Forgiveness From Sarajavo
The two survivors of the siege, Sven Alkalaj and Smail Balic used different words and shared different details, but the substance of their comments was very similar -- assuming that each was made independently of the other, remarkably similar. Both agreed that Wiesenthal should not have forgiven the Nazi (which he didn't) but should have treated the dying man with compassion (which he did), Both mentioned and rejected the notion of collective guilt but sought to define some sort of shared responsibility for the genocides. Both said that, whether or not we should forgive a criminal, we should certainly not forgive or forget his crime. Forgetting the crime insults the dignity of the victim. I saw nothing that would have suggested any basic difference between Judaic and Islamic theories of forgiveness. Yes, Balic's comments lacked the easy familiarity that comes with long time association and i had to reread his brief commentary several times to make sure i fully understood it; but that is my problem.
The is about what i should have expected: Both religions are monotheistic "religions of Abraham:" Allah and YHWH are names for the same "Person." The Qoran and the Old Testament reflect similar cultures and circumstances, though the former depends on a familiarity with the latter. Both are harsh about sin though occasionally soft on sinners.
The Wikipedia article on "Forgiveness" shows an Islamic view of forgiveness which is very down to earth and practical. It lacks the "spiritual" aspect that i expect to see in Christian forgiveness. Yes, God is the great Forgiver, but forgiveness can only be conditional on remorse. Most importantly, a relationship of forgiveness cannot exist between believers and unbelievers.
I did the best i could in a short and cursory study to verify this assertion, but frankly, i don't believe it. The article's citations from the Koran were not clearly relevant and other references were from non-Muslims or from the constitutions of "Islamic" states Muslim states are slightly better images of their alleged origins than are Christian states, but not by much. Christian states, when they were at the stage of political, economic, and social development that most Islamic states are now were far more cruel and unforgiving to their "second class citizens" than Islamic stares are or ever were.
Muslims that i know personally, the Sufi poets i enjoy, and the few Shai'ite and Sunni sources i have read, give no indication any forgiveness "barrier" separating the Muslim and the infidel.