Interfaith dialogue and peace-building training in the Philippines proves that religions and ethnicity need not be at odds.

When Samuel P. Huntington published The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order in 1996, the book quickly became a bestseller. Huntington, a Harvard political scientist, theorized that since Christianity and Islam are so different from one another, they are on an almost inevitable collision course. Many see the events of 11 September 2001 as proof of Huntington’s thesis.

But are Islam and Christianity really on an inevitable collision course? This was the question Ustadz Aliasa Alinog asked us as we sat and shared the uniquely exquisite taste of a freshly picked marang fruit to mark the Iftar (the breaking of the fast) at the end of another day of the fast during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.

‘If this Mr. Huntington could only see us now’, he said during our gathering here in Mindanao. ‘Muslims and Christians, Meranaos, Visayans, Irish and Canadians sitting around the same table, chatting, praying and sharing together this beautiful fruit created by Allah. I don’t think Mr Huntington himself would believe that there is a clash of civilizations’.

For many years now, Columban missionaries have been responding to the challenge of the Second Vatican Council for Catholics to promote good relations with people of other religious faiths. In the Philippines, where the population of Muslims is more than four million and where, for centuries, there has been misunderstanding and animosity between them and the majority Christian population, dialogue with Islam is a key Columban mission priority.

I belong to various interfaith groups that meet regularly to pray, address local community problems and promote better understanding between Christians and Muslims at all levels of society.

During Christmas, the Muslim members visit our churches, and during Ramadan, we visit their mosques and even occasionally join in their fast - especially when our sacrifice is rewarded with a fresh and juicy marang at the end of the day!

I frequently hear Christians remarking that before they joined their interfaith group, they used to be suspicious of Muslims, used to believe what their grandparents told them: ‘the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim’, and assumed that all the negative reports in the media about Muslims were true.

Likewise, Muslims often share that before getting involved in interfaith dialogue they assumed that all Christians were ‘infidels, immoral and the enemies of Islam’.

Thanks to our regular meetings and activities, these suspicions and misapprehensions have slowly been replaced by trust, respect and cooperation.

A Different ‘Sunday School’

In Ireland, where I grew up, the only people who went to Sunday school were Protestants. It was not something for us Catholics to have anything to do with.

For the last year or two, however, I find myself going to Sunday school - a Sunday school with a difference.

Ustadz Aliasa and some of the other asatidz (Islamic teachers) in our interfaith network asked for help with a particular problem. Although they have studied in Islamic universities overseas for many years - as is typical with most Islamic scholars - all of their theological studies have been in the Arabic language. So, while they are fluent in Arabic, most lack fluency in English.

They encounter problems as increasing numbers of non-Filipino Muslims come to live in Mindanao to work and come to worship in the local mosques where our asatidz friends are called upon to preach during Friday prayers.

The asatidz have confidently delivered their sermons in Meranao for years but now they must contend with members of the congregation who do not speak their language.

This left them with no choice but to learn English. This put me and another member of our interfaith network, Canadian Sr Margaret Walsh OLM (Our Lady’s Missionaries), in the role of teaching English each Sunday morning after Mass.

The ‘Sunday school’ English class with these asatidz is great fun and a marvelous opportunity to share our ideas about God, religious faith and our common approaches to promoting peace in our respective religious communities.

Building Peace while having fun!

We religious leaders - priests, Sisters, pastors, imams, asatidz - know that while it is essential that we continue our efforts at promoting peace, these will not be effective or long-lasting unless we can get young people involved. And so we have begun to train young Muslims and Christians to become peacemakers in their local communities.

This training normally consists of eight-day, live-in workshops where we explore issues of prejudice and discrimination through games, drama, role-play and small-group discussions. We lead the young people in a process of self-discovery and rediscovery of the richness of their own faith: Christianity and Islam.

We firmly believe that a true and lasting peace must begin from the individual young people who have allowed their hearts to be touched and their minds inspired by the love and mercy of God (Whom Muslims call Allah).

The workshops provide ample time for the young Christians and Muslims to pray according to their religious faith, so that they are encouraged to renew their commitment to God (Allah) who calls each one of them to be instruments of peace (salaam) in the world. So far, we have trained more than 80 Muslim and Christian young people to be peacemakers in their local communities.

During a recent workshop, the eight or so young Muslim male participants took time to attend Friday prayers in the local mosque together with Moctar, a member of our interfaith network and a workshop co-facilitator. Upon their return, I asked Moctar how their worship had been. He grinned with much excitement and said, ‘Guess who preached the sermon in the mosque today? Ustadz Aliasa’.

‘And you know what, Paul? Today, I heard the best sermon I have ever heard about Islam being a religion of peace and that violence has no place in Islam. And what’s more, he preached the last part of his sermon in English - but with a very distinct Irish accent!

Father Paul Glynn, who was ordained to the priesthood in 1994, was first assigned in the Philippines in 1990 and has spent most of that time working for better relations between Christians and Muslims. You may email him at polmagfhloinn@yahoo.com or write him at: St Columban’s, PO Box 268, 9000 CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY.