Islam Today issue n.65 (Special Issue)

islam today

issue 65 vol. 7 March 2019

l a i pec

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n o i t edi

Building bridges piece by piece A collection of articles commemorating our commitment to a meaningful dialogue

Islam today issue 65 March 2019.indd 1

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islam today

Contents

issue 65 vol. 7 March 2019 islam today magazine is published by the London based Islamic Centre of England. It focuses on the activities of the communities affiliated to the Centre, reflecting a culture of openness and respect towards other religious communities both Islamic and non.

The magazine is available in paper and digital format.

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The fellowship of faiths

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Overtures for dialogue; The Roman Catholic Church on Islam and Muslims

Dr Muhammad Ali Shomali explains why inter-faith dialogue is both a social necessity and an Islamic imperative Issue 1, November 2012

An adaptation of ‘Mary, Jesus and Christianity: An Islamic Perspective’, by Hujjatulislam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali Issue 3, January 2013

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Mohammad Ali Shomali underlines some key factors, based on Quranic and prophetic teachings that should help us facilitate the creation of a community keeping to the ‘Middle Way’ Issue 24, Nov/Dec 2014

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.A Thriving Islamic Community: Leading by example

.‘Tabletalk’: Christians and Muslims in conversation Issue 5, March 2013

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.‘Unity and Tolerance in a Multicultural Society’

By the former Mayor of London Kenneth Robert Livingstone Issue 17, March 2014

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.Monks and Muslims; towards a global Abrahamic community

Dialogue between Catholic Christians and Shi‘a Muslims Issue 31, January 2016

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.Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali

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Meeting for a Common Good

At ICEL Press Conference 2015

Publisher The Islamic Centre of England 140 Maida Vale London W9 1QB Tel: +44 20 7604 5500

ISSN 22051-250

Disclaimer : All information in this magazine is verified to the

best of the authors’ and the publisher’s ability.

However, islam today shall not be liable or responsible for loss or damage arising from any users’ reliance on information obtained from the magazine.

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Issue 32, February 2016

An outcome of a three-day meeting between Christians and Muslims held at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, between 14 and 16 December 2015 Issue 32, February 2016

Prophecy, Yesterday & Today; annual 22 interfaith conference ...

Set between a neighbouring Church and the Islamic Centre, Christians and Muslims meet once more for their annual encounter Issue 33, March 2016

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.Abraham: A Role Model and Guide for Mankind

By Hujjatul Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali Issue 33, March 2016

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..Inclusiveness as a strategy for preventing and countering radicalisation

Sheikh Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali’s address at the ‘Preventing and countering radicalisation debate’.

Organised by COMECE (The Catholic Church in the European Union) Brussels 3 March 2016 Issue 34, April 2016

Impact of Christian-Muslim 28 The Relations on World Peace .

Conference organised by the Canadian Mennonite Speech

by Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali Issue 35, May 2016

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World Peace and Christian-Muslim Relations

Organised by Waterloo Lutheran Seminary Issue 35, May 2016

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.The 7th Catholic -Shi‘a Dialogue

Qum & Mashhad – Iran

Issue 36, June 2016

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Issue 36, June 2016

...Visit to the ‘Instituto Universitario Sophia’

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.Muslims and Christians continue building bridges through dialogue

St. Ottilien Archabbey – Germany

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Issue 36, June 2016

...Personhood, virtue and moral cultivation

A Christian - Muslim workshop

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Issue 37, July 2016

...On the Wings of Unity

islam today asks Dr Shomali about the background, programmes and outcomes of his recent visit to Sophia University in Italy and the Shi‘a Muslims and Focolare Christians cooperation Issue 37, July 2016

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.Shi‘a Muslims & the World Council of Churches Issue 39, September 2016

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.....Palermo: a historical host

islam today reports on the 28th Congress of the Union Européenne des Arabisants et Islamisants (Union of European Arabists and Isalmists) from Issue 40, October 2016 Palermo Italy

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..Identity & the Other

Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali’s address at the 28th Congress of European Professors of Islamic and Arabic Studies - Palermo - Italy 12th September 2016 Issue 40, October 2016

50..Understanding God’s Plan

Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali at the summer gathering of the Focolare Movemnet (The Mariapolis), in Ashburnham, England Issue 40, October 2016

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..Interfaith meeting at Lambeth Palace

Aliya Azam reports on the meeting between ‘The Christian Muslim Forum’ and Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali at Lambeth Palace -28th September 2016 Issue 41, November 2016

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..A visit north of Hadrian’s Wall

Hujjatul-Islam Shomali’s visit to Scotland on 29th and 30th September 2016, organised by the Ahl Al-Bait Society Scotland Issue 41, November 2016

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..The power of religion in motivating people

Dr Shomali’s talk on community cohesion, interfaith relations and practical interfaith activities at the Third Annual Peace and Unity Conference – Glasgow Issue 41, November 2016

60 Love in Religions, the cutting-edge issue ..

An abridged version of speech by Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali at the “International Consultation on ‘Love in Religions’ - University of Oxford Issue 42, December 2016

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Fr William Skudlarek and Fr Maximilian Musindai at the Hawza Ilmiya London Issue 43, January 2017

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.....Can we call ourselves ‘one faith’?

Christians and Shi‘a Muslim Scholars at London Interfaith Issue 45, March 2017 Centre. Khawther Ayed reports

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..Among Brothers and Sisters of Different ...Faiths

Hujjatul Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali answers a number of important questions posed by the students of the Sophia University Institute in Italy Issue 45, March 2017

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..Special Award for Interreligious: Islam and ..Christianity Iran -February 2017

Issue 45, March 2017

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...Going North of the Border

Dr Shomali’s trips to Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Organised jointly by the Ahl Al Bait Society Scotland and the Focolare Movement in Scotland. February 2017 Issue 46, April 2017

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Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali’s speech at The Scottish Parliament

Issue 46, April 2017

Travelling across the pond

Report on Sheikh Shomali’s visits to Canada and Switzerland – Organised by the Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CSOP) and Canadian Mennonite University - Winnipeg, Canada Issue 50, August 2017

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..‘Wings of Unity’: Theory and practice

Christians - Muslims Interfaith Engagement - Fiera di Primiero, Italy 25-30 August 2017 Issue 46, April 2017

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...Faith & Learning

A Christian Muslim Forum Twinning Event between St Augustine’s Parish and the Islamic Centre of England Report by Reza Murshid Issue 52, October 2017

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...“Unity of God – Unity in God”

Monastics and Muslims in Dialogue - Nairobi, Kenya, September 2-7, 2017 Issue 53, November 2017

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..Building Peace:The Culture of Interreligious Dialogue

Sheikh Feisal and Sister Sumeia report on the second National Congress of Interreligious Dialogue San Juan, Argentina, 9-1 1 October 2017 Issue 54, December 2017

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..Visits to Canada, Scotland and the Netherlands

Dr Shomali’s visits between October and November, 2017

Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, travelled to Canada

Issue 46, April 2017

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...Scotland: Giving Unity Wings

An open lesson on Christian-Muslim dialogue at the University of Glasgow Issue 46, April 2017

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...Travelling for Peace

...Beyond just a dialogue

..Interfaith Engagement; theory and practice Issue 47, May 2017

By Giorgia Christodoulou and Aaliya Sheriff Switzerland,2017

Issue 55, January 2018

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..Seeing the face of God in other religions

Sheikh Shomali at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmonton – 29th October 2017 Issue 55, January 2018

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The Rights of Children

Dr Shomali’s address to the 4th Peace & Unity Issue 55, January 2018 Conference

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....Imam Husayn’s Message for humanity

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...A retreat with a difference

Veronique Khasa describes her positive feelings during her visit to the Focolare Centre in Welwyn Garden City

By Dr Sheikh Shomali - Arbaeen procession - Rotterdam, Issue 55, January 2018 12th Nov 2017

Issue 49, July 2017

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..Wings of Unity: Effective and Affective Dialogue

By Roberto Catalano

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Issue 56, February 2018

...Jerusalem, History, Theology and ... ... ....International Law

Academic Conference on Al-Quds on the 39th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution Issue 57, March 2018

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...Visit to Canada

The annual lecture at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo -28th February 2017 Issue 58, April 2018

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.....Humbleness: A Christian perspective

By Frank Johnson (Co-director of the Focolare Movement in Great Britain) Issue 58, April 2018

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...Humbleness: An Islamic perspective

By Dr Mohammad Shomali

Issue 58, April 2018

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...The importance of relating to others

Dr Shomali’s paper presented to Muslim Council of Britain for their document titled: ‘Our Shared British Future Muslims and Integration in the UK’ Issue 58, April 2018

..Together on the Wings of Unity

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Mustafa Merali and Fatimah Alidina-Merali describe their experience during their visit to Focolare Movement Issue 60, June 2018

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...Wings of Unity: History, Methodology & Outcomes

By Prof. Coda & Dr Shomali - Italy, 21st April 2018

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Issue 60, June 2018

....On Emptiness

Christian perspective on the subject of emptiness. By Rumold van Geffen and Paul Gateshill The Focolare Centre for Unity, Welwyn Garden City UK Issue 61, July 2018

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...How to empty ourselves

By Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali at the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City in the UK Issue 60, June 2018

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...Suffering and Unity: An Islamic Perspective

By Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali Presented at the conference: “Together to give hope. Christians and 114 Muslims on the march with the charism of unity” Castel Gandolfo Rome - Italy, 20th April 2018 Issue 61, July 2018

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..The role of the ‘Word of God’ in our life

A summary of a talk by Dr Shomali on ‘The Words of God’ discussion- the Focolare Centre of Unity, Welwyn Garden City July 2018 Issue 62, August 2018

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...How Christians engage with the scriptures

By Paul Gateshill on ‘The Words of God’ discussion - the Focolare Centre of Unity in Welwyn Garden City Issue 60, June 2018

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..Justice/Fairness

An Islamic presentation by Shahnaze Safieddine The Focolare Centre of Unity in Welwyn Garden City Issue 63, Sep/Oct 2018

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...Talk on Justice

A Christian presentation by Christopher Evans Issue 63, Sep/Oct 2018

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.....Interfaith youth camp in Scotland

Report on the first Scottish Interfaith Youth Camp (SIYC) Aberfoyle, 7-9 September 2018 by Claudia Melis Issue 64, Nov/Dec 2018

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.....Lady Mary in the Qur’an

The Muslims’ understanding of Lady Mary Islam, based on the verses of the Holy Qur’an - by Dr Shomali Issue 64, Nov/Dec 2018

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.....Week of Unity

Muslims & Christians 1st- 8th December 2018 - Loppiano & Trento by Mustafa Merali and Fatimah Alidina-Merali

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The fellowship of faiths Muhammad Ali Shomali explains why inter-faith dialogue is both a social necessity and an Islamic imperative

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s a teenager, I used to attend a local mosque in Tehran for congregational prayers, called “alAnbiyaa”’ (the Prophets). As recommended in Islamic narrations, the last two verses of the second chapter of the Qur’an were frequently recited in our mosque and for many days I listened and reflected on them. The first verse reads as follows: “The Messenger believes in that which has been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers-”We make no distinction between any of His messengers” - and they say: “We hear, and we obey. (Grant us) Your forgiveness, our Lord. Unto You is the journeying”. (Qur’an 2:285)

This verse like many other verses of the Qur’an puts great emphasis on the uniformity and continuity of the prophets, their scriptures, and their missions. It makes one believe that he is part of a great community of faith that includes all believers throughout the history of mankind who have followed the same path. Later I realized that this idea of the uniformity of all religions is a very profound aspect of the Islamic conception of monotheism. Islam like other Abrahamic faiths believes in the unity of God. God is ONE; He has no partner or children and there is nothing like Him. God is SIMPLE; He has no parts or constituents. He is the only Creator and He is the only object of worship. The obvious result of this conception of God is that the universe must be harmonious and consistent; indeed one of the signs of the unity of God is the fact that there is no separation or isolation of any part of creation. The Qur’an says: “Had there been in them (the heavens and the earth) gods other than God, they both had been in disorder.”(2 1:22) This harmony and consistency in the divine creation extend to God’s revelations, Divine messages communicated to the people through His messengers are to be harmonious too. If they are revealed by the same God to the recipients (human beings) who have the same nature and the same fundamental

needs in order to show them the path towards perfection and happiness it follows that they must be similar in nature and identical in essence. Of course, depending on varying conditions and factors some details may change over time, and also the depth and the extent of the ideas expressed in the scriptures may increase in accordance with developments in human understanding.

Thus, Muslims believe in the mutual conformity of all divine revelations and prophecies. They confirm and believe in all the Prophets and consider all believers in God to be members of the same community of faith: “Say; “We believe in God and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes and in (Books) given to Moses, Jesus and the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between one and another among them and to God do we bow our will (in Islam)”. (3:83) Unity of God manifests itself in the unity of His revelations and must be echoed in the unity of all believers in God. Particularly during its early years, Islam brought unity and solidarity for those who suffered a great deal from enmity and hostility (3:103).

This act of unifying people is highly esteemed as a divine act (8:63). On the contrary, the aim of tyrants and disbelievers such as Pharaoh was to divide people (28:4). The Qur’an warns believers that if they start disputing with each other they will become weak and be defeated (8:46). It should be noted that the call for unity is not limited to Muslims. The Qur`an invites all people of faith such as Christians and Jews to unify their efforts and concentrate on their common ground (3:64). One of the best means of achieving this unity and brotherhood is to know each other, to overcome historical prejudices that prevent objective understanding between each other and to build upon commonalities. According to what Imam Ali(a), the first Imam of the Shi‘a Muslims and the fourth Caliph of all Muslims have

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said, “People are enemies of what they do not know”. Thus, as a Muslim, I have no need to compromise my faith in order to enter into a genuine, sustainable and productive dialogue with those who believe in God. Entering into such a dialogue and building upon commonalities is rooted in the Qur’an, and is not just a fashion or formality.

It was in this spirit and because the UK is a majority Christian nation that I started to establish relations with Christians.

Our aim is to look for practising Christians who can help us discover our commonalities, and exchange our experiences in facing the challenges of living a life of faith in this modern or post-modern world. Through our acquaintances with such people, we have been impressed by the many similarities we have noticed between Islam and Christianity. We have also seen how a sincere love for God and fellow humans can give a new spirit to life and a new life to modern society.

no means be determined by their behaviour. And this gets worse if there is a deliberate attempt to misrepresent religious life in general and certain religions in particular.

Let us hope and pray that soon we will be able to witness the unity of God echoed in the unity of mankind and that all the wounds of hostility and injustice will be healed by the return of global society to God. Mohamad Ali Shomali is the author of Self Knowledge (2006), Ethical Relativism: An Analysis of the Foundations of Morality (2001)

I have now come to the conclusion that the Quranic description and praise of the Christians of the time of the Prophet Muhammad (s) is still in effect. There are sincere, truthseeking, humble and sympathetic Christians who have devoted their lives to God. I see no reason why one cannot accept these people as real representatives of Christianity, instead of those who call for separation, enmity and fighting between believers and are a long way from implementing the Christian commandment of love.

Unfortunately today it is very easy to be deceived.

There are “Muslims”, “Christians” or “Jews” whose faith can by

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Overtures for dialogue;

The Roman Catholic Church on Islam and Muslims

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he contemporary dialogue acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere The Catholic Church has come a long movement can be traced Him as a prophet. They also honour way from the Council of Clermont back to the 1950s when Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they in 1095 when Pope Urban II gave the World Council of even call on her with devotion. In his famous speech that signalled the Churches and the Vatican organised a addition, they await the Day of Judgment beginning of the Crusader wars against number of meetings between Christian when God will render their deserts to all the ‘infidel Muslims’. leaders and representatives of other those who have been raised up from religious traditions. A decade later in the dead. Finally, they value the moral By the 1980s and 1990s, other 1964, toward the end of the Second life and worship God especially through international organisations developed Ecumenical Council of the Vatican prayer, almsgiving and fasting (Nostra formal and informal programmes for Muslim-Christian dialogue. The Muslim known as the “Vatican II”, Pope Paul Aetate, 1965).

World League, the World Muslim VI established a Secretariat for NonChristian Religions to study religious Naturally respect of the Catholic Church Congress, and the Middle East Council traditions. The objective of this body for Islam is not limited to its followers, of Churches all made early attempts.. was to provide resources and promote i.e. Muslims. It also extends to the (s) interreligious dialogue through various Prophet Muhammad and the values In 2000 while visiting Jerusalem and means. Several major documents that he preached. As Cardinal Tarancon, addressing Christian, Jewish and Muslim adopted at Vatican II (1962–1965) president of the Spanish Bishop’s leaders, the head of the Catholic Church focused on interfaith relations in general Conference at the 1977 International Pope John Paul II pronounced the and made specific overtures to Islam Muslim - Christian Conference at following words: and Muslims with no internal opposition. Cordoba put it: “The Catholic Church wishes to pursue In 1964 the Dogmatic constitution of the a sincere and fruitful interreligious “How is it possible to appreciate Catholic Church, a document compiled dialogue with the members of the Islam and Muslims without showing as a compendium of Catholic beliefs appreciation for the Prophet of Islam Jewish faith and the followers of Islam. states that: and the values he promoted? Not to do Such a dialogue is not an attempt to “The plan of salvation also includes this would not only be a lack of respect impose our views upon others. What it those who acknowledge the Creator, to which the [Vatican] Council exhorts demands of all of us is that, holding to in the first place amongst whom are Christians, but also neglect of a religious what we believe, we listen respectfully to the Muslims; these profess to hold the factor of which account must be taken one another, seek to discern all that is faith of Abraham, and together with in theological reflection and religious good and holy in each other’s teachings, and cooperate in supporting everything us they adore the one, merciful God, awareness.” that favours mutual understanding and mankind’s judge on the last day. (Lumen Between 1979 and 1985 several more peace.” (Pope John Paul II to Christian, Gentium, no. 16 -1964). By recognising occasions provided opportunities for the Jewish and Muslim leaders, Jerusalem, salvation for Muslims the Catholic Church under Paul VI to state its position, 23rd March 2000).

Church relinquishes the monopoly over recognising Islam as a sister faith and salvation.

Muslims as sisters and brothers in faith, A year later in 2001, Pope John Paul II Not only does the Church allow for the became the first Pope to visit a mosque Still under Pope Paul VI in 1965 an salvation of Muslims, it also takes Islam during an official visit to Syria. historical document was issued by as a genuine expression of the faith of the Catholic Church known as Nostra It is clear that Christians and Muslims Abraham: Aetate (In our Age): are very close to each other; they share “They have, like you, the faith of Abraham “The Church regards with esteem also in the one, almighty, and merciful God.” a lot and there is no reason why there the Moslems. They adore the one God, (Pope John Paul II, to the Catholic cannot be a strong sense of unity living and subsisting in Himself; merciful community in Ankara, 3rd December between them. Indeed, as we see above, there are many reasons that call for them and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven 1979). to come together and work together for and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly “Your God and ours is the same, and we the betterment of mankind. to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not

are brothers and sisters in the faith of Abraham.” (Pope John Paul II, to young Muslims of Morocco, Casablanca, 19th August 1985)

An adaptation of ‘Mary, Jesus and Christianity: An Islamic Perspective’, by Hujjatulislam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali

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A Thriving Islamic Community: Leading by example In order to create a truly Islamic community, certain guidelines must be implemented and followed. Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali underlines some key factors, based on Quranic and prophetic teachings that should help us facilitate the creation of a community keeping to the ‘Middle Way’.

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slam is very clear about the importance of establishing an Islamic community, but history shows that despite the success of the Holy Prophet in creating one, his progeny were not given the chance to do the same; sadly, future Muslims neglected their responsibility in this regard.

While Muslims were blessed with a handful of dedicated individuals throughout history, during the greater part of our history we have had leaders in power who were not truly interested in maintaining a comprehensive Islamic system nor were they able to establish a genuine Islamic community, hence Muslims were not able to institute Islamic communities based on the teachings of the Prophet. In light of the many problems facing the Muslim communities around the world today, one may ask, would non-Muslim communities be interested in Islam and its message, if in addition to producing good individuals, Muslims were able to show the world that there are at least couple of genuine Muslim communities that truly meet Islamic requirements.

Although we should not be too pessimistic, the fact is that at present we have been unable to establish proper examples in our communities, or even to set high standards for them, in order to claim that God and His Messenger would be pleased with us. Merely having millions of Muslims in a community does not automatically make the community an Islamic one.

Individuals that fully embrace and implement Islam at the personal level have the responsibility to extend this to the community level. A faithful believer

does not automatically translate into a good practising Muslim community unless these believers uphold Islamic social values. This is a great challenge, and that is why it is essential at first to identify the signs of a vibrant and healthy Islamic community.

and steadfast on the cause is a heavy task and a true challenge for community leaders because they must make sure that no one, including them, gives up or goes astray. There would be little or no benefit in our way of life if one’s soul was deviating from the way of God.

Various qualities of a healthy Islamic community

To be on the ‘Right Path’ is a spiritual concept and is another sign to measure the relative health of a community. This is probably why God has chosen many metaphors to explain it to us. A good example of this is when God revealed to the Prophet that he must change the direction of prayers to face Makkah rather than Jerusalem. Some Muslims did not understand the reason for such a directive, so God in His ultimate Wisdom guided people through Prophet Muhammad(s). In case they demanded a reason to explain this change, the Prophet could clarify that it did not matter which way they faced, as the East and the West and indeed everything else belong to God, and that it is He who guides those with whom He is pleased towards the ‘Right Path’.

Truthfulness and trustworthiness are two important signs of a believer.

Regrettably, there are occasions when people judge a book by its cover and only focus on the outward appearance.

What we should really consider is the honesty, truthfulness, reliability and trustworthiness of a person.

Persistence is also another virtue of a healthy community. In the Qur’an (11:112), God tells the Holy Prophet to remain steadfast and to be persistent.

God also commands the same thing to whoever has returned to God with the Prophet. This means that it is the responsibility of the Holy Prophet and the responsibility of his followers to remain persistent. In another verse, the …during the greater part of our history Qur’an summons only the Prophet: “So we have had leaders in power who were summon to this (unity of religion) and not truly interested in maintaining a be steadfast, just as you have been comprehensive Islamic system nor were commanded and do not follow their they able to establish a genuine Islamic community, hence Muslims were not desires.....” (42:15). able to institute Islamic communities The late Ayatollah Khomeini beautifully based on the teachings of the Prophet. remarked that it would have not been difficult for the Prophet to fulfil the The Right Path (Siratul Mustaqeem) in requirements of remaining steadfast Quranic terminology does not refer to a and persistent, but ensuring that the physical direction but is a metaphor for whole community remained loyal was a the direction that we take in our lives. different matter.

