Overcoming fear and bigotry

02.06.2010

Fr Paul Glynn has worked in inter-faith gatherings with Nathaniel and Amina Mambuay, a young Muslim couple for a number of years .

Fr Paul says, “The Columbans have a long history of working in the area of Muslim/Christian relations in the prelature (small diocese) of St Mary’s, Marawi, Mindanao, Philippines. Two of our priests were killed or martyred here - Martin Dempsey in 1970 and Rufus Halley in 2001.

The late Monsignor Des Hartford, another Columban priest, gave most of his life to building relations between Christians and Muslims. During his time a group made up of bishops, imams, priests, pastors and people from the Lanao area, was established; they met once a month in order to promote peace, solidarity and mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims.

The group has faithfully met each month since 1992. It is not just a talk shop, but a constant search for practical ways of doing something about peace and understanding at the grass roots.”  

Peace-building workshops

He added, “One of the fruits of this process was a group of us being trained as facilitators of peace-building workshops by the Uniting Church of Australia. We were young ambassadors of peace. From 2006 to 2010 we have conducted 12 seven-day live-in peace-building workshops, for both rural and urban communities throughout Mindanao. The style is interactive and participative, with most of the activities being in the form of games in which young and adult Muslims and Christians participate. The workshop dynamic helps participants imbibe the values of peace and cooperation.

Many have come to these workshops with strong fears and deeply ingrained biases. Muslims and Christians may want to trust each other but don’t. We have to learn to undo the mistrust we have inherited, that has been instilled in us by family and a warped understanding of our history. The workshop helps break down prejudices through games and sharing. Many have described themselves as having been transformed through these workshops.

Islam and violence

Amina and Nathaniel responded, “For us moderate Muslims, we understand that suicide bombing is against the Qur’an because there is a verse in the Qur’an that says that if you kill one person it is as if you have killed the whole of humanity and if you save one person it is as if you have saved the whole of humanity.

This is contrary to the teaching of some Muslim fundamentalist extremists who say when you go on a suicide bombing you will go to heaven. Heaven is not a place for criminals but for good people. So, if you read the Qur’an you will see that there is nothing written there that says being a martyr by killing someone is rewarded by going to heaven. If such leaders really think that is true, why don’t they go first? Why do they use people who are living in poverty and indoctrinate them with a spurious belief?  
 
Sharing moments of celebration

Fr Paul added, “In response to an atmosphere of mistrust and misunderstanding between Christians and Muslims, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim leaders in Cagayan de Oro City in another area of Mindanao established an inter-faith forum because it is important for ordinary people to see that pastors, priests and imams can meet and work together.

In 2008 the inter-faith group realised that Christmas Day and the Muslim feast of Id’l Adha were to fall at the same time and decided to organise an activity for children in a poor area of the city where Muslims and Christians lived together. All the members of the inter-faith group brought gifts to celebrate the feasts.

We also organise gestures of solidarity during our respective fasting seasons. Christians show support for fasting Muslims during Ramadan by bringing fruit to the mosques at the hour of Iftar (breaking of the fast at 5:45pm). Muslims reciprocate during Lent.

Walk for peace

Every year in Cagayan de Oro City we celebrate the Mindanao week of peace, beginning on the last Thursday of November until the first Wednesday of December. We have an activity called Walk for Peace. We walk together in the hope that we might gradually learn to live together.”

Fr Paul Glynn first went to the Philippines in 1990 and has spent most of that time working for better relations between Christians and Muslims.

Read more from The Far East, June 2010