The Imam has also written a book "The Koran and its Levels of Meaning for the Here and Now" "In his work, Abualwafa Mohammed sharpens the knowledge of the Qur'an in its three dimensions from a traditional, modern and didactic perspective by analysing the concept of jihad. Taking all three perspectives into account enables a contemporary reading of Islam that justifies its non-violence and can contribute to social integration and peacekeeping. This book closes a gap between the Islamic tradition and new modern research approaches, with whose compatibility Islamic religious education in particular is confronted."  It is published by the eminent German publishers, Springer Verlag.