The responsibility of keeping the members of the community committed

In the following verses of the Qur’an we find a similar example: “God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The

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parable of His Light is a niche wherein is a lamp - the lamp is in a glass - the glass as it were a glittering star - lit from a blessed olive tree, neither Eastern nor Western, whose oil almost lights up, though fire should not touch it. Light upon Light...” (24:35)

exemplary community, then we should be better in serving others. Being better certainly does not mean that one’s life is more important than the life of others.

God has made Islam a balanced religion and its followers a nation of balanced and moderate people.

The oil of this lamp is from the olive tree.

Light is emitted from this oil because it is so transparent and glistening that even without lighting it, it shines. And one of the qualities of the olive tree is that it leans neither towards the East nor towards the West. Here again we are told that the East and the West are both under His command and what is of importance is the Right Path.

What should be clear here is that it is no longer effective if we keep telling ourselves that such and such are the teachings of our Prophet. We should show others how we implement the teachings of our Prophet in our lives and communities instead. We should show that we do so because our Prophet has told us, and we should show that we encourage and nurture closeness amongst ourselves because this is what our Prophet has taught us to do. Surely our actions will prove effective and this is the way we need to establish our communities.

Another verse of the Qur’an says: “Thus We have made you a ‘middle’ nation that you may be witnesses to the people and that the Apostle may be a witness to you…” (2:143).

To be on the ‘Right Path’ and lead a balanced life has various dimensions.

We have to strike a balance between working for worldly affairs and working for the Hereafter. We must not sacrifice one for the sake of the other. We must not pursue the material life while forgetting our eternal life. At the same time it is not acceptable to pursue only our Hereafter and neglect our worldly development which may lead to a lack of progress in other aspects of our life (science, technology…).

A Muslim community must strive to improve the conditions of its people whilst helping The Islamic community must endeavour them to secure their eternal journey. to become an example and set the There is a famous narration by Imam (a) and Imam Hassan(a) which says: standards for others. Indeed we should Ali “With respect to your life in this world, become the best example in all aspects. act as if you are going to remain here We should set examples for how to bring forever”. up children, look after the elderly, or how to help the poor, create jobs and introduce social welfare. Muslims should If we thought that we were going to follow the example of the Prophet and remain in this world forever, then we then become examples for other people, would do our utmost to achieve the very so the Prophet is their witness and he best in life. For example, in respect to is the standard bearer. Islam teaches us the environment, we would not pollute that being better mean that one is given damage or destroy it; indeed, we would the responsibility to be of benefit to surely try to implement a sustainable others. So if we want to be considered an development.

In this verse the word ‘wasaat’ is used to mean balanced or middle way. It also means beautiful, but beauty also needs to be balanced, because if there is no balance then beauty becomes exaggerated and unrealistic like a caricature or a cartoon drawing. The Islamic nation is the one which is made balanced by the decree of God. Therefore, it is moderate and does not go to extremes. This is the ‘Right Path’.

When turning to other directions, we lose our moderation and distance ourselves from Islam.

The narration continues: ‘And with respect to your eternal life, you must imagine as if you are going to die tomorrow’. If we come to the realisation that we may die any moment, then we would not postpone repentance to God, nor would we postpone trying to become good individuals; we would not postpone doing anything which would help us in the Hereafter.

Individuals, that fully embrace and implement Islam at the personal level have the responsibility to extend this to the community level ... This is a great challenge, and that is why it is essential at first to identify the signs of a vibrant and healthy Islamic community.

By referring to the Quranic verses, we can conclude that in the sight of God, each individual is an important and unique part of the creation to such an extent that God says: “If We give life to one person it is as if We have given life to the whole of mankind and if We kill one person it is as if We have killed all people”.

In the Islamic perspective, whilst each and every person is important, the community and larger society has a more important stand and that is why every Prophet was given the task of purifying, educating and training individuals, while at the same time they had the responsibility to work towards either the establishment of a community of faithful or to lead and progress an existing one.

Faithful individuals can make up faithful communities. Their moderate balanced Islamic behaviour could be of example to other communities.

Muslims can become witnesses for mankind in the same way that the Prophet Muhammad(s) was a witness for us. Therefore, the implementation of Islamic teachings and the Prophetic traditions both in our personal lives and collectively at community level is the key to a successful and productive community.

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‘Tabletalk’: Christians and Muslims in conversation

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he first meeting of Muslims and Christians Clergies titled ‘Tabletalk’ was hosted by the Islamic Centre of England on February 6-8, 2013.

The subject for this year was ‘Freedom of Speech and its Limitations’. The group examined the concept from historical, legal, theological and social dimensions from the viewpoint of both traditions.

The concept of this new initiative is to establish a colloquium between Muslims and Christian clergies to discuss topics in applied theology, generate a conversation based on prior study and reflection and to deliberate on common problems facing the people of faith in the modern world.

The meeting was convened by Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour and Chris Hewer and was made up of five delegates from both faiths, who in addition to their pastoral duties also work as university lecturers and writers.

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The issue of blasphemy and the treatment of the blasphemy rules from a historical, theological, political and social angle were also discussed which at times led to heated exchanges and criticism from both sides and were described by the participants as frank, honest and productive.

The main objective of these sessions was to find common understandings on the meaning of freedom and the balance between the rights and responsibilities of individuals and states with regards to freedom of speech especially when religious values and sacrilege are a reality.

The Tabletalk group members retain their membership for a period of five years. This is to help the continuity of experience and understanding, ensuring that unity of purpose is maintained. Each session started with a ten-minute instinctive talk by a Muslim and a Christian member to encourage further discussions.

During the meetings, Muslim and Christian delegates held their daily prayers. Christian delegates were invited to sit behind the respective Muslim congregations. The Christian group also held a separate Christian prayer time within the Islamic Centre.ď Ź

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‘Unity and Tolerance in a

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he following speech was delivered by Ken Livingstone during the 2nd conference of ‘Love Muhammad - The Prophet of Mercy’ in January 2014 organised by The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought

That was always the response in any meeting whether they were Muslims, Christians, atheists or others. They were all enlightened and infused by those words because those words have absolute relevance to how we live our lives today.

“It is both a pleasure and honour to be He was a man over thousand years ago here. When I looked at the agenda for fore–calling a code on how we should tonight I was reminded of an event just live, and his words are absolutely about two years ago. I was attending relevant today as they were the day he a meeting of Christian Churches in delivered them. What was striking was London. It was part of the last mayoral the number of people who came to election campaign…with Boris Johnson, me at the end of that meeting and said, Lib Dem Brian Paddick, the Green “that was amazing; I must go and read candidate, and we were answering that whole sermon”. questions from representatives of the Christian Churches and Brian Paddick I ask myself how many non-Muslims answering a question said: “You have to in Britain have ever heard those words. understand Islam is a peaceful religion” Have they even heard that there was a last sermon? and there were murmurs of dissent.

What he said was clearly unpopular and disbelieved by many of the people present. Fortunately I was the next person to speak and I came prepared…..

In all my meetings I always carry with me two quotes from the last sermon of the Prophet; the last sermon which he delivered knowing that his time was coming to an end spells out how humanity should live side by side.

So after the murmurs of dissent and disapproval I read to those Christians the words of the Prophet where he says, “No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab.

No non-Arab has superiority over an Arab. Also no white has superiority over a black and a black has no superiority over a white”. It goes on to say “that God forms you in tribes and nations, so you get to know one another”, not so that you may fight, oppress, occupy, convert or terrorise but so that you would get to know one another. All the audience burst into applause.

I spent my entire childhood in schools, not even once was the name of the Prophet Muhammad ever mentioned.

We were never taught anything. Even when I became a politician I was ignorant on a vast scale about the meaning of Islam and its history. That is why it is so easy for those who wish to divide us and spread fear and hatred to succeed because they are talking to people who have never been taught the truth about Islam.

There was a survey about four years ago conducted by a unit from the University of Cardiff. They read all British newspapers from 2000 to 2008.

They found that two thirds of all stories in our papers in those eight years were negative about Islam, portraying it as a threat, problem or both.

That is why it is so important that when we gather in the meetings like this we don’t forget when we go out, what we

came here to do. It is what we say, how we educate, and the way to spread the truth not only in the meetings like this, [but] in our day to day lives, what we say when we meet others, in the things we write on the internet and elsewhere.

There is a huge task ahead of us.

Think back to 2011 when a terrorist killed 77 people in Norway, mainly children. He wrote on the internet his personal manifesto. If you read that horrific document it is filled with quotes from British newspapers demonising Islam. It is filled with quotes from the journalist Melanie Philips who wrote for the Daily Mail for many years and published a book called ‘Londonistan’, saying that we have been taken over by Muslims and we are a centre for Muslim terrorism. The hatred she perpetrated on an almost daily basis in the Daily Mail, sinking (please check this word) in his [the terrorist] heart and mind and filled his acts of horrific murder against innocent Norwegian boys and girls.

Following the killing of those 77 Norwegians the former [Norwegian] Prime Minister Mr Jagland who is now the Chair of the Noble Peace Prize Committee warned that ‘we have to stop

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n a Multicultural Society’ talking about Islamic terrorism because it helps to demonise Islam and we need to recognise that the vast majority of terrorist acts that happen here in this continent, happen at the hands of right wing groups, extremists from the far right’. He also mentioned our own Prime Minister, David Cameron, warning that ‘his message helps to stir up hatred against Muslims’.

If you look at the work commissioned in 2011 by George Soros, the billionaire, a study of Muslims in European countries, it is quite revealing. One of the questions they asked….. was, ‘do you feel a part of your country?’ In France they asked ‘do you feel you are French?’ Here ‘do you feel you are British?’ The results of that study were quite revealing. Only one Muslim in four in Germany felt that they are also German. Only one in two in France, felt that they are French.

I was very proud to read that nine out of ten Muslims in Britain felt that they are British. They have no problem living their lives as Muslims and living their lives as British people, and I look at this city [London] - apart from New York. the most diverse city on earth - every faith, every ethnic group, every nationality, gather together, and when we had those terrible bombings in London we saw the response of Londoners.

A week after the bombing we had a service in Trafalgar Square.

I was able to say that within a week of that bombing there had been no recorded incident of an attack on a Muslim Londoner. Londoners knew that terrorist attacks sought to divide us, they refused to be divided and that is the legacy of the teachings of the Prophet in that last sermon.

Ayatollah [Araki] just spoke about the legacy of invasions, the American,

the British and the French invasions of Muslim lands over many decades.

Everything he said was true and even more. One can go on all night about what we have done, but there are two phases to this.

We know now that hundreds of millions of pounds were spent funding Iraq to invade Iran in the 80s. We need to tell people the truth. Both the truth about what Islam really stands for and what lies behind this demonisation of Islam today.

In that period after World War I, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the real driving force for Western imperialism and its interventions, whether it was Egypt or the overthrow of the government of Iran in 1953, was about control of oil. But then with the collapse of the Soviet Union there was another dimension and we saw it in the book published by the American academic Samuel Huntington in 1996. The book was called ‘The Clash of Civilisations’.

In this book he spelt out an inevitable clash between West and Islam. It set the political agenda for the intolerant right for the decades that followed and it is wrong and it is dishonest. Why was this taken up so eagerly by American presidents such as George W Bush?

Because America had a vast economy based on its military machine. Half of all the military spending on earth is by one nation, the United States of America.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union they couldn’t justify vast stock piles of nuclear weapons, hundreds of bases around the world and they needed a new enemy, and that is what Huntington gave.

We have to challenge this.

Finally I just want to say this. When we look at how we live our lives, as we look around London, we notice we are living according to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. We are tolerant, we do accept difference and diversity, and this is a striking example of the power of his message of peace and love.

One of the final acts of George W Bush in his last year of Presidency was to put $300 million into the hands of terrorist groups to allow them to undertake terrorist attacks inside Iran. Sadly president Obama did not cancel that.

How many people read the British papers, reading about terrorism, how many read the truth, about what the west has done, what America has done so often?

In the 1300 years following Prophet Muhammad’s death, from Morocco to Iran, every Muslim nation had in it a strong and vibrant Jewish community, free to practice its faith. Accepted and tolerated, not threatened, not evicted. By whom was Judaism victimised? By the Christian King of Spain who expelled the Jews from Spain. By the Christian King of England, who expelled them from England. Around much of the Christian world, the Jews were victimised and expelled. In the Muslim world the legacy of Prophet’s last sermon actually guaranteed peace and harmony between Jews and Muslims and that of course was shattered by the war of 1948, a tragic event.

I, as you have guessed, am not a Muslim, but I don’t have any doubt whatsoever, I have no problems saying that I try to live my life as he left his message, being tolerant, accepting diversity and being proud of that difference and that is why I am proud to be a Londoner and am proud to be among you tonight.

Former Mayor of London Kenneth Robert Livingstone is a veteran British Labour Party politician.

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Monks and Muslims; TOWARDS A GLOBAL ABRAHAMIC COMMUNITY

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onks and Muslims III: Towards a Global Abrahamic Community is the title of the sixth publication to be produced as result of a continuing dialogue between Catholic Christians and Shi’a Muslims that began more than eighteen years ago.

The launch of the latest publication took place on November the 10th 2015, at Vaughan House in central London, under the auspices of the Diocese of Westminster and the Islamic Centre of England. Guest speakers were; Fr. Jonathan Cotton OSB, Archbishop Kevin McDonald and one of the authors, Hujjatul Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali.

Fr. Jonathan Cotton, from the Benedictine Order and a longstanding friend of Dr Hujjatul Islam Shomali, recalled his initial encounter with Dr Shomali at Hope University in Liverpool. Fr. Cotton expressed great gratitude to the Focolari movement for being instrumental in the development of the relationship between Catholics and Shi’a

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Muslims that has continued up to today. He explained that: “the challenge of initiatives like this stands on the willingness of moving out of one’s individual comfort zone and to overcome suspicion of the other, recognising that each human being is a gift.” By referring to the words of Cardinal Hume who said: “When you meet another person they have something that you do not have and one must live and work for unity”, Fr. Cotton further emphasised the necessity for people of faith to meet and visit each other describing how he himself has opened up friendships with local Muslims and Imams.

Describing the contributors of the book Fr. Cotton referred to the clear sense of joy expressed by all those who took part in the ‘Monks and Muslims’ third encounter and explained that the book presents some discussions on the meaning of ‘community’, what it means to be an individual in a community and how the community can help the individual.

; The second guest speaker Revd Kevin McDonald Archbishop Emeritus of Southwark thanked those involved in the production of the book praising the quality of the individual contributions and the originality and the boldness of the whole enterprise.

He described the event as auspicious as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the famous document issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 known as the Nostra Aetate (In our time).

The document affirmed the possibility that the truth can be found also in other religious traditions. This new theological position allowed the Church to open up dialogue with other religions.

Archbishop McDonald explained that with reference to other religions, Pope John Paul II talked a good deal about the unity of the human community, recalling the initiative that brought people of different religions together in the city of Assisi-Italy in 1986 to create a sense of a shared vision and interconnectedness. It was “a day filled with profound unity”, said the Archbishop.

He further explored the fundamental values that we must share and must announce together, and the language that should be used to change perceptions about religions.by refuting the ridiculous perception some people have that ‘religion is the cause of all problems.’

Turning to the book, Revd McDonald described the initiative recounted in it as an attempt to bring closeness and to bring about some form of community across divisions, a ‘community of the world’.

The Archbishop acknowledged the fact that Christians and Muslims in general represent two quite different approaches to faith, but he also emphasised that: “this does not mean that there cannot be a deeper synthesis or understanding between the two”.

He believes that the book encapsulates those moments of shared mutuality capable of creating the necessary mindset, and that one must grasp the opportunities to build on such relationships.

Hujjatul Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, one of the authors and editor of the book, expressed his deep gratitude to God, for providing the opportunity for such encounters and offered a special thanks to Mr Jon Dal Din, from the Focolare movement, for organising, hosting and chairing the event, stressing the necessity of publicising gathering such as this. Dr Shomali described his early experience where he felt a deep sense of love for God among the people he had met. He also described the major milestones during the last eighteen years that led to the publication of a number of works.

Focusing on the book ‘Monks and Muslims III’ he explained that it contains many lessons learnt and documented from their encounter.

He described how the culture of

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dialogue has been passed to other people and specifically to the Seminary of Qum, leading to the formation of an institute specialising in this activity.

Dr Shomali explained that discussions and analysis of this dialogue were around the subject of ‘community’. Being a believer is something that one cannot do fully on his/her own. “We need today, for everybody’s sake, to give people real examples of what it means to be ‘communities of the faithful’ and try to be channels of mercy to other people”, he said.

While we can approach God as individuals there is a greater benefit in doing it as a community. In this respect Dr Shomali quoted an Islamic narration whereby God asked Moses: “What have you done for Me?” Moses replied, “I prayed and fasted...”. God replied: “That is good for yourself but what have you done for Me?” Moses was unable to answer so he asked: “Please tell me what is the action that is for You?” God said: “Have you ever taken a person as your friend, as an intimate brother for My sake”?

Dr Shomali explained that if people want to know if they have been acting truly for God, they should ask themselves if they have taken a person with whom they had no prior

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relation as a friend, just because of God, as that is the way you choose a brother or sister in faith.

He further quoted another tradition of the Prophet Muhammed(s) where he stated: “one must love for the sake of God; this is the firmest handhold of faith”.

The challenge, he explained, is not to love God but to love others for the sake of God. Even if we believe in the truthfulness of our faith, we can still learn from each other. “If we work together God will gift us with further knowledge we didn’t know, although it would be a difficult task to build a community that from every aspect fulfils the requirement of being godly.”

With regards to the book Dr Shomali said: “This book makes a special reference to the Prophet Abraham(a) for his particular servitude to God. He has the potential to unite us.

We need to restore the House of Abraham and create a global community.”

“Understanding unity in its broader sense means to commit oneself to the idea that there is only one source of truth, one source of beauty and goodness. We cannot use religion for dividing people but rather religion should be a voice of unity.

From the Qur’an, the unity of God is something that can shape all aspects and orientation of our lives. A sign of being a good believer is that he/she brings people closer together. We should have a godly vision seeing all people as children of God." In his final analysis Dr Shomali considered a shift in paradigm in how the world sees religion. He said: “So far world religions have been doing well on their own but the world is changing and materialism if affecting all Muslims, Christian, and Jews. All people who believe in common fundamental values should know that the future requires that we work together.”

“

If we work together God will gift us with further knowledge we didn’t know, although it would be a difficult task to build a community that from every aspect fulfils the requirement of being godly." - Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali.

Monks and Muslims III; Towards a Global Abrahamic Community is published jointly by the Islamic Institute of Islamic Studies and Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique. It has 127 pages containing thirteen essays arranged in three chapters: ‘Papers’, ‘Presentation at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies’ and ‘Reflections on the Dialogue’.

Avalaible from the Islamic Centre Bookshop Email: bookshop@ic-el.com Direct Line: +44 (0)20 7372 9088

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Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali at ICEL Press Conference 2015

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ujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Shomali director of the Islamic Centre of England in his annual address on Thursday 17th December 2015, spoke about the activities of the Centre, the work of the community and expressed his opinion on some current affair issues.

Dr Shomali took the opportunity to send his greetings to the Christian community on the occasion of Christmas and to the Muslims for the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad(s) and Imam Jaf ‘ar As-Sadeq(a) whose births are commemorated (this year) on the 29th of December 2015.

While reminding people of these joyful events Dr Shomali also spoke of the sadness for suffering of people worldwide especially in the Middle East and Africa (Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Nigeria). He expressed regret that people, in this day and age, appear not to have learned the lesson; that problem cannot be resolved by force or killing. He expressed optimism for the growing presence, in both the Christian and Muslim communities, of individual committed to promoting peace.

The director of the Islamic Centre of England referred to the second letter of the Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei to the youth of the West, pointing to his unequivocal condemnation of the Paris terrorist attack which stand in net contrast to the selective condemnation of terrorism by Western politicians and media outlets.

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Dr Shomali reiterated that terrorism has no place in Islam, a conviction particularly strong in the Shi’a community and among Shi'a scholars. He pointed to the Leader's call to Western governments, to avoid reactionary responses in the name of combating terrorism, as these only alienates and isolate the entire Muslim communities. 'A community that is greatly contributing to the society in which they live', added Dr. Shomali.

He further referred to Ayatollah Khamenei's letter of and his request to the youth of the West to study and understand Islam in order to build bridges among different peoples.

Dr Shomali gave a brief description of the activities conducted by the Islamic Centre over the past twelve month at both national and international level.

After his address Dr Shomali answered questions from a number of reporters representing media outlets in Arabic, English and Farsi. The questions put to Dr Shomali reflected people’s concerns on issues related to Muslims both in UK and abroad.

For the video of full press conference please visit: www.ic-el.com/en or https://youtube/tWoxFEhUICY

Meetting for a Common Good

Meetting for a Common Good

This statement is an outcome of a three-day meeting of Christians and Muslims held at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, between 14 and 16 December 2015.

This statement is an outcome of a three-day meeting of Christians and

At a time of increasing fear and division in the world, it is ever more important that we people of faith, Christians Muslims held at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, between 14 and 16 and Muslims, come together to work towards the common good for the betterment of all. The common good benefits those of faith communitiesDecember and those of2015. no faith, promoting and supporting development that is economic, environmental, political, familial and spiritual. It is deeply rooted in freedom of religion and freedom of worship, and in the capacity to explore ideas that may be difficult for those around. our faith communities and the countries in which they t a time of increasing fear and division in the are based. We can come closer together through our world, it is to ever more common important shared that wevalues, people our shared commitment to and love of God, our shared belief in the We meet explore love of God, and by building a deeper, more friendly come Muhammad together of faith,and Christians and ofMuslims, words teachings the Prophet and of Jesus Christ, and our shared belief in the hereafter. We knowledge and understanding of each other, we can lay to work towards shared the common goodand fortothe meet to explore challenges, learn from each other how our love of God manifest in our beliefs and the foundations for a greater trust upon which peace betterment ofour all. societies The common good benefits faith is working to makethose thoseofsocieties better for all. We meet to explore our shared commitment to a and prosperity is based. communities and those of nonot faith, promoting and supporting society where everyone agrees with us, but where the love of God, and a commitment to following paths of light development towards that is God’s economic, environmental, political, love can bring harmony and peace.

Through our shared commitment to peace and to unity familial and spiritual. It is deeply rooted in freedom of religion under God, we reflect on two texts, one from the Gospel and freedom of and inhas theits capacity to the explore ideas Asworship, Anglicanism roots in United Kingdom, and Shia Islam is the official faith in the Islamic Republic of of Matthew, the other from the Holy Quran: that may be difficult forrecognize those around.

