Greedforilm.com:
Martin Luther King Jr. once said:
The richer we have become materially, the poorer we become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.
Perhaps MLK was talking about racial equality, but I believe that the same challenge applies to religious tolerance and cooperation as well. Even though we as human beings and especially as Muslims aspire to live in peace and brotherhood, we rarely take steps to fulfill these ideals of the Islamic faith. No doubt it’s often an uphill battle to change mindsets, and we just don’t have time, especially since the face of political Islam as portrayed by the media and many extremist elements within the Muslim world has become too ugly for us to face.
To me, the above arguments make it even more essential to engage in interfaith dialogue. If you look at the world around us, you will see that religion has become the basis of everything negative – from violence to oppression and so much more. And although as Muslims we like to point out the misbehavior of other groups, Christian, Buddhist and the like, the fact is that the Muslim world today is mired in deep schisms and militant interpretations that prevent it from fully representing the beautiful teachings of Islam. Many Muslims don’t know or cannot articulate the fact that interfaith harmony is a cornerstone of Islamic principles. From the charter of Medina to the covenant with the Sinai monastery, from the widely touted Common Word verse of the Holy Quran to the equally popular Surah Al-Kafirun, Muslim proponents of interfaith dialogue can rightly point to a high standard of tolerance and harmonious living with our neighbors of different faiths and of no faith set by the Quran and practiced by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Yet today, Muslims in the United States and abroad couldn’t be bothered to participate in activities that bring people together. As an interfaith activist and speaker, I meet countless Muslims who tell me they don’t want to talk to people of other religions. Why? One reason is their own insecurities, their lack of knowledge about Islam which implies the inability to answer tough questions someone may have. These Muslims feel uncomfortable and unjustly attacked whenever they participate in group discussions where the topic is religion.
Categories: Americas, Interfaith America