Dancing in the Dark: An Interfaith Perspective
Dr. Saleem Bajwa, a physician and founding member of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, addressesI am pleased that the theme of the upcoming FGC Gathering in Wisconsin is “. . . but who is my neighbor?” The theme is drawn from the story of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. In this parable Jesus challenges his fellow Jews to look beyond themselves and see the despised Samaritans, and even the hated Romans, as neighbors whom we are required to love: “Love God with all your heart, etc., and love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the primary commandment of Judaism as well of Christianity. George Fox gave Friends a similar injunction in different words when he said: “Walk cheerfully over the earth, answering that of God in everyone. . . .”
After 9/11, many Friends, as well as many Christians, Jews, and other people of faith, took up this challenge by reaching out in friendship to local mosques to counteract anti-Muslim and anti-Arab feelings. My outreach to my Muslim neighbors included fasting during Ramadan, reading the Qur’an, and visiting local mosques. As a result, I made many Muslim friends and deepened my appreciation of Islam in ways that went beyond mere “book learning.”
This outreach was so spiritually enriching that in 2002 I wrote a pamphlet called Islam from a Quaker Perspective, which attempts to explain Quakerism to Muslims, and Islam to Quakers. Quaker Universalist Fellowship and Wider Quaker Fellowship published this pamphlet and helped circulate over 4,000 copies to over 100 countries. Many Friends meetings have held adult study classes to become better informed about Islam.
In 2004, I gave a workshop on “Islam from a Quaker Perspective” at the FGC Gathering. The highpoint of this workshop was a field trip to the mosque in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts. For most of the 30 or so Friends who participated, it was their first time inside a mosque as well as their first experience of Muslim hospitality. Our hosts provided tea, fruit drinks, sodas, and cookies. We were warmly greeted by the imam (spiritual leader/minister) and by the president of the mosque. The imam chanted passages from the Qur’an and helped us to appreciate the beauty as well as the spiritual meaning of this sacred text. We had the opportunity to ask questions and to talk with Muslim women as well as men. We also had the chance to observe and to participate in the evening prayers. For some Friends, praying with Muslims was the spiritual highpoint of our workshop and of their time at the Gathering.
Encounters such as these have transformed my life. My discovery of the post-9/11 interfaith movement has been as spiritually important to me as my discovery of Quakerism in the early 1980s. Ever since 9/11 I have regularly attended interfaith worship services and celebrations. In a world torn apart by religious prejudice and violence, it is a joy and inspiration to see Muslims, Christians, Jews and other people of faith working, praying, and celebrating together in a spirit of friendship and mutual appreciation. The spiritual energy on these occasions has nurtured my spirit and given me hope. My work as a peace advocate has also become more vital and relevant.
Interfaith work is not always easy, however. As I became active with interfaith groups, I discovered that maintaining good relations among different faith groups in local communities can be challenging. I resonate with what Michael Birkel, a Quaker professor of religion at Earlham College, observed in a talk at Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting:
[Interfaith] dialogue is like dancing in the dark where everyone is barefoot. We don’t know where the toes are because we can’t see them. What we can try to do in advance is think about where the hurtful places could be.
I have found that it is important to “do one’s homework” when trying to have an interfaith dialogue on a topic as volatile as the Middle East. The violence in the Middle East, particularly in Israel/Palestine, can strain even the best Jewish-Muslim relations to the breaking point. This is all the more reason to stand in solidarity with Muslims and Jews who have the courage and faith to seek dialogue and stay in honest, respectful relationships.
The listening and mediation skills that I have learned as a Quaker over the past twenty years have proven extremely helpful in this demanding work. In 2004, I went to Israel-Palestine on a trip sponsored by the Compassionate Listening Project (which was inspired by the Quaker Gene Hoffman). There we met with Israeli settlers, Palestinian refugees, peace activists, and religious and political leaders. Our mission was to listen compassionately to all viewpoints. It wasn’t easy, but I am grateful to have honed my Quaker listening skills in such trying circumstances.
I am looking forward to sharing what I have learned in a workshop on “Interfaith Peacemaking” at the next FGC Gathering. Together we will explore what Sallie B. King, in her pamphlet for the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee (CIRC) of FGC, calls the “different way”:
In this time when we constantly interact with people of other cultures and nationalities, [CIRC] invites Friends to consider the challenges and opportunities inherent in a world in which the many religions confront each other daily. Religious differences play a role in many contemporary wars. Religion is too often used as a weapon to frighten or a tool to incite violence and hatred. Friends must demonstrate a different way.
That “different way” can be fruitful and transformative, even in daily life. In 2005 I attended my first annual session of FGC’s Central Committee, which meets in a town in western Maryland so small it has only one store, a gas station where you can buy groceries and other necessities. While stopping at this gas station, I was surprised to see that the owner’s name was Mohammad. Who would have imagined that a Muslim was living in this remote, rural, predominantly Anglo community? I struck up a conversation and Mohammad was pleased to learn that a non-
Muslim had read the Qur’an and taken an interest in his religion. Our friendly encounter was a small thing, but it was also precious and memorable. Who knows where such small acts of friendship will lead us? As Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan makes clear, opportunities to love our neighbors arise when we least expect them. We need always to be open to the Spirit and ready to listen and respond to “that of God” in everyone we meet.
Anthony Manousos is a member of Santa Monica Friends Meeting and serves on the Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee (CIRC) of FGC. He edits Friends Bulletin, the official publication of Intermountain, Pacific and North Pacific Yearly Meetings, which can be found online at www.westernquaker.net. He serves on the boards of many Quaker and interfaith organizations, including Friends General Conference, Pendle Hill, and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace in Pasadena, CA, among others. He recently co-edited EarthLight: Spiritual Wisdom for an Ecological Age.