Iran, we that there is great power and potential for our faith to act as a bridge between our faith communities and the countries in which they are based. We can come closer together through our love of God, 'But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless those that We meet to and explore commona deeper, shared values, our shared by building more friendly knowledge and understanding of each other, we can lay the foundations for curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for commitmenta to and love God, our peace sharedand belief in greater trust of upon which prosperity is based. those who speak evil about you, and persecute you.' the words and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Matthew 5:44) and of Jesus Christ,our and our commitment shared belief in theand to unity under God, we reflect on two texts, one from the Gospel of Through shared to peace hereafter. WeMatthew, meet to the explore challenges, and to othershared from the Holy Quran: 'Repel [evil] with that which is best. If you do so, behold, learn from each other how our love of God manifest in the one whom between you and him is enmity will our beliefs and is love working make those 'Butour I saysocieties unto you, your to enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for become as though he was a devoted friend.' societies better forwho all. speak We meet to explore our persecute shared you.' those evil about you, and (Quran, 41:34) commitment(Matthew to a society 5:44) where not everyone agrees with us, but where the love of God, and a commitment We meet today so that our interfaith engagement can to following 'Repel paths of light towards God’sislove bring [evil] with that which best.can If you do so, behold, the one between you to and him honesty, is enmityand will be renewed.

Wewhom commit ourselves more harmony andbecome peace. as though he was a devoted friend.' a willingness to take responsibility for those of our own (Quran, 41:34) faith traditions who interpret our texts differently and As Anglicanism has its roots in the United Kingdom, resort to violence and discrimination. We meet today to and Shia Islam is today the official in the engagement Islamic We meet so that faith our interfaith can be renewed. honesty, commit ourselvesWetocommit shared ourselves initiativestotomore promote theand a Republic of Iran, we recognize that there is great power love faith of God and God’s message, a peaceful, willingness to take responsibility for those of our own traditions who interpret ourand textstodifferently and resort closer and loving future in His light. to promote the love of God and potentialto for our faith to act as a bridge between violence and discrimination.

We meet today to commit ourselves to shared initiatives and God’s message, and to a peaceful, closer and loving future in His light.

A

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Prophecy, Yesterday & Today; annual interfaith conference

Set between a neighbouring Church and the Islamic Centre, Christians and Muslims meet once more for their annual encounter

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he Prophet Abraham seems to be a good starting point for a dialogue between Islam and Christianity, and so this year’s interfaith event organised by the Islamic Centre of England, the Christian Muslim Forum and the Parish of St AugustineKilburn chose the character of Abraham and the concept of ‘prophecy’ as its main theme. This conference, entitled ‘Prophecy, Yesterday and Today’ took place on 6th February 2016 and was held both at St Augustine Church and the Islamic Centre of England in London.

Speakers, who included Muslim Imams and Christian priests, shared their views about the concept of prophecy and highlighted commonality as well as differences between the two faiths regarding the role and figure of a prophet.

Rev. Maggie Hindley gave a brief account of Abraham’s life according to the Holy Bible. She mentioned the story of Abraham’s exodus from Ur to Syria, then to Egypt, and finally his settlement in Palestine in a place know today as Al-Khalil or Hebron. She briefly mentioned the story of Isaac and

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Ishmael and the story of sacrifice according to the Christian and Jewish traditions.

Shaikh Bahmanpour accordingly gave a brief account of Abraham’s life, or as he is known in Arabic, Ibrahim, according to the Holy Qur’an. He said the story in the Qur’an does not mention most of the names and places, but focuses on the lessons that can be learned from it. He mentioned several verses from the Qur’an about Ibrahim, in particular the ones related to the story of breaking the idols.

Later Dr Damian Howard from Heythrop College, University of London took the podium and explained his views on the idea of prophecy with a focus on God’s covenant with Abraham. He said that God made his covenant to Abraham as the father of Israelites to make them victorious against their enemies as well as giving them land and prosperity. The question was how God would fulfil this promise? He said if you put yourself in the shoes of the Jews around the time of Jesus’ birth, you would have found yourself in misery and under the yoke of Roman rulers. Thus from their point of

view, it is a question that how God would fulfil his promise and set them free from oppression.

Dr Howard said that the birth of Jesus was the peak of this fulfilment. This time God himself came to the rescue of his people and brought hope to them. However many Jews did not recognise this blessing and opportunity to the extent that Jesus chose his disciples from a fringe society of Galilee. He continued by saying that the advent of Jesus fulfilled God’s covenant with Abraham and now all humankind and not just the Jews were included in God’s covenant as God’s children.

In his address, Dr Shomali said that Ibrahim is a personality from whom one can always learn something new regardless of whether you are an expert in theology or not. He mentioned that after succeeding in many of God’s tests, Ibrahim was elevated to the position of ‘Imam’, meaning ‘leader’ of the believers. He also recited verses from the Quran about Ibrahim and mentioned stories from hadith about his faith, his humbleness and his hospitality. He emphasised of the role of reason in Ibrahim’s faith and the way he argued with the idol worshipers about God. Ibrahim however did not consider reason alone to be sufficient and prayed to God to reveal the kingdom of heaven to him.

Finally in the morning session Rev Amos from St Augustine Parish Church led the audience in a tour around the church, showing them paintings of different Biblical stories and stressed the importance of visual art in Christian theology.

In the afternoon session held in the Islamic Centre of England Sister Anjum Anwar she talked about her experiences as first a member and later as a trustee of the Christian Muslim Forum. She mentioned the story of thee prophets according to the Quran, namely Zachariah, John the

Baptist and Jonas. She said that we could learn a lot from their stories and the way they, like us, made mistakes. The important lesson in her view is to recognise the mistakes and to repent.

Shaikh Bahmanpour described Abraham as not only a patriarch but a prophet. He mentioned the different ways of receiving God’s message and argued that according to the Quran those who are close to God have the capacity of receiving his message. He made it clear that only in the case of prophets this message is ‘wahi’ or a divine and legislative revelation.

Rev Amos expounded on the meaning of prophecy according to the Bible and explained that it is not necessarily the same as in Islam. In Christianity, prophets are not always infallible, not all have books of revelation. He mentioned that in prophethood it is important to sacrifice, just as Abraham did with Isaac. He said that through baptism everyone could become a prophet and spread the message of Jesus.

Dr Chris Hewer said that a prophet is a person who speaks the truth in the face of oppressors and tyrants. According to him, prophecy is standing against oppression, thus we have many contemporary prophets as well. He called the prophets the conscience of humankind who speak the truth. He also touched upon the different meanings of prophet and prophecy in Islam and Christianity and the continuation of prophecy according to his view up until our time.

Dr Shomali closed the conference by explaining the various views of Islamic schools of thought regarding the issue of prophets’ infallibility. The event concluded with a public Q&A session.

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Abraham: A Role Model and Guide for Mankind By Hujjatul Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali

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braham is one of those personalities about whom we will always have new things to discover. I think we have not yet been able to understand the greatness of this man in the Qur'an.

The Prophet Abraham has a unique and central position in the Qur'an. He was chosen by God as a role model, as a standard for all mankind. In chapter 2, verse 124 we learn that Abraham is chosen by God as an Imam, that God tried and tested Abraham in all possible ways and that then God told him that now He was appointing him as a leader for all mankind.

“And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [God] said, “Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." [Abraham] said, “And of my descendants?" [God] said, “My covenant does not include the wrongdoers." Qur'an 2:124 We should not regard him only as a leader for that era; from that time onwards, human beings have studied and followed him.

This is similar to the way in which the Qur'an in 3:96 introduces the Ka'aba as “the very first house ever built for humanity". Abraham reached a point at which God was pleased. In the same way that this house was a house for all human beings for all time, Abraham is a leader for all mankind. Abraham is a point of reference.

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He is so important that he is accepted by all then and now.

When we read the Qur'an we realise that at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, Jews, Christians and Muslims all had great respect for Abraham. He was a source of authority

and everyone wanted to justify their particular position by referring to him.

It can be argued from the Qur'an that Abraham was the founder of Islam. Thus the Prophet Muhammad(s) reinstated the religion of Abraham whose core message was submission to God. The Qur'an says: “When His Lord said to him, ‘Submit' he said: ‘I submit to the Lord of all the worlds.' Abraham enjoined this upon his children......saying, ‘My children! God has chosen for you this religion (submission to the truth) do not die unless you are submissive to God. "(2:131 & 132) ‘Muslim' signifies the person who bows in obedience to God, who acknowledges God alone as their Sovereign, Lord and Master and the only object of worship, devotion and service, who unreservedly surrenders themselves to God and who undertakes to live their life in accordance with the guidance that has come down from God. Islam is the appellation which characterises the abovementioned belief and outlook which constitutes the core and kernel of the religion of all the prophets who have appeared from time to time amongst different peoples since the very beginning of human life on earth.

In Abraham's life, we find something that can inspire all human generations regarding how to be submissive to God and at the same time how to treat people with care, mercy and love and how to be like a father for everyone while remaining totally devoted to God.

Abraham was a man of deep thought. Faith should be accompanied with this kind of deep thought rather than close mindedness. He thought carefully about how people worshipped stars and the sun or the moon.

However the Qur'an tells us that he was not satisfied with conventional knowledge; he was a man of aspirations.

Abraham asked God, “Please show me the kingdom of earth" and “Please show me how You revive the dead.”

Allamah Tabatabai said Abraham wanted to know how God revives the dead and not just how the dead are revived which showed the height of insight. Abraham was a hospitable man.

According to Jewish literature, the house of Abraham had no walls! This might mean that there was no barrier between him and people who wanted to meet him. Islamic sources indicate that he was a person who always loved guests and if he had no guests he used to go outside to find people with whom he could share what God had given him.

There is a story whereby once Abraham went out to find people whom he could invite to his house. On returning home he was surprised to find a young man in his house or coming out of his house. Abraham asked him with whose permission he had entered the house and he said with the permission of the Lord of the house. Abraham then realised this must be a person to whom God Himself had given permission. That angel then told Abraham; God has chosen someone as his friend and I have come here to tell this person the good news.

Abraham never thought it was him. Such humbleness is the sign of a religious person.

Abraham then said: “Who is the one who has been chosen as a friend by my Lord so I can serve him till I die?"

The angel said: “Actually it is you!”.

Abraham asked: "Why?” The angel then mentioned some of his good qualities saying: “You have never asked anyone other than God for help, but you never said no to people when they asked you for help.”

When Abraham was thrown into a fire the Angel Gabriel went to offer to help him and Abraham replied: “From you, no." which meant: My Lord knows my situation and there is no need to ask you for help.

Another story goes that there was a time of starvation and Abraham had no food at home to provide for his family and people so he decided to go to his friend in Egypt to take some flour from him. However when he arrived there he could not find anything and returned with nothing. For a man like Abraham this was very embarrassing so just before reaching his town he filled his bags with soil and then went home and slept. When he got up he smelt fresh bread so he asked his wife where she obtained the flour for it. She replied that she made the bread with the flour his Egyptian friend had given them. Abraham then said, “Indeed it is from my Friend, but He is not Egyptian.”

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The Islamic Centre of England

Inclusiveness Sheikh Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali's address at the: Preventing and countering radicalisation debate Organised by COMECE (The Catholic Church in the European Union) Brussels 3 March 2016

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e have about 19 years of relations between Shiites and Catholics and so far we have had six rounds of discussions, the last one being in Assisi. The 7th programme will be in Qum in May 2016. We have published six volumes and the last three ones are called Monks and Muslim 1,2 and 3 which is coedited by myself and father William Skudlarek from the Monastic Interfaith Dialogue.

Although I have been in contact with many Christian denominations but for some – perhaps historical reasons and some theological reasons, dialogue with Catholic Church has become more advanced.

I hope these meetings will be inspired by God Almighty as you are performing a great undertaking. You are thinking and planning about how peace in Europe can be helped and maintained.

What I want to share is a reflection on human history.

Something seems to be a repetitive pattern in human history and whether we are religious or not we all face similar problems. Although religions came to help us to deal with these problems but we manage to create the same problems and just give them a new form and shape, sometimes even deceiving ourselves. For example, one of the biggest problems for humankind is the lack of commitment to the truth.

The Qur’an tells us in the second chapter, verse 213, that

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initially people lived a very simple life; we did not have a complicated community life. But people started disagreeing and arguing among themselves. They started fighting over ‘what is mine what is yours’. And God sent them prophets and books to help them to overcome conflicts.

The idea was to benefit from the guidance coming through the revelation to get rid of these conflicts (ekhtelaf). Then God says, when the prophets came people started arguing about the message of the prophets. The same human problem has now taken the name of religion. So maybe in the past they fought over a piece of land - now they fight over religions for the minds of people. But the mentality is the same.

What we find in human history is that no religious community is immune to these problems. Unless we equip ourselves with deep love for truth and God, we would not be immune from these problems.

A few years ago, when I was visiting Rome, it occurred to me how we suffer in this world, due to no love for God. Some people have no experience of this love. Religious people are not able to understand how someone suffers if they don’t have this love. This is akin to what an orphan feels, but if you are not an orphan you cannot feel it. Those who have no God in their lives, they are orphans in the real sense and they suffer. This could create real problems for them and

others because there is no principle of love, of beauty, of justice and of the transcendent, the reality that regulates and guides their lives. But there are people who have love for God, but their love is not of good ones.

Sometimes love for God can be very destructive. There are two ways to love God. Some religious people, even maybe pseudo mystics, people who are very much into spirituality, think they have love for God, but their love for God is possessive. They love God in a sense that they want to own God. Like people who love their car as a belonging. They want to own it, control it, and it is us who decide who can have it.

who differ from you. Love for God cannot be only measured with concern for my fellow mosque people or church people.

If I am really trying to get close to God, it means I am really trying to expand my love for people, even for animals, plants and anything which is created by God. How can we think that we are true lovers of God, and remain narrow minded and only care for our own tribe or religion?

I think this is a very important issue that lies deep in secular forces or some extremist religious forces. They don’t have a real experience of love of God. If this love exists, it would be impossible to even see the suffering of others, let alone be the cause of that suffering.

A true lover of God cannot see anyone being misplaced, lose their houses or jobs. So why do some people in the name of religion commit all these acts?

Because they do not have this experience of the true love of God. I have said many times that actually what we see in extremists is that they are new to religion or have no proper religious background. Many of these people are not people who used to go to places of worship and learning regularly. These are late arrivals and they want to fast track. There is some gap in their life. Many of these people are not even very religious, but now there are a lot of big changes in the world and because they feel guilt they want to move fast to compensate and that is creating problems.

A god which is brought down to the level of a tribe has no interest in other tribes. A god, who is brought down to the level of one religion, does not care about other religious communities.

This is destructive, because we bring God to the level of selfish human beings, and we put our own interest and ideas in the name of God. So whatever selfish act we want to do we say that is what God wants me to do. That is the God that tells us to kill, to get rid of other people. A god which is brought down to the level of a tribe has no interest in other tribes. A god, who is brought down to the level of one religion, does not care about other religious communities.

But there are other ways of loving God and that is instead of possessing God, you are possessed by God. Instead of bringing God down to our level we want to rise towards God and we have a Godly look at the world. Then no one would only be concern about their own tribe or religion.

So we have one of these ways to choose from.

The sad reality is that in the most of cases we have possessive love for God. This possessive love can be for one person or one religion. There might be one billion people, but not for six billion people. This god can be the god of Christians or Muslims only, but not for everyone.

This is the sad reality. But we have in all traditions, people who have really tried to love God, be possessed by God and rise to the level of being able to see everyone and have concern for everyone, in a Godly way.

Something which I believe comes with true spirituality is that you always measure your nearness to God by being humble and have concern for other people especially for people

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The Impact of Christian-Mus Relations on World Peace

Conference organised by the Canadian Mennon Speech by Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali

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he relation between Christianity and Islam is a relation within a family. Some people may say that we should have dialogue as we don’t want to fight, but this is very little and kind of offensive. Christians and Muslims don’t need reason to have dialogue. It is in fact the most natural thing we can do, first as human beings and secondly as people who have so much to share, people who are part of the same Abrahamic family. Spending time together to talk and share ideas is the most natural action for us. If we do not have this relationship then it would be surprising.

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The relationship between Muslims and Christians has been portrayed with tension, confrontation or at least with competition. Some people think we are competing in the same market, converting people to our own religion. This is not a right mentality. We are all believers in God, and to believe in one God, the God who is merciful, not only for believers but for all humanity and this makes us very close to each other. We underestimate the great theology and heritage that we share.

Just to understand the importance of this dialogue, imagine you are talking to an atheist who does not

Christians and Muslims don’t need reason to have dialogue. It is in fact the most natural thing we can do, first as human beings and secondly as people who have so much to share, people who are part of the same Abrahamic family.

uslim Mu

nonite University Canadian Mennonite University - Winnipeg Manitoba believe in God, how difficult it would be to talk to him when you do not know or understand what his view points are about life, and how difficult it would be to convince this person that there is a God, and He is the Creator, the God to whom we should be grateful and responsible, and talk about the Hereafter. To have conversations with an atheist might take months and at the end he may or may not accept our views. But when we are faced with a person from another faith who believes in God and is submissive to God, someone who has devoted his life to God, unfortunately we take it for granted. Why? Because we have little theological differences. I think it is actually a part of our

understanding and cognitive faculties that we are leading the way, that we are more sensitive to these differences.

It is through our differences that we come to know each other. It takes a lot of effort to see humanity underneath the differences. If we don’t train ourselves, we only see the differences and this can be very divisive. Sometimes, husband of wife, after many years living together say they have nothing in common. How could this be possible especially that they have lived together for such a long time? Because their differences have occupied their minds that they are no longer able to see anything in common.

We don’t want to reach to the point that we say we can’t find anything in common. Depends on how much importance and significance we give to the common areas, or differences we can adjust in our relation with the people. For me personally, the most important aspect is if the person is submissive to God. Therefore if I interact with a Christian who is submissive to God it would be better for me than interacting with a Muslim who is not. If God is the most important element and centre to our lives, then we should be happy to be with the people who believe in the same God. We have groups of people who have no experience of the Love for God. These people are lonely and they do suffer a lot. We should feel responsible towards them. If we [Muslims and Christians] share with them the beauty of the faith and love for God, it would have much more impact than if we talk to them separately. If we [the faithful] together invite non-believers to the faith we would see a better result. Unfortunately what happens today is that religious people fight with each other, and some people are just too happy to point out to this and convince others that to stop all these tensions among religions it would be better that the entire world rid itself of religions.

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Another issue is those who have faith but not in a right way. Those who take it upon themselves to have monopoly upon God, for themselves, their countrymen, or their religion. They possess God and try to bring Him down to their own level and this does not make sense. If they love God, they should be happy to see others to do the same. Otherwise, the God of humanity becomes the God of a religion, a nation or a tribe.

This is not God, but it is ego of those projecting their god as God. We have to be possessed by God and we should ascend to His level. This is the way we could see the world His way. This does not mean that we should all be the same; we do not have to see everything with the same eye. An artist may do 1000 pieces of work, they might not all be the same but if you appreciate him as an artist then you would like all his work. Believers love everyone, as they see the signature of God in everyone.

We should be in such a level of consciousness and love for God to reach this level, and this cannot be achieved without a degree of humbleness. We have a narration that says; “whoever is humble God will alleviate him and whoever tries to be arrogant God will push him down”.

In Islamic tradition, Abraham(a) is considered as ‘Khalil’, friend of God. A story is mentioned in the traditions of when Abraham(a) was chosen as the ‘friend’ of God. One day when Abraham(a) entered his house, he found a man in it. He asked who he was and who allowed him to enter Abraham(a)’s house. The man said: “The lord of this house allowed me to enter.”

Abraham(a) immediately realised he is an angel. The angel had brought him the good news that God has chosen him as His friend. But Abraham(a) did not find himself worthy of this benevolence and asked the angel: “Who is the one whom my Lord has chosen as His friend, so I can serve him till I die.”

He was so submissive to God that it did not matter to him who the person was, as long as it was ordained by God. He was happy to serve him. This is opposite to Satan, according to Islam; Satan served God for 6000 years. He had, apparently, no problem with God, but Satan had a problem with another person being nearer to God than him. He was not able to show humbleness, but Abraham(a) did. I think we religious people need that humbleness to let God enter into our hearts so He would push us to the direction He sees fit.

We have tried to use any occasion we could find to let our congregation to join programmes with Churches. I personally have used these tribunes to spread dialogue

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between Muslims and Christians. I have talked on many occasions on the story of Abraham(a), I have talked about this in the holiest places we have such as Qom. So what we say here to Christians we say to our own people and I am sure our Christian friends do the same.

What I appreciate about some of our Christian friends, like Mennonites, Hemish,…is that they take their religion seriously. I love to see churches full. We do not like to see worship places empty as this means people are keeping away from faith. I have said this before. My challenge is not Muslims who become Christians, or even trying to convert Christians to Islam; my challenge today is keeping faith in families in society all together.

For most of history Christians and Muslims did not help each other, they did not work together. They spread but on their own. There is no future for us unless we work together. The world is too connected and too little, challenges are coming right in the middle of our houses. We have to put up a common front, common values. I am very much convinced that there would be great relations between Christians and Muslims.

We would have two challenges; those who do not want any faith, and those who are extremists. But underneath, these two totally opposite sides are connected. We have to wake up and face our problems together.

As Imam Ali(a) said: “people are either like you in faith, or similar to you in humanity”. And this should be our strategy.

World Peace and Christian-Muslim Relations Organised by Waterloo Lutheran Seminary

Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, also gave a lecture, entitled ‘The Impact of Christian-Muslim Relations on World Peace’ in Waterloo. This conference was co-sponsored by the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and the Islamic Humanitarian Service.

Mohammad Ali Shomali [the director of the Islamic Centre of England, and founding director of the International Institute for Islamic Studies based in Qom, Iran] alongside the Mennonite Central Committee, has co-ordinated many Mennonite-Muslim dialogues; cross-cultural student exchanges; and teaching exchanges by Muslim and Christian scholars between seminaries in Iran and North America.

We should be in such a level of consciousness and love for God to reach this level, and this cannot be achieved without a degree of humbleness. We have a narration that says; “whoever is humble God will alleviate him and whoever tries to be arrogant God will push him down”.

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The 7

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Catholic-Shi‘aDialogue Qum & Mashhad - Iran

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he cities of Qum and Mashhad in Iran hosted the 7th round of Catholic - Shi’a dialogue early this May. The Catholic group which was invited by Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali comprised of Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, head of the Benedictine Confederation, Father William Skudlarek, General Secretary of ‘Monastic and Interfaith Dialogue’, Fr. Timothy Wright, the former Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey, England (currently lecturer at Berkley Centre for Religion, Peace & World Affairs USA), Brother Godfroy, Brother Ponte and Sister Loraine from France, Father Maximillian from Kenya (PhD candidate at Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies) and Dr. De Colina from Germany.

