"Sympathetic understanding" means having compassion and empathy for someone's thoughts, feelings, or experiences, and being able to comprehend and appreciate their perspective. Full definition
It promised a fresh, sympathetic understanding of the outsider, in nations or in culture. (haberarts.com)
Response to these attitudes draws upon experiences which make sympathetic understanding possible. (religion-online.org)
This is especially difficult in Islam for, although the Qur» an is the final authority and is constantly quoted in discussions with Muslims, Westerners have difficulty reading translated versions with sympathetic understanding. (religion-online.org)