Senior government officials, religious leaders and others met in Morocco in 2004 to seek how to 'Restore Trust and Understanding between the Muslim, Christian and Judaic Worlds'.
As startling revelations started to come out of Iraqi prisons, an intriguing mix of senior government officials, religious leaders, diplomats, scholars, theologians and community activists met in Morocco, April 30 - May 2, to seek how to “Restore Trust and Understanding between the Muslim, Christian and Judaic Worlds.”
Initiatives of Change hosted the Dialogue under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohamed VI of Morocco and with the cooperation of his Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The idea for this Dialogue, building on a similar one at the IofC Center in Caux, Switzerland, emerged in a conversation with Arab League Ambassador to Washington Hussein Hassouna, Rajmohan Gandhi and members of the IofC team.
Hassouna believed that Morocco, with its past tradition of interreligious tolerance, could have a vital role in building bridges of understanding today. The thirty delegates, from twelve countries and various backgrounds, created an atmosphere of deep listening, self-reflection and heart-to-heart engagement. As one British participant noted, there was “no playing to the gallery, no posturing.” Indeed, it was the prospect of such an uncommon dialogue that attracted many of the participants, including The Emir of Kano from Northern Nigeria and Andrew Natsios, Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In such an atmosphere, tough questions could be spoken aloud. Natsios asked the group to examine the relationship between values, religion and development, a subject seldom broached in international institutions. Rajmohan Gandhi, a Hindu author who facilitated this Abrahamic dialogue, asked, “Do we reflect on the role that our cultures and countries may have played in inviting into our family and national life a ‘toxin of hate?’”
Marc Gopin, Professor of World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, commenting on the volumes written about the roots of terrorism, asked, “Where is the sense of personal responsibility for one’s own civilization in all this?”
Other questions were no less difficult. “What challenges to global partnership are rooted in our histories and religious texts, and what resources do we have to overcome them?” “How can we work toward common approaches to matters of intercultural conflict, humiliation and honor?” “What meaningful gestures do we need to receive from each other to build respect and trust, and even find forgiveness for the past?”
The city of Fes, the spiritual and intellectual heart of the country, gave an enthusiastic welcome to the participants who journeyed through the narrow streets for a gathering in the second oldest mosque in the medina. Word soon spread about what had brought this diverse group to Fes, so that the crowds showed respect more than curiosity. “Everyone saw us,” said Hamid Mernissi, a founder of the famous “Fes Sacred Music Festival.”
Some of the observations and conclusions:
* That those who criticize religious extremists need to outdo them in care for those who feel deprived, marginalized and tired of modernity;
* That despair about the complexity of the world, about persistent injustice and about decadence motivate many who turn to extremes;
* That the wall of separation in the West between the secular intellectual world and the world of faith must be lowered to prevent blindness to the relevance of spiritual values;
* That those active in civil society can be empowered by an inner transformation;
* That dialogues within religious traditions may be equally important as dialogues between faiths;
* That the present crisis calls us to speak out boldly for the values that unite different faiths and to clarify texts in our canons that, if misunderstood, can promote prejudice and hatred.
Many ideas emerged regarding next steps. An invitation from Prince El Hassan bin Talal to meet in Jordan received serious attention, and the necessity to deepen the connection between immigrant Muslims and their European hosts may well lead to support for initiatives already being planned for Caux.
Participants planned to write articles for a range of outlets, and a more concerted effort will be made to reach wider publics through contacts with media personalities. Participants also plan to support one another’s initiatives. The Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and the Center for the Study of Islam and Diplomacy were valuable partners..
Dick Ruffin and Charles Aquilina
English