During the three-day dialogue the group presented papers and engaged in discussions on various subjects. While in Qum, they participated in a lecture by Ayatollah Javad Fadhil on ‘Human Dignity in Shia Jurisprudence’ at the Institute of the Aemeh Athar. A visit was arranged to the University of Religion and Denominations, the holy shrine of Lady Masoumeh(sa) and the Mosque of Jamkaran, followed by a trip to the International Book Fair in Tehran.

The group of scholars visited the shrine of Imam Redha(a) in the holy city of Mashhad and were greeted by the Director of International Affairs. They attended a lecture on the history of Imam Redha(a) and the concept of Imamate. This was followed by a visit to the Museum of Qur’an house to some magnificent Quranic manuscripts attributed to Imam Redha(a)and Imam Sajjad(a). Other visits included the School of Theology at the Ferdowsi University and the tomb of Abul Qasim Ferdowsi in Tus. In an interview with islam today Dr Shomali said these meetings are important to help believers face the challenges of today’s world: “As I was saying to a Catholic friend once, when we [believers] love each other and show friendship towards one another, no media will cover this. If a Muslim clergyman and Catholic monk start fighting over their beliefs all the media will come to cover the story. Maybe this is not such a bad idea as being good is a natural thing and the media only covers something which is unusual.

Unfortunately we do not have equal coverage of positive initiatives. So I believe today is very important for religious people to be seen together. It is one thing to have this

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relationship and another to show these testimonies to others. Some people, who have no religion, love to see religious people fighting among themselves. They like to dismiss all religions and any concept of holiness. If we invite other people to God and to faith we can overcome the problems and together we can be stronger in our message, because we are no longer seen as sectarian messengers of the things we only have an interest in.”

Dr Shomali said he believes strongly that Christians and Muslims are but people of the same family as we all are followers of Prophet Abraham(a).

He said that Islam, Christianity and Judaism belong to the same tradition but different branches so it would be much more natural to be in dialogue with each other [believers] than with people who have no faith in the Divine, or have no religion or do not belong to the Abrahamic tradition. He added: “Of course even with others we can have dialogue but with these people it comes very naturally because of our commonalities.”

He further expanded on the view of Islamic eschatology and what happens at the end of time. He said: “There is a kind of an indication and reference to Islam and Christianity coming together and playing a great role when time comes. Our belief is that when Imam al-Mahdi(aj) comes Jesus(a) will also return. There must be a reason for this! Why among all the prophets is the Prophet Jesus(a)appointed to return? It shows that Christianity will be an important player just as Shia Islam.

These two communities should work together for the betterment of humanity. So we need this relationship to develop and grow fellowship and collaboration.”

According to Dr Shomali participants in this interfaith and interreligious trip felt a deep sense of friendship that is getting deeper with every meeting. Even those who attended for the first time felt the same.

It is planned for the next meeting of dialogue to be held in Kenya where there has been some tension between Christians and Muslims and where meetings such as this may carry significant importance as a testimony of love and brotherhood among both faiths.

It is hoped that the 7th round of Catholic - Shi’a dialogue will be followed with another book as per previous dialogues.

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Catholic - Shi'a Dialogue Timeline 7th Catholic - Shi‘a Dialogue in Qom/Mashhad On ‘Dignity of Being a Human’ 2016 Publication of the book: Monks and Muslims III: Towards a Global Abrahamic Community 2015 6th Catholic - Shi‘a Dialogue in Assisi On ‘Community’ 2015 Publication of the book: Monks and Muslims II: Creating Communities of Friendship 2014 th 5 Catholic - Shi‘a Dialogue in Qom On ‘Friendship’ Publication of the book: Monks and Muslims: Monastic Spirituality in Dialogue with Islam 2012 4th Catholic - Shi‘a Dialogue in Rome On ‘Scripture and Praying’ 2011 Publication of the book: ‘Ethics in today’s society’ 2008 3rd Catholic - Shi‘a Dialogue in UK Heythrop College and Worth Abbey 2007 Publication of the book: Reason and Faith, in Theory and Practice 2006 2nd Catholic - Shi‘a Dialogue in UK Heythrop College - London and Ampleforth Abbey 2005 Abbot Timothy and Father Bonaventura and two people from Heythrop College, Anthony Mahony and Michael Barnes SJ visited Qom 2004 Publication of the book: Catholic and Shi‘a in Dialogue: Studies in Theology and Spirituality 2004 1st Catholic - Shi‘a Dialogue in UK Heythrop College - London and Ampleforth Abbey 2003 Abbot Timothy Wright and Father Wulstan visit Qom - Iran 2002 Dr Shomali invited by Abbot Timothy Wright to give lectures on Islam at Ampleforth Abbey 2001 Dr Shomali visit to Rome and Loppiano 1999 First visit to Ampleforth Abbey Initial encounter - Liverpool - UK 1997

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Visit to the ‘Instituto Universitario Sophia’

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he Sophia University Institute in Loppiano (FI), Italy was established in honour of Chiara Lubich (founder of the Focolare Movement) in 2008 after her death.

The relationship between the university and the Shia Scholars started long before it became a university. Hujjatul-Islam Dr Muhammad Ali Shomali’s first visit took place back in 1999.

These meeting represent the foundation of a long friendship and dialogue. Discussions varied from talking about Sophia [Latin word for Wisdom] to the future of humanity. From the discussion between the university academics and Shi’a scholars it soon became clear that they had many common ideas about unity and inter-religious dialogue that could be developed in practical projects.

Dr Shomali’s recent visit to the university took place in February 2015, where he held public as well as informal meetings with staff and students. Following that meeting Dr Shomali was invited by the president of the university Prof. Msgr. Coda Piero to return to the university and teach a course to MA students which was scheduled to start in 2016. The course which is based on inter-religious dialogue was for the first time to be taught by lecturers from different religious traditions in order to share similar experiences and ideas.

Dr Shomali delivered his first lecture during a four-hour morning and afternoon session in April 2016. He talked about his personal involvement in inter-religious dialogue, presenting a brief summary of his twenty-year rich experience in the field of interfaith. A part of his discussion was also about Shia Islam and the foundation for dialogue according to Shia Islam. Dr Shomali further spoke about the importance of inter-religious dialogue and the future of humanity based on unity.

Following this academic engagement, the plan is to have a three-day programme in July 2016 [after the month of Ramadhan]. The university president Prof. Coda Piero and Dr Shomali will be discussing subjects related to unity between different faith groups, Muslim and Christians in particular and some of the ideas can be actualised in the near future.

Hujjatul-Islam Dr Shomali will be taking a group of scholars in the next encounter to present the Muslim Shia perspective while Prof. Coda Piero will lead the Catholic/ Focolare Movement side.

“The April meeting was a fruitful meeting. After many years of friendship and talk, the two groups are now ready to move into more focused, scholarly but at the same time spiritual discussion on unity and cooperation,” said Dr Shomali.

Muslims and Christians continue building bridges through dialogue St. Ottilien Archabbey – Germany

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e live in a world where all too often religion only makes the headlines when being employed by a group of extremists trying to justify their warped ideologies, ideologies, which are rarely shared by the majority of those who follow the same faith.

Not a day passes without an Islamophobic or anti-Semitic incident occurring somewhere, or a person or group of people are brutally murdered for the faith they choose to follow.

Unfortunately, rarely do the media give any attention to the tireless efforts by people of faith to counter this extremism and hate, which is sweeping across Europe and the rest of the world.

The media does not tell us when people of one faith are stepping out of their comfort zones and extending an olive branch to other believers. The majority of us remain oblivious to the friendships which are being formed through these efforts.

One such event took place in late April at St. Ottilien Archabbey a beautiful and tranquil Benedictine Monastery in Emming, in the German district of Landsberg. St. Ottilien boasts its own farms, power station, guest house and a school for 700 children.

The Monastery became the unlikely venue for a meeting between a group of monks, led by Brother Josef Gotze, and a group of Shi’a Muslim Scholars and students from various countries, led by Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali.

During the course of these four days, members from each group presented papers on topics such as; ‘the importance of dialogue and peace between different religions’, ‘family values’, ‘hospitality and refugees’, ‘social justice’, ‘the environment’, and ‘prayer’.

The presentations and subsequent discussions provided participants with the opportunity to think and look beyond differences and realise just how much the two faiths share in common. As Dr. Shomali so eloquently put it, as humans we are “more attentive to differences. It is time we trained ourselves to look beyond these differences and see the commonalities, to see our shared humanity and shared belief in God.” The meeting became a prime example for tackling the rising tide of hate with dialogue and love. And even though the event only lasted a few days, the friendships formed will continue for many years to come.

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Personhood, virtue and moral cultivation A Christian - Muslim workshop

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he first two days of June 2016 saw the University of Paderborn in Germany host a two-day workshop titled ‘Personhood, virtue and moral cultivation; a Christian-Muslim workshop’. This is part of a collaborative project by which the participants hope to enhance the mutual understanding of Shiite, Sunni, Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican moral traditions and the moral visions that these different traditions have formed, and also to explore the potential of these traditions to meet challenges that contemporary society is confronted with.

Strong academic relations already exist between the Seminary of Qum and universities in Germany, especially Paderborn University. A number of regular visits and discussions involving PhD students, lecturers and postgraduate students from different German institutions and the Qum’s Seminary have taken place.

Recently the University of Paderborn has also launched a department of Islamic Studies, offering degree courses. The German academic system entails that any religious academics who are employed by universities should be approved by a recognised religious establishment. In the case of a Muslim lecturer they should be approved by the

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Muslim Council of the particular area or region. This applies also to representatives of other religions. So if a Jewish person wants to teach Judaism they should be approved by the Jewish Council of the area. There are currently three students from Qum studying for PhD and another Muslim lady undertaking post - doctoral research at Paderborn University.

This year the coordinator of Muslim Shia representation was Dr Javadi from the University of Qum while Dr Schmidt was the organiser from the German side. Among the participants there was also Professor Klaus von Stosch, Deputy Head of the department of Catholic theology. He is a Catholic philosopher with knowledge of Islamic Philosophy. He currently supervises Iranian students.

Of the fourteen participants seven were representing Shi’a Islam, five from Qum, one from Mashhad and Dr Shomali from London. Other participants were Prof. George Pattison (Glasgow), Dr Amber Griffioen (Konstanz), Andrew Massena and Bethany Slater (Boston), Dr Tuba Isik (Paderborn) the Sunni scholar who is currently conducting post-doctoral studies and finally Prof. Jochen Schmidt (Paderborn).

Presentations were about ethics and virtues of ethics. Every

side presented a paper and the other side had one person to respond and vice versa. Shi'a presentations were well received and sessions involved intense questions and answers. In addition to the presentation the delegates had many other informal discussions, including the planning for the next meeting which, God willing, will be held in Iran on ‘Truthfulness’, considered by Dr. Shomali as one of the most fundamental topics for discussion . Participants’ papers will be published as a journal at a later date.

In his presentation Dr Shomali said: “With an objective to understand the core of Shi a Islam, the attention should be given to three major elements in a belief system. These are rationality, spirituality and social justice. Some people may have one or two but what gives you a balanced understanding of reality is a combination of the three”. Dr Shomali clarified that; “…everybody can have these virtues but Shi a Islam scholars have been consistent throughout history in using these three elements.”

While briefly describing all three elements, Dr. Shomali places his focus on spirituality.

He explained: “For Shi a Muslims, spirituality is very important. Religion is not just about performing rituals but it involves the intellect and the heart also. Spirituality is an essential part of a religious life”. Dr Shomali has been lecturing about spirituality to Muslims and non-Muslims for many years. After giving a basic framework for achieving spirituality according to the teachings of Shi a Islam he referred the audience to his book ‘Self-development’ where he has given a breakdown on how to embark on the path of spirituality .

Dr Shomali clarified that the spirituality starts with yaqzah (awakening). To begin the journey into spirituality a person should first be awake he added. He further explained how ghafla (heedlessness or inattentiveness) has been considered by Muslims as a main obstacle. He acknowledges that some people consider yaqzah as the first station of the journey and some say it is ‘zero’ station since it is only after that the journey starts.

Dr Shomali continued by stating that after awakening comes ma'rifat al-nafs (self-knowledge). He further elaborated on the significance of self-knowledge saying it is connected to ma'rifatullah (knowledge of God). “If you don’t know God you will forget yourself”, explained Dr Shomali.

“So now that you are awake, and know yourself – knowing oneself, does not mean to know biographical data – but to know your potential, your talents, your capacity that God

has put in us, then follows ‘self-care’”, said Dr Shomali.

“At the stage of self-care one has to work on one’s belief, action, the qualms of one’s heart, and try to keep close to God so that process never stops. So you cannot say I finished one stage and start another. All the stages require continuous attention. We divide these elements just to understand them better otherwise one does not finish and another starts”; explained Dr Shomali. He reminded the audience of the importance of not having bad feelings in the hearts as these will decrease the value of our good deeds and actions.

He further explained that among the good virtues and qualities of the heart some are more important than others, such as love, compassion but most important in Islam is commitment to the truth. He reiterated how he underlines this point when he teaches ethics to the Hawza students.

He said: “I believe that based on Qur’an and traditions, the most important thing is sidq (truthfulness) and commitment to haq (the truth) - all else emanates from this. He pointed that love for God should lead to love for the sake of God, and that a sign of getting closer to God is that you start loving other people. If you get closer to God your relationship with others will be improved.”

Dr Shomali quoted an Islamic tradition which says: ‘if you sort everything between you and God, everything between you and people will be sorted out by God.’ Dr Shomali concluded with a few statements on love for God saying that some people want to possess God which is wrong, as one should rise to God. One should be possessed by God. We should have a Godly vision instead of bringing God to our own level.

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On the Wings of Unity Following the recent visit of Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali to Sophia University in Italy, islam today asked him about the background, programmes and outcomes of this visit and how Shi’a Muslims and Focolare Christians have been developing mutual understanding and cooperation

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to Italy, Canada, Indonesia, Lebanon, Poland, the Philippines, USA and many other places. Here I just refer to our visits to Loppiano in general and Sophia University Institute in particular.

Our first visit to Loppiano was in 1999, on the eve of the new millennium. In May 2010, I took a group of PhD students from the Dept. of Religions of the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute in Qom to Italy to I can see some of the visit some Pontifical universities and qualities in some of the some Catholic institutions and practices of the Focolare organisations. A highlight of that trip was visiting Loppiano.

Movement that should An interesting development took place be present in the in May 2013 when my wife and I took a believers, especially the group of 10 female students from the helpers of Imam Mahdi(a). Jami’at al-Zahra, made up of peoples from different nationalities, from Qom For example, they act as to Italy. Most of our programmes were members of the same arranged by the Focolare Movement.

hat we learn from the Qur’an is that whenever there is darkness there will also be light, wherever there is difficulty there will be ease too. We are currently living in a world with many tensions, conflicts and wars, but thanks be to God, in the same world we have lots of people who are deeply committed to love, peace and charity, especially from among the believers in God. There are people who tirelessly work for unity and peace. For quite a few years we have come to know such groups of people among both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

"

We have had long-standing relations with some Christian movements and groups and despite our theological differences we have realised how many commonalities we have, not only in our understanding of God family as if brought up and humanity, but in understanding the by the same parents.

We had programmes and meetings in priorities for the religious work of today.

Rome, in Rocca di Pappa, in Castel These are people who believe there is Gandolfo and also Loppiano, a small village near Florence urgency to work for the sake of unity. where the movement has a citadel known as a 'Mariapolis'.

It is almost twenty years since we have established a This is a place individuals attend for their own religious relationship with the Focolare Movement during which we development. There are also families living there in a had many meetings and constructive discussions. This spiritual atmosphere of mutual cooperation and unity. connection started initially in the UK but soon it expanded On the last night of our trip we met the inhabitants of the

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town in a gathering held at the local auditorium and had a discussion centred on the concept of love. I personally experienced a great sense of unity as if our hearts where open to each other. I understand that the same was felt by many among those present.

In recent years the Focolare Movement have also established ‘Sophia University’ in Loppiano which offers postgraduate studies.

After this meeting another turning point was the invitation of members of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue of Focolare Movement: Roberto Catalano and then coresponsible Christina Lee, together with Paul Lemarie, a member of the centre as well as a member of the Focolar from Loppiano and finally Stefania Tanesini. They visited us in Qom in April 2014 for one week where they were introduced to cultural, religious and spiritual aspects of the life of Shi’a Muslims.

That visit led to another trip in 2015 by about half a dozen sisters from Qom to Loppiano, to observe in more detailed some aspects of Focolare spirituality. The group travelled

from Qom and Dearborn and was supposed to stay for four weeks. My wife and I also joined them from London and were supposed to stay with the group for a few days and then return. However due to the loss of my wife’s passport, our stay was extended unexpectedly which turned out to be most useful. On Friday 20th Feb 2015, our Focolare friends organised a programme at ‘Sophia University’ where we met staff and students. I was asked to say a few words and I decided to talk about ‘wisdom’ which in Greek is ‘sophia’ from which the university takes its name.

I explained the Islamic point of view on wisdom and how it is a universal value, as anything truly wise belongs to the whole of humanity. In my talk I also mentioned the founder of the Focolare Movement Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) and my opinion about her wisdom and her practical spirituality through which she was able, not only to bring spirituality to the ordinary people but to build concrete realities based on it. This is an expression of wisdom, because wisdom is to bring abstract ideas into reality.

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In the same meeting, Professor Piero Coda, president of Sophia University, invited me to teach in a forthcoming course on interreligious dialogue. The course would - for the first time - feature lecturers from different religious backgrounds. He also invited me for a similar engagement in the Philippines.

or not. But we have to be able to say we have done our best.

Piero welcomed the idea and based on that we fixed the date for the first meeting to take place after the month of Ramadan. This was going to be a new and deeper initiative built upon our previous experiences. We agreed to call this new initiative ‘Wings of Unity’.

In April 2016, I visited Sophia University and delivered four lectures of one hour each on interreligious dialogue from an Islamic prospective. At the end, in a meeting with Piero Coda, I emphasised the necessity of a closer relationship to achieve a better understanding of what true commitment to unity requires from us. I said that the issue of unity and in particular how to unite believers has preoccupied my mind for many years. I said that I believe that if we do our best, God would certainly guide us and teach us what to do next, but in order to make sure that we have done our best we need to share our resources and exchange our ideas; otherwise we would not be able to say that we have gone through every possible avenue for better understanding. I said to him if I talk and discuss only with my own people using only my own resources I cannot say I have done my best and the same applies to him. I referred to what God says in the Qur’an: “As for those who strive in Us, We shall surely guide them in Our ways, and God is indeed with the virtuous”.

(29:69).

Therefore I suggested further meetings every so often to allow us to have detailed conversations on common interests and hopefully by recording and documenting our understanding we may be able to see if there is further grounds to continue

Our first ‘Wings of Unity’ meeting took place in Loppiano from 8th-10th July. A group of Focolare professors, staff and students from different parts of Italy also attended but there were more attendees from Sophia University and the Loppiano community.. From the Shi’a side there were five of us, from the UK, the USA and Italy. Piero Coda opened the meeting on the morning of the 8th July talking about the ‘Unity of God and in God’. He explained some of the mystical writings and experiences of Chiara Lubich. He referred in particular to the love for God the Father and love for one’s neighbours.

In the afternoon session I talked about the Unity of God and how in Islam tawhid (unity of God) shapes and forms every aspect of Islamic thought. I explained how over the years I have been thinking about the issue of unity to the extent that one could write a book on it and each chapter of this book can discuss one aspect of this unity. I started mentioning some titles for chapters of that book e.g. metaphysics and how in the ‘Transcendent Philosophy’ of Mulla Sadra we have a kind of monotheistic understanding of existence. I talked about ‘Illuminationist Philosophy’ of Sheikh Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi in his Hikmat ul-ishraq and his philosophical system, based on the concept of light. I talked about the Unity

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of God as the basis for morality in the Qur’an, as suggested

by Allamah Tabatabai. This was followed by further discussions.

The next day started with a comment from one of the professors from Sophia University. He remarked that as a PhD professor he had been teaching interfaith dialogue for a number of years, but this new initiative was the first time that he felt the presence of so much unity. He said he always tried to understand the other or look at the other in a way that he himself wants to be seen but this gathering went further, as if there was no ‘other’.

On the second day, Roberto Catalano gave a talk titled ‘Humanity as one family in Chiara ’. He explained how the Focolare Movement got involved in interreligious dialogue. Initially Chiara had thought that the Focolare spirituality was only for Catholics and then for the wider Christians but after some events she got the inspiration that this should be open to everybody. He mentioned how the movement got to know Warith Deen Mohammed, imam of the Nation of Islam and how she also visited Malik elShabazz (Malcolm X) Mosque in Harlem - New York. He further described her travel to India and her interaction with the Hindus showing a video of the trip.

In the afternoon I talked about my understanding of the plan of God for human guidance and the relationship between different prophets and religions.

Unity as a lifestyle using some of the analogies or parables that we have in Islam such as the community being like one body or one building. I explained how I can see some of the qualities in some of the practices of the Focolare Movement that should be present in the believers, especially the helpers of Imam Mahdi(a). For example, they act as members of the same family as if brought up by the same parents. My presentation was followed by further discussions after which some suggestions were made about our next steps.

Professor Piero Coda suggested we define the mission statement of the ‘Wings of Unity’ initiative therefore it was decided that there would be two co-directors, Prof. Piero Coda and I, coupled with a council made up of four Focolare members and four Shi’a Muslim members. God-willing, Wings of Unity will continue its discussions, joint courses and joint publications. There will be courses on theology and spirituality of unity for both Muslim and Christian youth, Imams, priests, monks and activists. A book will also be produced on unity, faith, identity etc. based on the questions which will be raised by the youths in the courses next summer.

In brief, I can say that this meeting and exchange in Loppiano was very special and a memorable experience.

Everyone was deeply moved by this experience of unity and expressed a desire in its continuation. We thank God for this great gift of friendship and unity and request Him to help us to move forward.

On the morning of the third day two professors from Focolare spoke about Unity as Lifestyle according to the Christian Focolare perspective. I also presented our perspective about

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The World Council of Churches I

n the Christian world Catholics are centralised under dialogue, I gave another lecture on Muslim Christian the authority of the Pope while Orthodox and relations. especially Protestant Christians have many different A few months ago, I was invited by the Ecumenical Centre of denominations. In Geneva, there is the headquarters the World Council of Churches to teach in their annual of the World Council of Churches which is an umbrella summer course. Every summer they offer a three-week organisation for 345 churches, both Orthodox and course for Muslims, Christians and Jews from different Protestant, with an executive committee that meets countries. Apart from studying it also gives them a every three months. They have maintained a chance to live together and experience and dialogue with Shi‘a Muslims for over 20 develop honest friendship. years.

