Blossoms reaching for the moon [photo by Baraka on 2/4/06]

One of the many glorious aspects of living in TMBCE, and California generally, is the extraordinary beauty one is surrounded with. Winter is particularly lovely as rains drench the hills to a vibrant green that fades to golden brown by summer. The briefly leafless & hibernating trees have already begun to blossom again, dotted as they are between the evergreens.

TMBCE provides the intellectual & spiritual hum that keeps me from moving away to the countryside or a small town. Last night, we went to USF to flier for the upcoming Zaytuna event Does God Love War? after the lecture by Rev. Dr. Hans Ucko on, “The Importance of Dialogue between Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Overcoming Violence.”

Although the lecture spoke of all three Abrahamic faiths, the gathering was largely Christians over the age of 50. As a Swede working in the Interreligious Office of the World Council of Churches, based in Geneva, the Rev. Dr. was in a unique position to comment on the cartoon controversy. He did so, but first spoke about the inclusive narratives which run through revelation & the ways in which people sometimes choose to eliminate those in favor of others.

From the Qur’an he quoted:

49:13 O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

Other narratives or interpretations in each faith lay claim to exclusive truth, at most allowing that other religions may be lesser lights, which complicates dialogue quite a bit. He touched upon the difficulty of concepts like Zionism, mission, & jihad which are central to each religion & a source of friction between them, & urged adherents of each faith to not only extol its beauty but also to come to terms with what he termed the ‘demonic’ underside which allows violence to flourish under the banner of religion.

An audience member mentioned that in the 55 years since his ordainment it was only recently that he had even heard the term ecumenical but he felt the tide was slowly turning toward intra- & inter-religious dialogue. Groups like this are the crest of that wave, consisting of people who are the most open to dialogue & informed about their own & other faiths. And yet the sorts of questions Basil & I were asked afterward as the sole Muslims there made it clear to me that Islam remains a religion that is not generally understood with clarity at the clergy level, much less the congregational level.

The Rev. Dr. & I had a long chat afterward, touching upon the difficulties of dialogue & the nature of European secularism. While calling for respect & responsibility in the use of free speech & protest, & acknowledging the difficulties religious communities face in Europe, he also noted that this secularism was born after three centuries of struggle against the all-encompassing, taxing, intrusive, & sometimes torturing church which regulated people’s lives from birth to death.

Given that, e.g., as recently as 1951 it was illegal to leave the Church of Sweden, there is a sense of needing to defend those boundaries. So when people see the visible symbols of Islam (or any other religion) they might be affronted, astonished, or intrigued, for religion is viewed with suspicion.

Of course, there is much more that informs recent events but thinking about secularism as a type of faith to which people are strongly attached helped me better understand some of the European reactions. He also said that the cartoons were a deliberate attempt by right-wing forces to spark a negative reaction & thereby increase Islamophobic feeling. Unfortunately, this has succeeded.

What stayed with me most though was something else. He said,

“Intra-religious dialogue is often harder than inter-religious dialogue for we find that those we can pray with, we don’t feel community with. And those we find community with, we cannot pray with.”

So many of us retreat from community at different times on our path because we don’t fit in, because their viewpoints or actions alienate us, or because we get burnt out advocating change. Sometimes a retreat is necessary to catch one’s breath. But it’s time to jump back in now.

Being there last night amongst Christians who are thinking about the complex & complicated effects of faith & knowing that Muslims are also reaching out, reflecting, & advancing alternative paths of reaction made me feel good in spite of the enormities with which we are faced.

Those first, few blossoms give me hope wherever I find them.