The course is structured in a way that Every In November 2015, I was part of a Muslims, Christians and Jews listen delegation participating in a and attend each other's summer WCC offers a threedialogue looking at ways to presentations. My task was to week course for Muslims, prevent violence, especially in the deliver two sessions of 90 name of religion. Among the minutes introducing Islam Christians and Jews from different delegates were members of the followed by a Muslim lady, a countries.Apart from studying it also scholar from Lebanon, who was Anglican Church, the Armenian Church, the Church of Pakistan supposed to talk about migration gives them a chance to live and Shi‘a Muslims from Iran. in Islam. Every year there is a together and experience and I travelled from the UK and there theme and this year the theme was were other participants from migration, reflecting the recent large develop honest Germany, Iran Lebanon, Pakistan, scale exodus affecting Europe. The friendship.

Switzerland, the United Kingdom and course also includes spiritual sharing and United States of America. The discussion was scriptural reasoning sessions as well as visits of very positive and fruitful. I provided a Shi‘a perspective on the United Nations, the World Council of Churches, how to address the problem of violence in the name of mosques and the Museum of the Reformation in Geneva. religion and explained that there are three elements in the Having accepted the invitation I travelled to Geneva from 26Shi‘a Islamic teaching namely rationality, spirituality and 28 July. There I met some of the professors and had informal search for justice that when applied correctly can help to meetings and discussions with the students but the main avoid extremism and fanaticism. This point was unanimously activity was to deliver the course. I started my presentation by accepted by all delegates who saw them as positive elements providing some statistics about Islam and Muslims in general, for any religious tradition to consider. In that round of giving an overview of the landscape of Islam followed by

‘

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The director of the Islamic Centre of England, Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, explains the background to Shi‘a Muslim relations with the World Council of Churches following his recent trip to Geneva

information on the historical background. This was particularly well received especially by non Muslims. I made references to the Bible, in particular to Genesis, where the prophesy about the 12 leaders that will descend from Ishmael(a) is told and I also explained how from the two sons of the Prophet Abraham(a) we have the descendants of the Arabs from Ishmael(a) and Jews from Isaac(a). Then I explained how Islam was introduced by the Prophet Muhammad(s) as a continuation of the tradition of Abraham(a) and cited verses from second chapter of the Qur’an which describe Abraham(a), Ishmael(a), Isaac(a), Jacob(a) and their descendants as followers of one religion that is Islam, in the sense of submission to God. The Prophet Muhammad(s) therefore reinstated the religion of Abraham(a).

After this introduction I began to talk in general about the common beliefs of Muslims and also mentioned the differences among them where relevant. Using as a textbook my book, Islam: Doctrines, Practices & Morals, we began to discuss the sources necessary for understanding Islam. I explained that the Qur’an, the most important source for Muslims, represents God’s revelation word by word. If our Christian friends want to understand how important the Qur’an is for Muslims, it might help to think of the Bible and Jesus(a) all in one, since for Christians Jesus(a) is considered as revelation from God - “word was made flesh.”

Continuing with the Qur’an, I said that this book is the same

for all Muslims across the world. I then discussed the meaning of the sunna (traditions) of the Prophet and the significance of the sunna for Muslims followed by an introduction of the Ahl ul Bayt(a) - The Prophet’s Family - and explained how respected they are by all Muslims, but emphasising the very special place it occupies in Shi‘a Islam.

I also introduced the other sources of Islam like ijma‘ (consensus) and ‘aql (intellect)... Then I spoke about Islamic doctrines such as Tawhid (unity), explaining the meaning of ‘unity of God’ and how the unity of God is reflected in creation and revelation, meaning that the essence of revelations is the same, originating from the One God. I also explained how unity of God should be reflected in the unity of mankind. Then we discussed divine justice explaining that this is accepted by all Muslims but with degrees of difference existing among the various schools. We touched upon the importance of social justice and how the unity of God should be reflected in the unity of mankind.

Next we addressed the subject of prophethood. I said that God has provided guidance to humanity in the form of intellect but also by sending messengers to every nation. I said how some messengers came with specific scriptures like Abraham(a), Moses(a), Jesus(a) and Muhammad(s) and explained the relationship among the various scriptures and how the Qur’an is considered the last of God’s revelations to humankind. A discussion of the differences between the concept of Imamate according to the Shi‘as and the

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Caliphate for the Sunnis was included. I spoke about the Twelve Imams and the concept of the Mahdi who according to the Shi‘as was born around 869 CE and is still alive (but in occultation) while for most Sunni Muslims he is yet to be born. Both denominations have narrations that describe how the return of Jesus(a) will take place at the same time as the reappearance of the Mahdi(a).

Resurrection and accountability before God on the Day of Judgement were also discussed before going into an introduction of Islamic religious practices which included the daily prayers, almsgiving, fasting in other religions and in Islam, hajj (the pilgrimage), and the connection of this ritual to the prophet Abraham(a). I explained the meaning of the term jihad understood to be a struggle in the way of God in order to bring good to one’s personal life, family or the community/society. This can be carried out by ‘pen’, by ‘tongue’ or through ‘medical help’. Jihad can also include the defence of one’s country against invaders or helping oppressed people. All types of jihad should be conducted with pure intentions and only for the service of God, truth and not for any personal or sectarian gain. An introduction to the concept of ‘enjoining the good and prohibiting the evil’ was given explaining how every Muslim should try to help others in their journey towards perfection.

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In the second session, I gave an introduction to the Muslim way of life based on moral virtues.

Perhaps for some students this part was more interesting judging by the comments received afterwards.

I talked about those values that relate to our relationship with God like remembrance of God, trusting God, servitude to God, and repentance. Then we moved on to the relation with one’s self, how we should be controlled in our desires and emotions to make sure that they do not lead us into immoral actions. We discussed self-purification, reasoning, thinking, learning and busying oneself with one’s own problems instead of finding problems in other people. Then I moved to values with respect to other human beings in general, with our parents, our children, elderly people, the sick. Not to be missed was our relationship with the environment. At the end, we had a Q&A session.

Overall it was a very good experience for me and I hope also for the participants. People showed much interest in learning about the connection between Prophet Ismail(a) and Ishaq(a) and how the Prophet Muhammad(s) comes from the same line of Abraham(a). Particular interest was shown in the moral and ethical life; more specifically when I spoke about humbleness in the relationship between different divine Prophets and religions and how they are basically from the same substance.

I also talked a little bit about my understanding of the relationship between Islam and Christianity and the importance of improving this relationship.

There was also an opportunity to discuss with the director of the ecumenical centre of the WCC the idea of having a

A

The chu Init adh Its from var The clai con The with

workshop on interfaith for about 20 Shi‘as from the UK and other countries who are or would like to be active in this field. This would give them a chance to know the Reformation and Protestant movement more closely and also to visit the WCC and the Geneva HQ of the UN insha Allah.

A brief history of WCC The World Council of Churches is an umbrella organisation established to promote ecumenical encounters among all Christian churches. Its formation was the direct consequence of the first national world assembly of churches held in Amsterdam in 1948.

Initially it comprised only 147 Protestant churches and a few representatives of the Orthodox Church. These later increased to 340 adherents, including all denominations of the Orthodox churches.

Its current membership is 349 organisations. The membership is made up of most of the main Christian churches with the bulk from Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox denominations. The Catholic Church is not an official member although it is present in the various gatherings as an observer.

The WCC is based at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation's members include denominations which claim to collectively represent some 590 million people across the world in about 150 countries, including 520,000 local congregations served by 493,000 pastors and priests, in addition to elders, teachers, members of parish councils and others.

The objective of the WCC is to move principally towards the unity of Christians, but latterly it has also established ecumenical activity with members of other faiths.

Photograph: The founding of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam - 1948

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Palermo: a historical host Amir De Martino reports on the 28th Congress of the Union Européenne des Arabisants et Islamisants (Union of European Arabists and Isalmists) from Palermo Italy

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he biannual academic conference of the Union Européenne des Arabisants et Islamisants (UEAI) on the theme ‘Re-defining a Space of Encounter Islam & the Mediterranean; Identity, alterity and interactions’, was held between the 12th and 15th of September in Palermo, Italy. The event was organised by the UEAI and the University of Palermo and sponsored by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sicily Region and the City of Palermo. Founded in 1962, the Union Européenne des Arabisants et Islamisants is the most prestigious association of European Arabists and Islamicists with over 300 senior scholars of Arabic and Islamic studies representing most European nations.

In this year’s congress, 120 scholars from all parts of Europe presented papers over a period of five days. The work of the conference started with an inaugural session held in the Great Hall of the Palazzo Steri with welcoming speeches by Prof. Fabrizio Micari, Rector of the University of Palermo, Prof. Leonardo Samonà, Director of the Departmentof Humanities, Prof. Antonino Pellitteri, University of Palermo, Prof. Leoluca Orlando, Mayor of Palermo, Prof. Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, President of the UEAI. The opening lectures were delivered by: Prof. Mohammad Ali Shomali (Director of Islamic Centre of England - London) , Prof. Mohamed Hassen (Faculté des Sciences Humaines et Sociales, Université de Tunis) and Prof. Antonino Buttitta (University of Palermo).

Both academic and political personalities spoke about the significance of having this congress in Sicily – Palermo is a region with a rich history formed by layers of cultural experiences, a result of the variety of people that have conquered and settled in it.

From the various discourses it was clear that the inhabitants of this land proudly recognise and celebrate the history of this land and its people have much in common with the people of the African side of the Mediterranean. In fact from

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UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI PALERMO

827 to 1061, Sicily was under Arab rule. They had taken it from the Greek Byzantines. Arab Islamic rule of the island represents a period of enlightenment in which cultural, social and economic reforms had a profound and longlasting impact. Arab rule in Sicily passed through three North African dynasties: the Aghlabids, the Fatimids, whose power base was in Cairo, and then the Kalbids. In 948 Hassan al-Kalbi declared himself Emir of Sicily, but he was challenged by rival “emirates” which emerged on the same island. Eventually the island was divided into three administrative districts, whose names survive still today: Val di Mazara, Val di Noto and Val di Demone. By becoming part of the Islamic world Sicily joined the most advanced civilisation of its time and benefitted enormously. New agricultural techniques were introduced which gave birth to new crops such as almonds, aniseed, apricots, artichokes, cinnamon, oranges, pistachio, pomegranates, saffron, sesame, spinach, sugarcane, and watermelon. Eventually after nearly 200 years of Islamic rule new conquerors descended upon this rich and fertile land. These were the Normans, the same people that conquered England.

The Normans were quite appreciative of superior civilisation and admired the rich and layered culture in which they found themselves, taking on the attributes of Muslim rulers in dress, language and literature. Soon the court of Roger II became the most luminous centre of culture in the Mediterranean, attracting scholars, scientists, poets, artists and artisans of all kinds.

In Arab-Norman Sicily laws were issued in the language of the community to whom they were addressed: governance was based on the rule of law so there

was justice. Muslims, Jews, Byzantine Greeks and Latin Normans worked together to form a society that created some of the most extraordinary buildings the world has ever seen.

Indeed, for a brief period of history Arab-Islamic-Norman Sicily was the most civilised place in the western world. This cohabitation however come to an end when the Normans were superseded by the Hohenstaufens and there began a deliberate policy of genocide against the Muslims and the Jews which made the high culture of the past a recent memory..

It is a memory with which the participant and organisers of the 28th Congress of the Union Européenne des Arabisants et Islamisants are fully cognizant. It is in this spirit that the objective of the congress has been to initiate and facilitate a better understanding of the Arabo-Islamic culture of the Mediterranean not only in academia but also at a social level with cultural exchanges via the work of universities and the involvement of organisations and institutions outside of the athenaeum.

In this respect the organisers of the congress in cooperation with Department of the Region of Sicily and the office of Mayor of Palermo arranged a workshop in one of the many historical palaces of Palermo ‘Palazzo Cefala’, with the title “Besides the tunnel. The role of Universities and Culture.”

The members of the panel were: Dr Sebastian Guenther, (University of Goettingen and vice president of UEAI), Dr Adham Darawsha (Consulta of Culture), Prof. Georges Dorlian (University of Balamand – Lebanon), Prof. Mohamed Edweb (University of Tripoli), Prof. Mohamed Hassen ( Faculté des Sciences Humaines et Sociales – Tunis) Prof.

Antonino Pellitteri (University of Palermo), and Palermo councillor Giusto Catania.

The discussion centred on the importance of culture and how the universities can work or contribute in this area. The role of the student appears to be fundamental through programmes of exchanges with universities across the Mediterranean area in order to help further understand each other’s cultures. The panellists expressed regret that at present these exchanges are not taking place because of the current upheavals in Arab and Muslim countries of the region.

It was in this context that Dr Shomali set the tone of his speech in his inaugural address to the participants of the congress. He underlined the importance of one’s identity

and of understanding our own position in relation to the ‘other’, not in an exclusivist and distancing way but an inclusive and connecting one. He further stressed that creating an identity based on fear and exclusion does not work in the world we are living in now.

If we reflect on how religions, cultures and traditions have developed we will realise that there has always been a central question and that is how to keep the adherents of one’s faith and how to convince them that by remaining on ‘the inside’ of the circle of a particular religion, tradition or culture they would be better off. This is very much related to issue of identity, understanding your position in relation to other people. Unfortunately, and no religion is exempt from it, to demonstrate this is to distance ourselves from others. So it means instead of being more constructive and productive in saying what we are, we focus on saying or demonstrating what we are not.

For example if I am a leader, Muslim, Christian or Jewish, and I am trying to keep my community together to make sure they do not deviate from the path, I may say, if you stay with us you will go to heaven and if you go to others you will go to hell.

This is a kind of identity which is based on fear and exclusion. This type of thinking will not work in the world we are living in today. (text of Dr Shomali’s lecture on next two pages) The initiatives of the Mayor of Palermo with regard to facilitating the settling of people of other cultures and religions in the city of Palermo are significant. Acknowledging the role and contribution that they make to the city the Mayor set up a body made up of representatives of various ethnic communities that will give them a voice and is directly connected to the office of the Mayor. The body is officially known as the Consulta of Cultures. The Consulta is supposed to represent all those who have a non-Italian nationality or who have acquired Italian citizenship. This is a consultative organ that will advise local politicians on administrative and political decisions that affect their lives.

During the closing remarks of the 28th congress of the UEAI Professor Pellitteri explained how it has been the intention of the scientific committee of the congress to involve various sections of the city rather than only the university. Dr Pellitteri thanked all the participants and organisers giving a special thanks to all students who volunteered to help in the day to day running of the congress. Their involvement underscores how ultimately they must be the beneficiaries of all this work.

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Identity & the Other Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali's address at the 28th Congress of European Professors of Islamic and Arabic Studies - Palermo - Italy 12th September 2016 Peace be with you. Assalaamun Alaykum In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

I’m very delighted to be here today with you in this beautiful, historical place, and also on a day that we celebrate the great Feast of Adha – or the feast of sacrifice when God accepted the offer of Abraham and indeed ransomed Abraham’s offer of sacrificing his son with a sheep. We know that this day will be a blessed day for all people, all over the world.

I have been to Italy many times. Since 1999 I have been coming to Italy but not to this part of Italy. So it is also a new experience for me to be here. I always love to come here because we keep talking about Sicilia in Iran but this is the first time I have the honour of being here. And therefore I am grateful to God the Almighty for this blessing and grateful also to Professor Pertili and the organisers of this conference.

What I would like to share with you are a few reflections.

These reflections are something that I say, but not necessarily as a Muslim. I think these are reflections that we as human beings and as believers in any kind of revelation may share. I would be very delighted to receive your comments and ideas afterwards.

If we reflect on the way religions and cultures and traditions have developed, we realise that there has always been a central question, and that is how to keep your people – your adherents – together; how to convince them that by being and remaining inside the circle of this religion or tradition or culture, they will be better off; and how to make sure that they do not go away. This is very much related to the issue of identity, and understanding your position with respect to other people.

Unfortunately, many times – and I don’t think any religion or tradition here is an exception – many, many times, the way to prove and demonstrate that you would be better off remaining in this circle/religion/tradition, was by distancing yourself from others. So instead of being more constructive and productive and saying what you are, the focus was on what you are not. And this, I think, is a problem.

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So for example, if I’m a Muslim or Christian or Jewish leader, in order to keep my community together and make sure that they don’t deviate or go astray, I will say, “If you are with us you’ll go to Heaven, if go to the other direction, you’ll go to hell.” “Do you want to go to hell?” “No.” So you remain with us.

So this is a type of identity which is based on fear and exclusion. And for sure, this type of understanding is not going to work in the world that we live in today. If it has worked in the past, it is because there were so many different types of distances – not only geographical, but cultural, communicational, and other types of distances. The world was very divided. You could live in a town or even a country in which you have no people of other faiths.

This is not the world of today. And this type of fragile understanding of your identity and of your religious affiliation is not going to work in this world, and definitely not in the future. We need to have a different type of understanding that is based on what you have and what you can offer to other human beings, and what you can appreciate of what they have, and how to relate to them.

Being able to relate to other people is a very essential part of every person’s identity today. I cannot be a good Muslim today or a good Iranian today unless I know how to relate to other people, how to accommodate them in my own identity.

And for sure for us as believers in God this is also a very important part of our faith. How can we believe in God, the One, the creator of all mankind, and then fail to care for part of the creation of God? For us, not only is every human being unique, and every human being carries the sign of God, but also every animal, every bird, every insect, every flower, every drop of water is significant because it is a sign and manifestation of God. So now, we need to rethink our understanding of our identity. Let me give you an example. If you look at the human body, for sure we have different organs and different parts. We have our eyes, our ears, kidneys, a heart. Every organ has some function; every organ has some identity.

But if their understanding of their role is to exclude others,

to boycott others, to attack others, then we are not going to survive. You can be a kidney, you can be an eye, you can be an ear, you can be a heart, you can be a brain, you can be a hand or leg, but you can only survive if you understand how to relate to others and define for yourself a role in a bigger unity.

Or for example, we can be citizens of different cities in a country. We can, for example, be from Palermo, we can be from Rome, […] or Florence. There are two ways of understanding ourselves. One is that our city is the only city that matters in the world. We are special people. We are unique. We don’t bother ourselves with what is happening to the rest. Or we can be proud of being citizens of this city, but at the same time be respectful to other cities; help them develop and prosper because we know that in a more developed Italy, we would all be better off. Or we would be better off if we have a better Europe, or a better globe.

So, this type of understanding is, I think, what we need. And when I look at the Qur’an, I see that this is actually the plan of God. God has done lots of things in His creation and legislation so that we would move towards unity. But unfortunately, the sad reality is that even with the things that God has given us to unite us, we started fighting.

There’s a beautiful verse in the Qur’an which talks about people initially being a united nation: (Mankind were a single community).

There was a time when people were all united, but then they started differing. Then they started conflicting. And then God had to send prophets with codes of law to save them from those differences. But do you know what happened?

They started differing on those codes of laws. So Moses came, Jesus came, the Prophet Muhammad came. They brought unity to people, but then afterwards their own followers started fighting over what was supposed to bring unity.

And sometimes people of the same religion excommunicate each other, kill each other. And now you can imagine what they may do with people of other religions.

Is this the plan of God? No. The plan of God is that

humanity should get united around the truth. But He doesn’t want to force His plan: (Had God wished, He would have brought them together on guidance).

Had He wanted, He was able to bring us all together around the truth by force. But God doesn’t do things by force. He gives us the idea; He helps us, He inspires us, but He also asks us to take over the job. And this is what we need.

And I think one of the places in which we can try to establish a model of mutual recognition, mutual respect, mutual love, and unity, is in this part of the world around the Mediterranean. There are so many opportunities here, especially a long history of living together and understanding each other’s language – not only the language that we speak, but the language that we think in and the language of the heart.

As I listened to what the mayor of Palermo said and the way he respects the cultures of his fellow Muslim citizens, it gave me lots of hope. This shows that we can have this model of respect and unity in a place like Palermo. I think then, by showing this and offering this testimony to other people in other parts of the world, they would all be inspired, because I think that what we very much lack today is good examples.

Bad examples are there and they are also advertised, publicised, and magnified.

But good examples, unfortunately, are not as well publicised..

So I am grateful to God that we have such a beautiful cohesion between Islamic culture, Christian culture, European, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean - all different types of cultures here. And I’m sure that if we understand how to relate to each other in a constructive way, each of these subcultures would be better off, and the unity that we establish would put us in a good position to be able to relate to the rest of the world.

Thank you very much for your attention. (In the end our claim is that all praise be to God, Lord of the worlds).

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Un d e r s t a n d in g G o d ’ s Pl a n What we mean by God’s plan

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want to say a little bit about what God’s plan is – although I am very insignificant and I could not begin to say for sure what God’s plan is. But at the same time I think there is something in God’s plan that He wants us to understand. I will therefore try to say to God and to you believers in God what I think is God’s plan.

My understanding of God’s plan, based on philosophical thinking and on the Holy Qur’an, is that He wants humanity to be united around the truth, but not by force. He did not want us to be created as united people by force. He wants us to choose freely to be united. Unity is something that cannot come by force; it has to come by love. The Qur’an says: ‘And should their aversion be hard on you, find, if you can, a tunnel into the ground, or a ladder into sky, that you may bring them a sign. Had God wished, He would have brought them together on guidance. So do not be one of the ignorant.’ (6:35) Had he wanted he could have put all people together under His guidance. He helps us and guides us to move towards unity, He inspires us, but He does not force us to establish this unity. Therefore, God has done two things: 1. In creation, He has created us from the same mother and father.

The fact that God is our creator should be enough for us to feel united, but on top of that God has created us from the same father and mother, and this should give us the sense of being from the same family. Even if we were not from the same mother and father we should have still been united as human beings created by God, but with the same mother

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and father we have more emotional feelings that we are all children of the same father and mother.

2. The Qur’an says the reason behind giving us different colours and languages and being in different nations and tribes is so that we know each other, and so that we gain mutual knowledge and recognition.

If we all looked the same it would be boring. This diversity makes life better and makes the forging of relationships easier, as you can identify who is who. If we all looked the same we would just need different fingerprints, and whenever you met someone all you would need to do is to check the fingerprint to identify with whom you are talking.

This is the beauty of the colourful mosaic or carpet that we have - different colours in different places.

But unfortunately some human beings did not get the message, and they thought God has created people in different colours for them to claim they are better than others and cleverer. Some philosophers even did not understand this and they justified slavery by saying that some people are physically stronger and some are intellectually stronger, but this was not the plan of God. His plan was for us to be one family with different colours, so that there is more beauty, and so that it is easier to identify with one another and have relationships.

Revelation When it comes to revelation, what we understand from God is that God has not sent prophets with different messages.

To every nation He has sent messengers and these messengers have brought the same message. Perhaps the details are different, and it could be that there are some

Following an invitation by the Focolare Movement, Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, attended their summer gathering (The Mariapolis), in Ashburnham, England, where he had the opportunity to address the congregation. After introducing the history of the relationship between the Focolare Movement and Shi'a Muslims (see islam today issue 38) he delivered the following lecture:

variations in the conditions in order to address different issues, but the essence is the same. One of the beautiful things we find in the Qur’an is the use of ‘book’ – we say ‘people of the book’ for Christians and Jews, and perhaps even Muslims are ‘people of the book’. This means we all believe in the need for divine guidance and revelation. In the Qur’an we have many verses in which God talks about the book in singular form, for example: ‘If they impugn you, those before them have impugned [likewise]: their apostles brought them manifest proofs, [holy] writs, and illuminating book.’ (35:25) This verse mentions not ‘books’, but ‘book’. But in some verses we have for example that Mary believed in all of the ‘books’ of God, or believers believe in all the ‘books’; so is it ‘books’ or ‘book’? My understanding is that God has sent one book but it has manifested to us in books; it is one book but different editions or versions of the same book. If you read these books carefully you will realise it is one book from one source, not different books.

So the Qur’an says that God sent messengers and prophets to all nations and provided them with law after they started differing. There was revelation but then law came when they were divided. But, unfortunately, what happened was that the people who were given these messages and books to be saved from differences and conflicts started differing on the books; this means that there were differences before and also differences afterwards.

For example, Islam brought unity. In Medina, there were tribes killing each other and they were tired of this. They invited the Prophet Muhammad to come to Medina to bring peace. The Prophet brought unity to them, but then after he died again there was disunity.

This is unfortunately a common practice among human beings: God gives us something to unite us but after some time we learn how to fight over that unifying thing. Look at what happened in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and all religions: first we have something that unites us then we start fighting about this unifying factor. A leader comes but then after he passes away people start fighting over what he was teaching them.

God has a plan that we should be united but he does not force this; He keeps sending prophets and books calling for unity. The plan of God was not to have different religions but one religion and that is the submission to the absolute truth, beauty, and love; and that is one religion but we have given it different names. Then, even in the same religion we sometimes fight; we say ‘you are not Christian, I am a real Christian’, or ‘you are not Muslim, I am Muslim’ and we fight each other, kill one another, and excommunicate each other. Why is this so? We are all supposed to be believers in the same religion and that is submission to God, the absolute truth.

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person’s prophet and I can see beauty in all of them, and for us these things will be nothing but different signs of the same God and different manifestations of His. We need to move in that direction.

Such a practice is going to continue, but finally this world will reach a point that we will be united by our will and not by force. This world will not end without us being united around truth. Who is going to be the pioneer to take humanity to this unity? This is something we can hope to be qualified for, if we work hard. And if we do not do this and our generation does not manage to achieve this then another people and another generation will. But it will definitely happen. Humanity will be united and at the end of time we will no longer have different religions, different schools, and different orientations.

We will be able to understand how we all should really focus on God, the one absolute truth, and how we can love each other. I can learn from my prophet and from another

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What I have witnessed after so many years, and now it is perhaps nineteen years since we first met Focolare, is that I think the Focolare spirituality is a very important gift of God to move in that direction. And now, I think after nineteen or eighteen years, because since last year I have been saying this in public, I think with full trust that this is a right type of approach to unity.

And now I know why these people are so nice – they are really and truly nice! These are people who have tried to empty themselves of ego; they do not have hidden or selfish agendas; they want to serve God by being the voice of unity and love. This is what makes the Focolare very special.

Of course, thanks to God, I have seen other Christian and Muslim groups like this but for me Focolare are very special as I have spent more time with them and I have seen what they have done. So, whilst not denying or underestimating the efforts of other people, I can say with confidence that this is a movement that has been inspired and is helping us towards the direction of unity.

When work for unity is done properly, by its very nature it is not be confined to any tradition or denomination or religion. It is impossible to work for unity and be just

Catholic or Christian or Muslim or Shia or Sunni. Unity is such that if you work on it people will be happy to be with you; whereas if you stress on differences people will increasingly leave you. When we work on unity and on God Who belongs to everyone, then we will see more and more people coming to us.

It is interesting, as we heard today, that even Chiara at the beginning did not feel this spirituality will be for people outside the Catholic Church, but then she gradually realised how the spirit is working, and this is something that started in Northern Italy with some Catholic girls but it is not going to remain there, and God will take it to other places. It is our responsibility to help this message spread and I think this is

the message of all people who truly believe in God and the people who are well-informed about their faith, not ignorant or short-sighted or narrow-minded ones. Furthermore, any person who causes division, tension, conflict, or violence is someone who has not understood his faith. This is the least we can say, i.e. if there is no mischief in his heart then at least we can say there is ignorance. How can faith lead towards killing? How can belief in God bring tension, disorder, and conflict? It is impossible! Either the faith is not a real faith and is just a kind of mask to cover the reality or it is ignorance. True faith should always bring peace and unity to individuals, families, and local communities, as well as national and international stages. We have to build unity over unity. There is no way to confine unity to one space; unity spreads all over the world and we have to be voices and ambassadors for that.

Conclusion I want to thank God again for this gift of knowing the Focolare movement and knowing my Focolare brothers and sisters, and I pray that our journey be inspired all the way by God so we can better understand and fulfil our responsibility towards this unity.Thank you very much.

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Interfaith meeting at Lambeth Palace

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Aliya Azam reports on the meeting between ‘The Christian Muslim Forum’ and Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali at Lambeth Palace on 28th September 2016

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ollowing an invitation by the Christian Muslim Forum, Dr Shomali visited Lambeth Palace to meet the President of CMF, Bishop Toby Howarth and members of the Christian Muslim Forum.

During this fruitful meeting, it was suggested that the CMF should have groups of two people at a time to speak about what we have in common and what we differ on with respect to advocating for the other on different issues in the public domain.

It was agreed upon that if in private believers of these two Abrahamic religions disagree on issues, in public the feedback would be bland. We need to find voices not so often used and say to all that this is where the leadership is.

For example, on the issue of supplementary schools, one could say what supplementary schools do for the Muslim community and develop human resources so that the CMF can think about this and any future issues. Dr Shomali agreed with the idea and emphasised that it would be great for people to see Muslims and Christian together more in the public eye.

Dr Shomali discussed how we can develop our understanding of theology that paves the way for unity. He talked about the ‘Plan of God’ to have one religion. Islam is not a new religion; Abraham was the founder of Islam. We can look at each other as different branches of the same

religion or tradition. Dr Shomali said that we need to recognise that people share the same tradition. There is a greater picture; we should pull our resources so that at the end we have one school of God with the Prophets Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Muslims, Christians and Jews should not be divided and should not be forced to be assimilated.

We need to have a platform so that we can think together.

Reaching unity is too big a task to do it by ourselves. We need to sit together, share our resources and try our best to understand the best ways forward towards unity.

Dr Shomali continued: “We are preoccupied with differences but despite having these differences there is a great area of unity, we are united not diluted in theology. The greatness of God is not understood. When God’s light is shining everything else is small”. “Our love for God is sometimes confused. Some people love God as if they possess Him or have a monopoly over God. True love is to be possessed by God.” We need to think of opportunities to talk. We need to have a group that meets regularly.

We should seriously think of these issues and try to shed light on Islamic and Christian traditions. We are one community; there is something greater that keeps us together. We need two floors/levels, one level with scholars which moves at a faster pace and a grassroots level which works at a slower pace.

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A visit north of

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n the 29th and 30th September HujjatulIslam Shomali visited Scotland on the invitation of the Ahl Al-Bait Society Scotland, where he attended a number of programmes.

The main event was the Third Annual Peace and Unity Conference, organised by Ahl Al-Bait Society Scotland, in collaboration with The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought and other faith and community groups. The conference was originally conceived with the aim of bringing together Scottish officials, leaders of Muslim communities, university academics and people of other faith communities.

The conference, held at the Glasgow City Chambers on the 30th of September started with a private reception for special guests before the public event was held in the main hall.

The First Minister of Scotland and head of the Scottish government Nicola Sturgeon attended the event and addressed the audience. Her speech was followed by the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, Phil Gormley. Among other speakers were the director of Ahl-al-Bait Society Azzam Mohammad, Dr Lloyd Ridgeon from Glasgow University, Dr Ameli from The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought and other individuals involved in charity work.

The final part of the programme consisted of a Q&A session with a selected panel. The theme of this session was centred on three major questions: integration and community cohesion, interfaith and interfaith relations, and what faith communities can do in practical ways to preserve the environment.

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of Hadrian’s Wall

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Sheikh Shomali was one of the three panellists. He talked about issues related to community relations, interfaith and the environment.

This event which started four years ago has become a major programme in the Glaswegian calendar attended by over 250 invitees.

Visit of Shi‘a Imams to St Andrews Cathedral Prior to the Peace and Unity conference, Hujjatul-Islam Dr Shomali and other Shi‘i scholars visited St Andrews Cathedral (a Roman Catholic church). This was followed by a meeting with the Scottish Committee for Interreligious Dialogue, a Catholic organisation involved in inter-religious dialogue. The meeting is part of the dialogue among members of the Committee on the Unity of God which includes Christians and Muslims from various denominations .

Also on Thursday 29th September the group visited Sunni scholars at Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International in Glasgow. The brotherly encounter had no specific agenda although ideas were explored among Shi‘a and Sunni scholars on the possibility of setting up a permanent Shi‘a-Sunni Scholars Forum made up of individuals committed to unity.

In the evening of the same day, Dr Shomali attended a religious gathering of the Shi‘a community in Glasgow.

After the recitation of Du‘a Kumail, he gave a lecture about the connection between Imam Husayn(a) and Imam Mahdi(aj) exploring the best ways to commemorate the event of Karbala in a way to help us prepare for the coming of Imam Mahdi(aj).

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T h e p o we r o f r e l i g i o n i n m o ti v a ti n g p e o p l e Dr Shomali’s talk on community cohesion, interfaith relations and practical interfaith activities at the Third Annual Peace and Unity Conference - Glasgow

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e live in a world where diversity is increasing and much more cross-culturalreligious relations are emerging.

Unfortunately, many people think this diversity is a threat because their understanding of their own identity is based on what they are not, rather than what they are.

It was easy in the past, to say to people, you belong to this particular group. What does it mean to be Christian?

It is easier to explain it by just saying you are not Muslim or Hindu… Likewise, as a Muslim one can just simply say I am neither a Christian nor a Jew. The same applies to our national identities, our nationality for example, which may prevent us from mixing with our neighbour from a different nationality.

This kind of mentality is not going to work in today’s diverse world and certainly, will not work in the future characterised by an ever-increasing level of diversity.

We are in need of developing a better understanding of our identity based on the positive things that we possess.

We can be proud of our identity and with a better understanding of who we are, we should be able to open spaces for others. So instead of making your identity exclusive we should develop an inclusive understanding of it, keeping the differences. You are not going to compromise on the differences, actually, these differences are very valuable and they make the whole mosaic more beautiful.

We have to understand ourselves as parts of a larger unity, like the different parts of a body. Sometimes I use this example: Every part of our body is special. They are all different with a different function. They don’t believe

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that they can survive by disconnecting themselves from the rest of the body. They need to be connected to other parts and can thrive if the entire body (unity) thrives.

You can be proud of being Christian, Muslim, Jew or someone from any other faith. Be proud of your nationality but not at the cost of excluding others or saying negative things about others.

This, in my opinion, is what we understand from God’s plan. God has created us in different races and nations, not to fight or create negative ideas about each other but to come to a mutual recognition of each other. “O mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female and We made you nations and tribes that you may know one another.”(Qur’an 49:13) Imagine if we were all like robots, mass produced human beings who all looked the same, we would just need fingerprints to recognise who is who and that would not be beautiful. Diversity is really beautiful but we should understand we are not going to assimilate each other. We should keep our own identity but we can have a better understanding of other identities if we move towards establishing unity.

I think this is what we all have to learn. I don’t think any culture, tradition or community can say I know this completely, as we are all just trying to learn little by little.

What is very destructive in this process is the use of force.

If a community is forced to open up to be assimilated and integrated, then it goes into a defensive mode. If this happens it is the worst time for building relations. So people should feel comfortable, confident and secure, then they can open up. This is a beautiful thing that we

can see in Scotland, that people feel secure about their faith and culture, so they can open up. I hope this remains and becomes stronger.

On interfaith activities One of the most important initiatives for interfaith dialogue is to have a clear understanding of our role. Unfortunately, many of us see ourselves, be it as individual or faith denominations, as the centre of the world. Let me give you an example from mystical literature. It is said that once a person wanted to cross a river. The water was absolutely clean but his horse refused to move. The rider wanted to cross and he was trying to force the horse to move.

A sage was passing by and said he knew the solution. He put his hand in the river, shook it and made the water muddy. The horse started moving across the river. The man thought it was magic because without forcing the horse, the sage had made it move.

The sage said it was not magic. When the water seemed clean and clear it was like a mirror. The horse was seeing himself in the mirror and enjoying it, so it was not moving.

If you want to move forward, stop looking at yourself and look at the destination.

I think many of us in religion just see ourselves. We have to see God in religion and through God everything and every being. So I think this is a constant spiritual exercise for us.

We are on a very long journey to move away from the position in which we think we are at the centre of the world to the position where we want to get closer to the real centre of the world, God, who is the Lord of all nations and all creatures.

On the issue of the environment There have been many initiatives. We had a very good project many years ago when I was on my sabbatical in London. We had a good project with Hythrope College (London), under the title Faith in Creation. Over a period of one year, people from all Abrahamic traditions sat together and discussed problems and perspectives. We also had conferences with published works.

All religious leaders have concerns about this issue. Pope Francis issued a very important document about the environment and many of our great jurists have also issued many verdicts about the necessity of the preservation of our environment.

This is another area that if we involve religion and spirituality it can be very productive. No one should underestimate the power that religion has in motivating people. We religious people should look at nature as the manifestation of God. In every flower, in every drop of water, you can see the signature of God and therefore you would not dare to waste it and consume irresponsibly.

We have examples of our great scholars who were very hesitant in killing even a mosquito or a fly even though it may have been bothering them. They believed they are creatures of God and the maximum they could do is to divert them out of the room.

If we have that care and love towards nature that religion gives us we would be much more inclined towards protecting nature and we would work to leave this world in better health. The Qur’an tells us that one of the reasons God put us on this Earth is because He wants us to improve it, not to ruin or destroy it as is, unfortunately, the case today.

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Love in Religions The cutting-edge issue

The following is an abridged version of Hujjatul-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali‘s speech, delivered at the “International Consultation on ‘Love in Religions’: The CuttingEdge Issues" at the University of Oxford. Dr Shomali was one of three Muslims from among 18 scholars and lecturers from British and American universities

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I

am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to be with you and I am grateful to the organisers for having invited me.

What I want to share with you is a few points on Love, especially some points which I have been reflecting on during the last few years that, in my opinion, need to be worked upon. These have a pastoral and spiritual character and are not just theoretical.

As we know, and have heard from the Muslim scholars, the concept of love and all related topics are important and central to Islamic theology, philosophy, mysticism and spirituality. For example when we talk about the reason for creation, we have a well known divine saying where God says: “I was a hidden treasure; I loved to be known. Hence I created the world so that I would be known”. This means that God has created people so that He is known by them.

We also have a verse in the Qur’an where God says: “I have not created humans or Jinns, except to serve me”. This is further supported by hadith from the sixth Imam of the Shi‘a, Imam Jafar Sadiq(a) where ‘to serve me’ is also explained as ‘to know me’. Therefore, the love for God, irfan and spirituality are deeply rooted in the philosophy of creation.

Muslim philosophers and mystics such as Ibn Sina or Ibn Arabi have introduced an important idea (theory) which is called Sarayn al-‘ishq. The central concept is that everything in this creation has love and understanding; even things that we think are non-living beings. According to this understanding even a piece of wood has love. This is very much in line with the Quranic idea that everything in this world glorifies God. Therefore ‘love’ becomes a very important concept upon which many spiritual masters set their spiritual direction.

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There are different ways to get closer to God, but perhaps the easiest and the most fruitful one is through love.

Naturally, the starting point is the love for God. This means one has to act in a way to develop one’s love for God. We have a hadith, authenticated in many collections, in which God said to Moses(a): “Make me loveable to my people”. So Moses asked how? God replied “by reminding them of my blessings and my bounties upon them”.

In almost every book on Islamic spirituality, especially from the Shi‘a perspective, you find a hadith called ‘qurb-i nawafil' in which God says, “my servants never become closer to me by doing anything which is more loveable to me than performing their obligatory actions and then after that constantly by doing recommended actions. After making sure that they have performed their obligatory actions then they keep coming closer to me by performing the recommended actions” .

These actions are extra, and one could do these voluntary acts, like charity work or helping people, in addition to giving one’s obligatory alms. The hadith continues with God adding: “till I love him”. This is a special love. God loves everybody, but with respect to many people, God has also reservations. For example, God says to those who are lazy, I love you but I am not happy with your laziness. However, with respect to those mentioned in this hadith, God loves them, full stop. The hadith continues underlining this special love by saying: , “when I love him, I become the ear by which he hears, I become the eye by which he sees, I become his hands by which he holds…” ending with: “whenever he calls me, I answer. Whenever he asks me for something I grant.”

So this is the way to develop love for God, which is reciprocated by God in a very special way. What is important here is that we cannot develop love for God, unless we develop ‘love for the sake of God.’

This is where, unfortunately, many people get it wrong. to gain personal benefit from our actions, this is a problem.

People think they can focus on God and love Him, without If we are happy helping anyone who is working for God giving much attention to His creation. The Qur’an and then that is a sign of hope. God does not choose as His hadith tell us that love for God is not enough, as it should friend someone who has an ego or someone who has an lead to love for the sake of God. exclusivist approach towards people. If we want to be a There is a hadith from the Prophet which says: “By the One servant of God, then we have to be a servant of all God’s who has my life in His hand, if you want to enter heaven you creation. This, in my opinion, is our challenge. have to have faith, but if you want to have faith you have to love each other for the sake of God.” The second point is that there is not enough emphasis on I always remind myself and my friends that loving God is our need to love. We mostly talk about our need for love, not really a very difficult thing. You really have to be a very but we, as human beings, need to love too. If we don’t love, naive person not to love God. Loving God we are going to suffocate and die. does not need art, education or We have to emphasise in our "By the One who has intelligence. It is the most natural education, the need for loving as thing for us to love God and to without it we cannot grow as my life in His hand, if know what God is and what God human beings. you want to enter heaven loves. The challenge is to love you have to have faith, but if for the sake of God. The third point is that sometimes people, for you want to have faith you have If I say I am a lover of God example a mother, says to love each other for the sake only, this is the most natural that she does not get of God.” thing to me, but if I manage to say, enough love from her family I love for the sake of God, then that although she gives all her love Prophet Muhammad(s) is an achievement because we believe and attention to them and that everything is a sign of God. A bird, an she feels drained. It got me thinking insect, a drop of water, every leaf are manifestations of God why people who do bad things don’t feel drained but those and signs of God, and have the signature of God. So in the who do good deeds feel drained. Why do those who hate process of personal development, one has to reach this not feel this way? stage of loving everything for the sake of God. I think the problem here is again the way we look at love.

We think, by loving, we lose. Therefore we think “how much When reflecting on my own spirituality or of my community love can I give?” We say we are using up all our love but in or of humanity as a whole, I have noticed a few problems fact, the more you love the more generous you become. that I think we need to clarify.

This is another area that we have to work on.

One is that it seems we have two kinds of love for God. One The last point is how to merge our love for others, and by is very destructive. Most religious people have a destructive others I mean people with completely different love for God. We have what I call a ‘possessive love’ for God. backgrounds to us, with our understanding of our own We love God in the sense that we want to have a monopoly identity. I think in the greater part of the world today, our over Him. I love God as I love my car. No one has a right understanding of our identity is exclusive. For example if over my car unless I give them my permission.

Muslims and Christians live in a village, it would be very The real love for God is that we do not take God as an difficult to explain what we mean by saying what Muslim object of our belonging; instead we should be possessed by identity is, so it is easier to say, not to be Christian. What God. Instead of bringing God to a tribal, sectarian or a does it mean to be a Christian? Just not to be Muslim. This personal level, one should try to rise towards God. Instead is the way we are educated. Most of the time we talk about of limiting God and putting our ego and opinions forward what we are not and who we should not associate with, in His name we should say God wants us to serve rather than saying what we are, what we are capable of and humanity. Why? Because the way God looks at us is what are our common grounds. different to the way we look at others. So there are these This is the wrong attitude as we in fact should be proud of two different kinds of love - one is very destructive and who we are, but not at the cost of excluding others. another very productive. If we only converse or socialise with people similar to ourselves, for example with our Muslim or Christian brothers, this is a problem. If we tend

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Beyond just a

e

dialogu

On their recent visit to London Fr William Skudlarek and Fr Maximilian Musindai were invited to talk at the Hawza Ilmiya on their experience of interfaith activities. A couple of days later Islam today’s chief editor caught up with them for an interview. The following are highlights of the discussion that took place.

Q: Fr William, could you explain the purpose of your visit?

When we met in Qum-Iran last May during the 4th monastic interreligious dialogue it was decided not to leave too much of a gap between the meetings. We had been meeting back and forth between Qum and Italy for a while.

The first meeting was in Rome and the third one in Assisi.

In further discussions, it was suggested, that although it was very impressive, interesting and important for us to go to Iran, it was also difficult to obtain visas. I was told I was the first American arriving in Iran without a visa.

Besides this, the fundamental question of whether or not it was possible for our dialogue to be of benefit to others was raised too. We then agreed that the whole question of the relationship between Christianity and Islam in Africa is very important since recently it has been marked by dreadful incidents of violence. Then much to my surprise, Dr Shomali said, that there is a large presence of Muslim Shi’as in Kenya, which is also the country of Fr Maximillian.

So almost immediately we decided to have our next gathering in Kenya. My initial suggestion was that we could not repeat the same academic model where the participants present papers and afterwards we publish them. So our visit to London is partly to plan and organise the trip to Kenya.

Q: As a representative of the Catholic Church, what internal discussions have you had with regard to your engagement with members of the Islamic faith? Has there been a shift in the importance given to these encounters by the Catholic Church?

It is obvious that the increased presence or visibility of Islam in the West and by that I mean Western Europe and the United States has provoked a kind of attention to Islam that was not there as long as Islam was simply something

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seen from afar. Some Americans associate Islam only with the Middle East, forgetting that Indonesia is the largest Muslim country and there is a huge presence of Muslims also in India. But that recognition of the need to understand, to get to know Muslims specifically, and Islam as the principle, is evident, and also the recognition that if we don’t come to understand and know one another better, there is always an increased possibility of hostile relationships between two groups of people. This has led, at least for us in monastic interreligious dialogue, to an awareness that it is not only a matter of getting to know the religious traditions that are different to ours but that we share a common interest in drawing closer to God and letting God draw us closer to Him, because right at the heart of the Christian monastic tradition is the sense of the search for God: How we benefit from the way that another religion tradition understands, what it means to search for God or to be drawn to God or focus one's whole being on God. Q: One of the major problems identified with interfaith dialogues at ‘high levels’ is that it remains at those levels, it does not trickle down to the rest of the society. What strategy do you think should be taken to involve ordinary people?

One of the things I suggested for this meeting in Nairobi is that rather than speaking at the intellectual/theoretical level we share simple stories with one another. Stories of good and also bad relationships between Christian and Muslims and then we look at these stories almost as case studies. We ask ourselves what we have learned about the things that help us to come together and those that lead to hostility. This was discussed with Dr Shomali who suggested a theme for the next encounter in Kenya as ‘The unity of God and the unity in God’. Concomitant with this

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we will also want to explore the meaning of ‘mission’.

What does it mean to be in a relationship with people of another religious tradition without immediately thinking that the only reason we can have a relationship with them is to get them to accept that mine is the right path? This raised big questions, what does it mean to be a true and faithful Muslim or Christian?

Q: Would your meeting in Nairobi be in a more public setting?

We are planning two public events; one to take place in a Muslim (Shi‘a) setting and the other a Christian one. But most of the discussions will be in small groups of perhaps ten Muslims and 10 monastics, where we can talk more in depth about these issues.

Q: How much is the leader of the Catholic Church; Pope Francis involved in the interreligious dialogues?

Very much. I should say that his keyword for interreligious activity is ‘fraternity’. By that he means, to respect one another, and he is very concerned about working together for the good of humanity. He feels very strong and supportive of this. He would not be, very much, for sharing spiritual experiences, though.

Q: I was asked once what the purpose of these interfaith discussions is? What good comes out of it?

Who benefits from it? How would you answer this?

I refer to a German philosopher, who says “one who knows one language knows no language”. Or Shakespeare, who remarked: “I hate a man of one book”. Yes it is true we need to know our own religious identity, our own religious roots, but unless I can understand how they differ from another, I don’t really understand my own. So why should I get involved? I would say so that I can be a better Christian or a better Muslim.

Q: Fr. Maximilian, we understand you are conducting important research in the field of Islamic Studies for your PhD. Could you please explain how it all started?

A couple of years ago, the bombing of the American embassy in Nairobi and in Dar es Salam caused a lot of

frictions among Muslims and Christians in my country, Kenya. A few years later in 2001 came 9/11 in the US, this was a catastrophe and the society became deeply divided into two, Muslims and non-Muslims - the Fr William Skudlarek latter includes Christians and those with no religion. A question arose in my mind: Are these acts, perpetrated in the name of Islam in the world today, a representation of the true character of the Islamic religion? This prompted me towards researching more about Islam. At the time I had not undertaken theological studies. Later, by the grace of God, I was sent to Rome to start my theological studies. I finished in 2009 when the congregation of my religious community decided to answer my request to deepen my knowledge of Islam. I realised that to understand Islam I would need to start from the basics, learn the Arabic language. That was when I began my Islamic studies. I was sent to Egypt for one year to learn Arabic and then back to Rome to The Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies to finish my Master’s Degree, after which I went back to Egypt to start my Doctorate, and that is what I have been doing up to now.

Q: What have you discovered so far about Islam?

What windows have opened up in your understanding of Islam and Muslims?

I have gradually discovered that ignorance or little knowledge of others is a dangerous thing. I grew up accepting that this is the reality but without making any effort to delve deeper and find out the truthfulness or falsity of this idea. I have gradually discovered that there is a lot to Islam that we, outsiders, have come to know. A reading of the work of contemporary Muslim scholars, who have come out - especially after September 11th, shows that there is a great willingness to go back into the Qur’an and find in it the teaching materials that help them to interact with members of other religions. This is because, some traditional scholars, even contemporary ones, tend to be exclusivist and divisive. What these new scholars are doing is to understand what it is that divides and makes some Muslims think in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’. These scholars basically want to bring out the beauty of Islam and share it with the world so that we can coexist. The Qur’an says that Ibrahim, Joseph, Jacob were all Muslims and all prophets that

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lived before Muhammad were Muslims, so let us go back the original meaning and understanding of Islam.

Q: During your encounter with scholars of other major branches of Islam what are the marked differences that you have noticed, and would your approach be the same in terms of interaction?

Absolutely not, the exchange has to be different. When I talk to a Muslim Shi‘a I know that I am talking to a religious person who accepts that in the matters of salvation, and in Divine understanding, we need both faith and reason. For this reason, there is a huge difference between Shi‘as and Sunnis. I do not completely believe that there is no Ijtihad (independent scholarly reasoning) among the Sunnis, but it is more difficult to discuss it in public.

Among the Shi‘a it is different, we can sit and reason out, challenge our faith, challenge even our sacred scriptures, ask what is the meaning of different concepts? And what was the condition in which it came about? Shi‘a scholars will do this in public without any fear. I think this kind of analysis can bring us closer.

With Shi‘a Muslims, we also share the concepts of pilgrimage to spiritual sites. As you know in some Sunni sects pilgrimages to shrines, are forbidden and considered a bida‘, (innovation). Shi‘a Muslims believe in the sacredness of the holy places where special men of God are buried.

They have the concept of intercession and seek God’s favour through the help of role models such as Imam Husayn, Imam Hassan.

Then another concept that we share with the Shi‘a Muslims is the element of openness and authority. There is a welldefined hierarchy of knowledge and authority, similar to Catholicism, but it is not the same in the Sunni world.

Q: Fr William, Chronologically Islam is more than 500 years younger than Christianity. We can say that Christianity had to face certain historical challenges and developments. Do you think Islam has to go through the same challenges that Christianity faced?

How do you see the direction that Christianity has taken?

Islam, today, is more or less where Christianity was in 1300[CE]. I always wondered if there is a certain historical process in religious tradition, we have certainly seen it in Christianity, perhaps there is a need to engage our traditions, our sacred texts, with the mind. There is a sense that

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Catholicism was all about devotion with little engagement of the mind. I read once an appropriate sentence which said: “Jesus came to take our sins not our minds”. But you have to put a brake on it too because there is a risk one becomes just a rationalist. Deep within our Catholic Christian and Benedictine tradition, is faith, seeking and understanding. Faith is there, but faith not just in the sense of a blind acceptance, faith in the sense of trust and then understanding of why I trust. Why do I hand my life over to God? Why is this rational thing to do?

Q: Christianity appears to have retreated in face of the challenge of secularism, and Christian societies had to adapt their practices and spirituality. How would you assess the condition of Christian societies today?

Well, just today we were walking down the street, going to big huge St Augustine Church, built in 1898, splendid, imposing, and now crumbling. Yesterday I went to the hotel lobby, and I asked: ‘Do you have a list of churches in the area’, a young lady looked at me as if… ‘why… churches?’ It was striking to me. She probably thought, ‘what a crazy question to ask’.

Fr. Maximilian: We should remember that Islam is 600 years younger than Christianity, and if we look backwards to where the Christians were 600 years ago. You know what has happened until Pope John Paul II, during the Jubilee celebration, came out and said that the church confesses the sins it has committed against the Muslims. That was of very historical importance. The world we see now is the outcome of the mistakes we made as a religion.

The times are changing, the language is changing and inner religion is changing. Christianity has come through a particular culture, as has Buddhism and Islam, we have to bear that in mind. When I see a Muslim putting on hijab, for example, it is not for me to criticise, as I should first know how it has come about. I have to know the culture behind that hijab. Muslims have to do the same if a non-Muslim does something. They have to go and find out how their action has come about, what culture is behind it, before criticising. There is also a need to change our theological language. Christians, Muslims or members of other religions, if we continue to use hard language, the language of division, we shall remain with the same challenges. Language that says this person is Kafir and non-believer or saying that we are the only one who, through Jesus Christ, has been saved.

We have to go back and re-examine our theological language.

Father William: Even some of the most basic parts of Christian theological language we have to consider, words with which we refer to God, such as Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. That is a huge change. We have to be able to say that so much of our language at the very core of Christian faith and theology comes out under a very particular worldview, Greek philosophy. But it is still very delicate.

My knowledge of Islam is very little. But sometimes when I read through the pages of the noble Qur’an when in so many cases it says, God has no partners and this comes up again and again, I am wondering is this a kind of statement about the Christian way of talking about God that said God is three? The contemporary Trinitarian theology may say numbers has nothing to do with the trinity. But again the way we talk about it gives that impression and understandably. I think the Holy Qur’an, the revelation of Prophet Muhammad is . reacting and criticising that very crass way.

Fr Maximilian: Sura Ikhlas is the response to this.

Q: Fr Maximilian, how do you see the journey of humanity, what is it moving towards?

I believe things are changing but what kind of changes?

Human beings have a tendency to go beyond the limited boundaries of their religious groupings, people are embracing a global way of saying things and going beyond themselves, that is why a Christian can sit with a Muslim and share something that would not have happened a few years ago. The tendency to reach the other is increasing.

We are moving towards one religion, a global religion. We’ll converge.

Fr William: I try always to be an optimist, but I think something also needs to collapse. I don’t know how the economy is going to continue, but this house of cards has to collapse.

I think different kinds of things are coming. Ecologically, we face a huge crisis and I think we don’t really recognise that but suddenly as the ocean level increases…, again, I might be talking from a Christian perspective, but before there is going to be resurrection there has to be death. Something has to collapse. Then again who knows?

"..It is true we need to

know our own religious identity, our own religious roots, but unless I can understand how they differ from another, I don’t really understand my own. So why should I get involved?

I would say so that I can be a better Christian or a better Muslim.

Amir De Martino: We have no exact understanding of those Christians with whom the Prophet Muhammad interacted with and what their exact belief system was, but it seems the response must have come to that. They would have been Christians of Arabia, Southern Yemen and the region. However, from a historical perspective, we understand, the Prophet clearly directed that the Christians in the monastery should not be touched, because he certainly recognised their belief system.

Q: What are the challenges ahead? How would you see Christianity in 100 years?

Fr. William: It would certainly be different. Again the pace of change is so rapid with so many different forces at work but this is not the first time a very secular spirit has arisen. Take the French Revolution, think of Russia, when they said, ‘finally we got ourselves rid of God’, ‘now is time for workers’, ‘for common good’, and then all changed. Certainly out of the French Revolution came a life of Catholicism, it just blossomed, many new religious orders, great intellectual activities came about, but if you look at 1789 -1793, religion was over, religion was removed from our society in the name of Laicite.

Amir De Martino: It seems that dialogue and religious exchanges are of the utmost importance for the future generations. I have this image of the first community of Muslims that took refuge in Abyssinia where no one else would help them. They were the guests of the Negus, a Christian king who gave them refuge until it was safe for them to join the Prophet Muhammad(s) in Madina. They resided for several years in Abyssinia were they lived in harmony with the host nation.

Fr William is the General Secretary of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue.

Fr Maximilian

is currently doing a PhD in

Arabic and Islamic Studies.

They are both Benedictine monks and have been involved in rounds IV, V, VI and VII of the Catholic Shia dialogue.

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C a n we c a l l ourselves ' one fai th' ?

Christians and Shi‘a Muslim Scholars met to explore each other’s faiths at London Interfaith Centre. Khawther Ayed reports

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he Christian Muslim Forum in partnership with The Islamic Centre of England and The London Interfaith Centre, held an interfaith event titled: ‘Can we call ourselves one faith?’ The event was held on 19th February at The London Interfaith Centre, with the participation of a number of guests and started with a generous lunch. The aim of the event was to tackle the subject in question from a variety of perspectives in two sessions.

The chairman for the first session, Dr Chris Hewer, has over thirty years’ experience in teaching Islam through lectures, in person and on television. Since 1986 Dr Hewer has devoted his life to Christian-Muslim relations through his work in countless institutions in Birmingham and London.

Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, the first speaker, holds a BA and MA in Western Philosophy from the University of Tehran. Dr Shomali also earned his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Manchester. He has co-edited a number of books discussing the relationships between Catholics and Shi‘as and is well known for his numerous and successful interfaith initiatives both in the UK and around the world.

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Dr Shomali said that the issue of belonging to one faith or not is a very important issue as a Muslim. If we go back to the works on religions or history of religions we find everything is classified and there is a big wall between religions and even between denominations. However, what God has given humanity, as a way of life and practice, has always been the same. Whether we recognise this or not that does not change the reality. Commitment to that one thing is absolute truth if you can commit yourself to the absolute truth then you are a servant of God. God has sent messengers to all nations. The Qur’an says God sent all messengers with the same message. Tawhid is the most fundamental principle. Regarding all the children of Adam the Qur’an says that God has made a covenant with us and that we are not to follow Satan, but to serve God. This is the right path.

The first messenger who brought the sharia was Noah - the Qur'an says that we have the same sharia as the one given to Noah. It is one code of law that can be updated or changed depending on the situation. The relation between Abraham and Noah is that Abraham was one of the followers of Noah, although Abraham himself was a great messenger.

When the Qur’an talks about the concept of the Book,

sometimes the divine books are mentioned in the plural form.

For example, the Qur'an says: “The believers believe in God, in His books and in His messengers." When it comes to what God gave to the prophets, the Qur'an says that the messengers brought Kitab Muneer, the Illuminating Book!

In conclusion, Dr Shomali said that there is only one way for man to get closer to God, and in this way develop himself and move towards perfection. The only way is to commit and submit himself to the truth to the best of his understanding and capacity. He should always be open to the truth, no matter who is talking about it or presenting it. He should always try to discover the truth and commit himself to the truth. This is the only one faith that God is pleased with.

relationship with God. Obviously, there are differences in our beliefs and practices. In terms of beliefs there are some very profound differences, but in many ways when I meet or talk with my Muslim neighbours, I do not feel we are that different.

For a start, we will both use the language of God (or Allah), and though in the end, we cannot describe God, we may talk about how God relates to us in similar language.”

Further reiterating Dr Shomali’s beliefs about our purposes, Laurence Hillel stated “I also know that we both will accept that our life on earth has a purpose and that purpose is the purpose for which we have been formed. Ultimately the only meaning that we have in life is in terms of our ‘relationship’ with God.”

After a Q&A session, the chair of the second session, Catriona Robertson, introduced the next speakers, Dr Amina Inloes, followed by Revd Laurence Hillel. Ms Robertson is part of the Christian Muslim Forum and writes on multi-faith topics for the London Boroughs Faith Network.

To wrap up the successful event, Dr Chris Hewer said that at the end of the day, whether it be in Christianity or Islam, the notion that God is greater exists – ‘Allahu Akbar’. That is to say, every time you want to try and say anything about God, you are by definition falling short. Whether it is something expressed in the Qur’an or an action done by the person of Jesus, God is greater.

Dr Amina Inloes is an American scholar, researcher, educator, public speaker, translator and a Shi‘a Muslim. She has written several books on Shi‘a thought. Dr Inloes holds an MA in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College and a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter. Additionally, Dr Inloes has studied in the Hawza of Najaf and briefly in Qum. She began her talk with a very simple and enthusiastic ‘no’ to the question. Her reasoning for this was because she believes that within Christianity and Islam, there are many different understandings and interpretations of religion, and on that basis, no two understandings of faith are the same, and so it cannot be called one faith. Each person brings their own paradigm into the discussion, and the difference is not as straightforward as has been described. However, she stated that despite this, it is not at all a problem. In fact, there is beauty in diversity – and if everyone had the same view and beliefs then it would have been rather a boring dialogue.

He ended with a question for Muslims: “can we say that God is greater than our concept of Tawheed and any formula that we can come up with?” And a question for the Christians too: “Taking into consideration that no part of your belief says God became Trinitarian eventually at some point - what about the God of Abraham and Moses, who existed before the birth of Jesus?”

Revd Hillel is co-director of the London Inter Faith Centre, and Assistant Priest at St Anne’s, Brondesbury, and Willesden Area Inter Faith Adviser for the Church of England.

In his very own words, Revd Hillel stated, “Faith implies a set of beliefs, following the practices of a religion, having a

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Among Brothers and Sisters of Different Faiths Hujjatul Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali answers a number of important questions posed by the students of the Sophia University Institute during his last visit to Italy.

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ujjatul Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali- the director of the Islamic Centre of England together with some members of the Hawza Ilmiyya (Islamic Seminary) of England, visited Sophia University Institute in Loppiano, Italy, 12th to 14th January 2017.

His visit represents one of many ongoing encounters between Shi‘a Muslims and members of the Focolare Movement – a grassroots Catholic organisation based in Italy with a presence in many countries across the world. The dialogue between the two groups, which began more than 19 years ago, has recently focused on a new initiative which will involve closer cooperation and deeper and more meaningful interaction between members of the two communities. The initiative, formally named ‘Wings of Unity’, will attempt to move away from the formalism and elitism often associated with formal interfaith activities. The first round of Wings of Unity discussions took place in July 2016 and the second was planned for Jan 2017.

During the Wings of Unity II conference, Prof. Coda delivered a talk entitled “An Epochal Change: The Culture of Unity in Chiara Lubich".

After this talk, Dr Shomali presented on how love for God leads to love for one another. This was followed by a fruitful exchange of comments and ideas by participants who come from a variety of backgrounds.

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The message of unity was reinforced, and the programme concluded with a planning session for future collaborations, including an upcoming summer course in the city of Trent, where Catholics and Shi‘as will have the unique opportunity to experience the “dialogue of life" and build on their understanding of unity of God and unity in God. In addition to Wings of Unity II, Dr Shomali, was invited to deliver a series of three lectures on Islam, Unity and Peace.

The first series were delivered in April 2016. On the eve preceding his academic engagement, Dr Shomali (along with other guests who accompanied him) attended a Q&A session with members of the Focolare community, including

“

This walking together to understand the source of Unity that is God, who is present in all of our religious experiences, where we share in the charism of Chiara. We all identify with it because it is not only Christian but belongs to all." - Prof. Piero Coda

students of the university. The theme was “Frontiers in Interreligious Dialogue.” The guests were warmly welcomed

by Prof. Bennie Callebaut who briefly explained the purpose of their visit before asking Dr Piero Coda, the President of the Institute, to say a few words.

After welcoming the guests, Dr Coda explained in a very personal and heartfelt tone that Dr Shomali’s visit goes beyond the academic engagement. Below is the text of what Prof. Coda said: “I only want to say that we are very happy to have Dr Shomali here. This is the second time he has come to give lessons here and we consider him a member of the faculty; our visiting professor. He will give some lessons tomorrow on a course we have, where different religious representatives explain how they are working for peace and fraternity. This is a lovely experience and quite a unique course on the university stage. In addition to this, I have to say that we have another initiative, a kind of gift from God. Today before dinner we prayed together and we renewed our pact of unity that we made in July. In this beautiful place God has made us feel the friendship and brotherhood. Last year when Dr Shomali came to give his lectures, he came to my office, and I am not sure how it happened but we spoke for two hours and we came to the realisation that we needed to deepen this dream that is a reality of the Unity that comes from God

and makes us walk together. Something clicked. I remember that Bennie was also there. We said that we must do something together. I felt that this was something coming from God and that we have to do something about it. We looked at the calendar for a possible date for a meeting. I felt this was something God was asking us to do. July came up as an agreeable date. We asked ourselves: What shall we name this new initiative? This walking together to understand the source of Unity that is God, who is present in all of our religious experiences, where we share in the charism of Chiara.

We all identify with it because it is not only Christian but belongs to all. To this question Mohammad without hesitation said, “Wings of Unity”. So the Wings of Unity initiative was born in Sophia. We met for 3 days in July with a small group from the seminary – 12 people. We deepened our understanding of unity from our two points of view. This was an experience of profound unity from which we were motivated to go forward and transmit to the new generations this passion and this path for unity. This also gave birth to the idea of having a summer school where 20 Muslims and 20 Christians will study together. This will be held 90% at Tonadico where Chiara first had this inspiration for unity.

Therefore, Shomali is here not only to give his lesson but to continue our walk, and in the following days we will explore other ways to deepen our experience. This is a beautiful thing that brings the Islamic Centre of England and Sophia University Institute closer together; God has placed a pearl in our hands."

Below is a summary of the Q&A session that followed.

Q: [Pietro from Bologna]. I am studying Trinitarian Ontology.

Could you tell us why you got involved in interreligious dialogue and what dialogue means to you?

A: Our interest in dialogue came very naturally. We did not have any kind of training, any kind of mandate, or any experience. In 1997 we were in Manchester, UK, and we thought that since we’re living in a prominent Christian country, we have a good opportunity to learn about

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Christianity. So in addition to our studies, we tried to find friends among Christians with whom we could have dialogue.

At the time we were just looking for friends, but we ended up finding brothers and sisters. Interestingly, it was through the Focolare that we were introduced to Christianity, the Catholic Church, and other denominations.

Now almost twenty years after our initial involvement in interreligious dialogue, I can see that although we had no experience or prior knowledge, God helped us to come together. In the process, we found many people in our community who also appreciate having dialogue and they have joined us in our journey; and thanks to God, we can now go forward.

We have reached a point that not only do we look at interreligious dialogue as a necessity in our lives in the 21st century, but we also see it as a deep responsibility towards God and humanity. We hope that through this important initiative, ‘Wings of Unity’, in Sophia, we will be able to prove to God our deep thirst for understanding what He asks of us in order to pave the way for the unity of humanity.

If we really struggle in the way of God, He will help us, and this means using all of the resources at our disposal; holding discussions with you and trying to benefit from you, your resources, and your wisdom. And the same goes for you. I cannot only be active in my own circle and communicate with my Muslim sisters and brothers and then tell God that I have exhausted all my energy in understanding what He wants from us. But if we work together with openness and humbleness, then we no longer bother about whether the initiative comes from me or you - that won’t be important at all. It is important that we open ourselves to God and He will help us to understand what the next step is. So I think this is a great gift of God, and if He finds value in us, He will help us to share this gift with other people who are very much in need of knowing about these initiatives.

The very fact that we are so close and we feel like one family, the intensity and strength we get from our unity is what the people of the world should know about and I hope that with

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your support, energy and input the next generation will go even further.

Q. [Trisha from Madagascar]. Could you tell us about the differences between the Shi‘a and the Sunni traditions?

A: One of the moments in my life that I remember well is in 2004 when I went to Tehran airport to welcome four Catholic friends who were coming from the UK. One of them was the Jesuit Michael Barnes from Heythrop College. It was two in the morning when he asked me about the difference between Shi‘a and Sunni.

I answered him in a way that he remembered, and referred to it later on many occasions. I said, “Of course, I am very much committed to Sunni and Shi‘a unity, and I don’t want to appear as someone who is proud of being Shi‘a and underestimates the greatness of Sunnis. We are all brothers and we have a lot in common, but something that I have noticed and I have shared with many people is that while we do have some theological differences related to the issue of the successor to the Prophet, the Shi‘a have a kind of trinity.

We believe in spirituality, rationality and the search for justice. Spirituality is very important for us, but spirituality joined with rationality. We have a great interest in philosophy, logic and intellectual reasoning; even in our seminaries we spend years studying philosophy, and we believe that reason and revelation supplement each other; they don’t replace or contradict each other. We believe that God guides us both through the intellect and revelation.

Also, we are very concerned about social justice. So if you can combine spirituality, rationality and seeking justice, you are in spirit a Shi‘a even if you are a Sunni or a Catholic.

And if you don’t have these three, you are not a Shi‘a even if you are called a Shi‘a. I believe that these three elements are something that all religious traditions may find useful because if we only have spirituality without rationality, we might isolate ourselves from the realities of life. And sometimes our spirituality can be very superficial too; rationality without spirituality becomes very dry. I cannot think of any religion that is without spirituality. And if we

have spirituality without bothering about social justice, the issue of poverty, lack of opportunities for a great percentage of the people… this also would be a deficiency. So we should have all these together. If we have these three, we can also avoid extremism.

A: It is a sad reality that in the course of history many sacred ideas have been misused. Religions, science and technology can all be misused, and Islam is no exception. Especially now

cause we would have had a high percentage of Muslims who are like this. In reality, these people do not make up even a small fraction of Muslims. This behaviour is due to a mentality; they happen to be Muslim but could well have been Christians, Buddhists, Jews, or atheists. Today no religious tradition is immune. Extremism can come to any household. It can enter any religion; no matter how spiritual, peaceful or committed to love you are, extremism can come.

So there are many things that we have to do. First of all, as you mentioned, religious people have to work together and not allow anyone to use us against each other. That is the worst thing that can happen. It would be a waste of our energy and it can also give excuses to these people. They don’t want us to be friendly; the worst things for terrorists are these kinds of meetings. Terrorists want to show that we are

that Islam is widely spread, and there is vitality and an energy in the Muslim population. So it is possible that some people, even if only one individual, do wrong and that can have an impact. So despite the fact that Islam is a religion of peace, you find people who have such a misunderstanding that they think they have a call from God to use force and violence against people of no faith or other faiths – to the extent that even Muslims, their co-religionists, are victimised. It might be difficult for you to understand but I think you can imagine how this might happen since you also had a similar experience in Christianity. For these people, Muslims who are not with them are hated more than people of other religions.

For example, for them killing a Shi‘a is better than killing a Christian or a Jewish person. They are told that if they kill a Shi‘a, they will go straight to Heaven. How can this idea exist? Is it because of Islam? No, because if religion was the

enemies, but we are insisting that we are sisters and brothers.

So we should work together on interfaith and interreligious programmes. Each community has to work hard on offering a proper education. When you listen to the story of some youths who are involved in terrorist atrocities, you will notice that they were not religious people. They didn’t go to mosques or attend Islamic lessons. Some of these people have no religious background. That is why they are prone to be manipulated and brainwashed. They have a deep sense of guilt for not practising their faith. That guilt has been building over the years, and now all of the sudden they want to go to Heaven.

Education is very important; we need to invest in education as well as a good family environment. We need to safeguard families. One of the greatest challenges is the break-down of families. There is evidence to suggest that those involved in

Q. [Andrea from Turin, studying at Sophia University].

How can we confront the causes of extremism in religion and its consequences? What initiatives are taking place in the Muslim world? How can Christians and Muslims cooperate for changes in this area?

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acts of atrocity are people who are not brought up in good families. They spend more time with their peers than their brothers, sisters and parents.

Another important factor is community. If Muslims, as a minority in the West, belong to a strong community that looks after its members and is concerned about individual development, then it can be very helpful.

This is a very serious issue. Certainly everyone, including Muslims, has the responsibility to think about it and we have to do our best to deal with people who are already affected and most importantly, to prevent the spread of these ideas which can spread in any tradition or ideology. What we need is ‘sophia’ or wisdom. We don’t need weapons or bombs; that will just add to the problem. Nothing can spread violence but extremism. Extremists feed on this, so we have to be very careful.

Q. [Donmarco Leone from Sicily]. We know that you are conducting an academic activity of dialogue and research together with the Sophia Institute. Can you tell us how it is progressing? And what should we expect in the future from the dialogue between Christians and Muslims?

A: This is a very good question that does not have a brief answer. Based on my theological and spiritual reflections and experiences, I believe that the future of the world very much depends on how Christians and Muslims work together. I am not saying something that I don’t understand the implication of. It is a huge claim to make, but it is something that I’ve thought about very carefully.

Unfortunately for the most part throughout history, Christians and Muslims did not work together as partners. There are many examples of peaceful existence but not fellowship.

Perhaps on academic or business levels Islam continued on its own path and so did Christianity. In some cases, they even had competition – like two suppliers who look at the same market and say this market is yours or the other is mine and we have to fight over it. This is a sad reality but the plan of God is not this. His plan is not to give us different books or religions to fight among ourselves, or merely to tolerate each other. In fact, God’s plan is to have all of us together around

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the truth. But He does not force his plan.

I humbly look at the world today and think of the future, and I believe that there won’t be any future for us if we continue in this way. There are so many challenges for us in the world today that affect all of us. If we want to work on our own and rely solely on our own resources, then we will not be able to cope with all of these trials.

I don’t believe that in any part of the history of religions you can find faith and accountability before God being as ridiculed as it is in today’s world. I don’t think we have ever had so much immorality presented to us as ‘normal’ as well as a matter that we should not dare question, let alone criticise.

The only way forward for us is to get together and offer a joint testimony of faith in God to the people of the world. If Muslims and Christians work together and show how faith has brought unity, solidarity and brotherhood, then other people will be interested too. But if we boycott each other and attack each other’s ideas, then there won’t be any future for Islam or for Christianity.

Sometimes I count our blessings for these outside pressures

"What we need is ‘sophia’ or wisdom. We don’t need weapons or bombs; that will just add to the problem. Nothing can spread violence but extremism. Extremists feed on this, so we have to be very careful." -Dr Shomali

and attacks on us because it has brought us closer together, and now we are realising that the danger and realising that we cannot tackle it on our own.

For the last three years that I have been based in London, my real challenge has not been, for example, how to deal with a Shi‘a becoming Sunni, a Christian or a Hindu. My challenge is our youth. Are our youth appreciative of our traditions? Are they able to be successful citizens of this society and at the same time have their own identities? Are they able to uphold family values? Are they able to maintain human relations in an age in which everything is digital and social networking and human relations are very much affected? These are the main challenges. The challenge is in helping those whose name or affiliation is Islam have the true spirit of Islam. I think it is the same for Christianity.

Inter-religious dialogue is not something we do because it’s fashionable or because we want to avoid war or fighting; rather, it is a necessity and it comes naturally to us. It is only one of many levels of work that we have to do. We have just started with this dialogue but we don’t end it here. Thanks to God, we have gone very deep into this sense of unity with the Focolare in particular. It is much more than just dialogue.

"Whenever two or more people get together in the

name of God, He will make His presence felt. When God shows Himself, all reality become present in that place.

In Him we have been present here."- Dr Piero Coda I remember last time when we had the 7th round of MuslimChristian dialogue; we said that perhaps instead of dialogue we should say ‘dia-love’. We don’t just talk to each other. We love each other.

I am sure this dialogue will happen, sooner or later, and we will see Muslims and Christians very close to each other. But I wonder in which generation we will be able to achieve it? God is patient; He gives us the opportunities. I believe that if we act properly and we have sophia [wisdom], it wouldn’t take as long.

The Qur’an says, “Indeed they see it to be very far, but we see it to be very near” (70:6-7). If we follow the path of God, then it is very near, but if we follow the path of humanity, then it is very far. So we ask God to give us from His own wisdom so that we may make this journey short.

[The session was closed with some reflections/prayer from Dr Piero Coda which reflects the atmosphere of the event.]

“We should thank each other for having opened ourselves to God, and this maybe is the most important thing for the world today. Whenever two or more people get together in the name of God, He will make His presence felt. When God shows Himself, all reality become present in that place. In Him we have been present here this evening as brothers and sisters in a world that cry, scream, suffers hunger, war, loneliness, prisoner of ideology, violence, poverty… In doing what we can by creating spaces in which God is present, He makes us His witnesses. We have laid a stone in the construction of unity and peace for all the world. The places in which this materialises, becomes, in that moment, the centre of the world where God is present. We thank our guest for having brought this reality; this gift that without you, your presence and effort only to build this unity not for money or human glory but for building together the presence of God which means simplicity, fraternity, liberty, and purity. This is Unity. Therefore, we thank God who has willed this; He has ‘put His tent among us’ to use an expression from the Hebrew scripture. Now we do not wish to undo it wherever we are. This is the tent of wisdom.

We thank you for giving us this presence of God that we have experimented and carry with us in our hearts and will keep for days to come.”

Piotr Zygulski (IUS student): I would like to share these reflections with you. I see these days as an opportunity for conversion. But not as it was misunderstood before, in an apologetic and limited way: we widen the horizon even of the word conversion, as the professor Shomali widens that of the word Islam and how Christians in recent decades are dilating the conception of Christ. Well we could convert all the nations, beginning with us, yet we must not convert others to our identity - "a religion which is auto-identitarian is no -(t) (more) the house of God," said Piero Coda - but we should let us be converted and purified, together, by the one God, the source of our unity, who speaks also with the mouth of our brethren, whether they are "from Rome or Qom". This opens spaces for a co-conversion, a mutual and fraternal conversion. Perhaps only in this way you can be understood today the invitation to conversion.

Farha Iman (Muslim PhD student at IU Sophia, from New Delhi): The discussion between Dr. Mohammad Shomali and Don Piero Coda was very enriching and inspiring.

After hearing them, I felt that their discussion was a way more mature and inclusive. Their discussion made me comfortable and happy that there are people who talk, feel and think in the similar way, a way which the world needs the most. I believe the world is waiting for this kind of thinking and belief system.

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Special Award for Interreligious Dialogue: Islam and Christianity

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Special Section Interreligious Dialogue: Islam and Christianity Selected Researcher: Timothy Wright Dr Abbot Timothy Wright, OSB is a lecturer of the University of Saint Martin’s. He used to be the spiritual director for the Pontifical Beda College in Rome and the delegate of the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation for monastic-Muslim relations. He served as abbot of Ampleforth Abbey from 1997 to 2005, during which time he and Dr Shomali organised a series of dialogues between Catholic monks and theologians and Shi‘a Muslims from Iran. He is the author of No Peace without Prayer (2013).

Special Section Interreligious Dialogue: Islam and Christianity Researcher: Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali

Dr Shomali is a graduate of Islamic Seminaries of Qum. He received his PhD in Ethics from the University of Manchester in 2001. He is currently the director of the International Institute for Islamic Studies in Qum and also the Director of the Islamic Centre of England. He has published several works on ethics, jurisprudence, Islamic studies, and Shi‘a studies.

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he winners of ‘The 24th World Award for Book of the year of the Islamic Republic of Iran’ was announced at a ceremony attended by the Iranian President, Dr Hassan Rouhani.

Dr Rouhani honoured the winners during the closing ceremony held at the Talar Vahdat performance art theatre hall in Tehran on Tuesday 7th February. The books were selected from an initial list of 2500 titles written in more than 13 languages covering many fields of Islamic and Iranian studies.

In his speech President Rouhani expressed thanks to all scholars and intellectuals who submitted their work. He also stressed the importance of books in removing obstacles and promoting advancement in society. He described a book as the symbol and mirror of a scholar, and said, “A book is a thought by which we can transfer whatever has flourished in our minds to others with the strokes of a pen”.

Out of the 2500 books, 179 were shortlisted by a panel of experts who selected the final 10. The winners of this year’s award were from Finland, France, Germany, Malaysia, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA. Among other laureates, Abbot Timothy Wright and Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali were selected for special recognition for their contribution to interreligious

Going North of the Border

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r Mohammad Ali Shomali visited Scotland end of February 2017 to attend two programmes organised jointly by the Ahl Al Bait Society Scotland and the Focolare Movement in Scotland.

The events which had been planned since his last visit in September 2016, included an address to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh during Time for Reflection session and an open lecture on interfaith at the University of Glasgow.

The theme of the lecture at the University of Glasgow was: “Unity in God and Unity of God�.

The speakers were Dr Shomali and Dr Paolo Frizzi, a lecturer in Religious and Global Processes and Theology and Praxis of Interfaith Dialogue in Italy at the Sophia University Institute.

Dr Shomali was interviewed by Ms Mary Catherine O'ReillyGindhart for the news blog of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland Committee for Interreligious Dialogue.

https://soundcloud.com/user-257885493/interview-oninterreligious-dialogue-dr-shomali-28-february-2017

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Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali’s speech

at

The Scottish Parliament

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In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

residing Officer, members of Parliament and everyone here, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to address you today. I have been to Scotland several times and always associate it with welcoming people and beautiful nature.

If we reflect on the development of religions and traditions, we realise that there has always been a central question: how to keep your people together and convince them that, by remaining inside the circle, they are better off.

Otherwise, you may lose them. It is closely related to the issue of identity: how we understand our position in relation to others.

Unfortunately, the way to demonstrate that we are better off in the circle was often to distance ourselves from others.

Instead of saying what you are, the focus was on what you are not. That type of identity is based on fear and exclusion. It will certainly not work in today’s world. If it worked before, it was because the world was very partitioned and people often did not meet people of other faiths, ethnicities or cultures.

That is not today’s world, and that fragile understanding of identity no longer works. We need a new type of understanding that is based on what we have, can offer and appreciate in others. Relating to others is an essential part of everyone’s identity. I cannot be a good Muslim or Christian - or a good Iranian or Scot - unless I know how to relate to other people and accommodate them in my own identity.

For believers in God, that is a very important part of our faith. How can we believe in God, the creator of all, and then fail to care for part of God’s creation?

For us, every human, animal, bird, flower and drop of water is significant because it is a manifestation of God. So, now, we need to rethink our understanding of identity.

Human bodies have different organs and each has its own function. However, nothing survives in isolation. Humans can survive only in relation to others, finding their role within a bigger unity. When I look at the Qur’an, I see that that is actually God’s plan. In his creation and revelation, God has showed us the way towards unity. God’s plan is that humanity unites around the truth, and one of the places in which we can establish a model of mutual recognition, respect, love and unity is Scotland.

May peace be with you.

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Travelling

s s o r c A the Pond I

n early March, the Director of the Islamic Centre, Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, travelled to Canada to attend a number of programmes in different cities over a period of 12 days.

The first was held at the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary on March 2nd. This was a follow-up of a meeting held a year earlier. The topic of the discussion was: ‘Muslim Shi‘a position on Ahl ul Kitab' (The People of the Book).

Dr Shomali explained the etymology of the term Ahl ul Kitab (The People of the Book), underlining how according to the Holy Qur’an, the People of the Book also includes Muslims and that in reality there is only one Book sent by God in ‘different editions’, essentially containing the same message. He stressed the point that there is One God, One Religion, One Book and One Humanity. The presentation was very well received by an engaging audience. Before the event, Dr Shomali had a meeting with some of the university’s professors and the principal. The staff of the university and members of the Muslim Shi‘a community shared lunch together. During the Q&A, there was a request to plan for a third event to be held in the future.

The next stop on Dr Shomali’s visit to Canada was the Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His last visit to this university was in March last year (See islam today issue 35 p. 4).

The topic of this public lecture was advertised by the organisers as an opportunity to converse with an Iranian Shi‘a Muslim cleric, therefore questions were broad, ranging from the Shi‘a theological position to Iranian politics all the way through to interfaith dialogue. In a separate session, Dr Shomali was also invited to participate in classroom discussion on interfaith dialogue.

On Friday 3rd of March, Dr Shomali was asked to give a speech in the chapel for staff and students of the university as part of their religious mass. Dr Shomali had the opportunity to expand on the meaning and concept of ‘light’ in the Qur’an.

On Sunday 5th, Dr Shomali was invited to address worshippers during the education hour at the Mennonite church attended by Professor Harry Huebner where he introduced few concepts on Christians – Muslims Unity. Dr Shomali took the opportunity to present his understanding of ‘God’s Plan’ for the future. This was a very engaging and

d interesting session. Dr Shomali also held a meeting with the heads of CMU summer school, where he has been invited to teach a module on Peace resources in Christianity and Islam at the Canadian School of Peace (CSOP). Another objective of Dr Shomali's visit to the CMU was to discuss plans for the forthcomings 7th round of Muslim Shi‘a and Christian Mennonite dialogue which will involve a delegation of Shi‘a scholars from the Seminary of Qum - Iran.

During his trip to Canada Dr Shomali also visited the local Shi‘a community in Winnipeg, Toronto, London and Montreal. In Toronto, he delivered a lecture for the community at the Masumeen Islamic Centre of Brampton on the 7th March. The theme of the talk was on community building and practices, delving further into the concept of a Social Wilaya in practical ways. This topic shall be addressed in more detail in future issues of islam today. Dr Shomali also had a meeting with the KLC students where he discussed the first part of Dua of Makarim al-Akhlaq (Noble Traits of Character).

Dr Shomali also visited a Mormon Church in Hamilton. This was followed by a further visit to London, Ontario, where Dr Shomali was invited by the Western University Thaqalayn Muslim Association to give a talk on current issues faced by Muslims. Later he spoke at the local Al-Mahdi Islamic Center on ‘The Waiting for al-Mahdi (atf)’.

His final engagement was in Montreal for another interfaith meeting with members of the Christian Mormon Church in which a number of topics where discussed and presented by both sides.

On Saturday 11th, Dr Shomali met members of the Shi‘a community in Montreal where he delivered lectures centered around a commentary of the well-known supplication Makarimul Akhlaq (The Honourable Morals). On Sunday 12th, Dr Shomali met KLC students from Montreal and Ottawa and continued the discussion on Dua of Makarim alAkhlaq.

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Scotland: Giving Unity Wings An open lesson on Christian-Muslim dialogue at the University of Glasgow, brought about by a deep friendship between the Sophia University Institute and the Islamic Centre of Great Britain

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he University of Glasgow was founded in 1451. On 27 February, in this prestigious place, which educated seven future Nobel winners and heard Albert Einstein demonstrate his theory of relativity, the Focolare Movement and the Islamic Society Ahl Al Bait coordinated an evening lecture on interfaith dialogue and unity.

The evening was entitled “Unity of God and Unity in God.” One of the guest speakers was Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, Director of the International Institute of Islamic Studies at Qum, Iran; Dr Shomali is currently Director of the Islamic Centre of England. The other guest speaker was Dr Paulo Frizzi, lecturer in Theology and the Practice of Interreligious Dialogue at the Sophia University Institute in Loppiano, near Florence, Italy, where he coordinates the Sophia Global Studies Research and Training Centre.

On February the 28th, Dr Shomali delivered the ‘Time for Reflection’ in the Scottish Parliament.

The friendship between Sophia University Institute and Dr Shomali is long-standing. Last summer they began a joint project of dialogue and research which brings together Christian and Muslim scholars and academics. The project is entitled Wings of Unity.

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Dr Frizzi explained, “I presented the methodology and culture that the Sophia Institute promotes, whereby we work with an academic approach that is integrated and where experience and practice are placed alongside the theory. For example, a course on interreligious dialogue is taught by three of us from different academic backgrounds and experiences, and yet we try to develop a common programme through reciprocal listening: it’s a sort of a journey of unity in which we co-teach the lessons and the students play a leading role.”

“Wings of Unity, provides a physical space for dialogue. On the one hand students can deepen their understanding of what ‘unity of God and in God' means, clarifying elements of difference and those held in common; on the other, they can explore the ways in which unity can be tangibly lived, thereby healing wounds and resolving differences.

Too often interfaith initiatives only touch on the questions of the few, without a tangible impact. We are living in delicate times, and we have to take into account the transition towards an

uncertain new world order, where greater interconnectivity and interdependence sit alongside painful divisions that fracture the unity of society. Globalisation has probably failed in its attempt to build sustainable communities, as multinational institutions fail to guarantee a safe space where cultures and religions can meet without the risk of losing themselves.

This may be true, but on the other hand there is experience, commitment and dialogue surging up which, in contrast, enriches neighborhoods and unifies communities. It begins deep down and helps us all think once again of unity amid diversity. As Pope Francis states in Evangelii Gaudium: “Dialogue happens in a world which is not a pyramid (where some are at the top over many others), nor a sphere (without any distinguishable sides), but

instead is multifaceted, where all parts converge together while maintaining their own individuality.”

The next day, Dr Shomali shared the following thoughts with the Members of the Scottish Parliament: “If we reflect

on how religions developed, we realise that one question has always been

present: ‘How can we keep people together, convincing them that, if we stay in the circle, we are better off?’ The concept of identity caused us to distance ourselves from each other, in as much as we expressed not ‘who we are’, but rather ‘who we are not’ – a model of identity based on fear and exclusion. If it ever worked in the past, it was because the world was quite segmented, without great opportunities to meet as people of different faiths, ethnic groups or cultures. This is no longer the case in a world in which identity is more fragile and nuanced.”

“We need a new understanding based on what we can offer and what we can appreciate in others. To relate is essential. I cannot be a good Muslim or Christian – or a good Iranian or Scot – if I don’t know how to relate with

others and include them in my identity.

The very concept of identity, therefore, needs a rethink. The human body has different organs, each with its own function. None of these, moreover, survives on its own.”

Dr Shomali concluded: “When I read the Qur'an, I see that this is God’s plan. In his creation and revelation, God showed us the way toward unity.”

Courtesy of: http://www.focolare.org/gb/news /2017/03/16/scotland-giving-unity-wings/

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by Giorgia Christodoulou and Aaliya Sheriff and researchers from around the world for periods of residential academic study, specialising in ecumenical theology, missiology and social ethics. The diverse teaching faculty is made up of staff from diverse theological, cultural and confessional backgrounds. We were warmly welcomed by the Institute’s director and Father Lawrence Iwuamadi, a professor at the Ecumenical Institute, followed by a tour of the grounds and the Chapel. In the evening, Sheikh Shomali delivered an insightful talk on the preliminaries to engaging in interfaith dialogue and its significance in the three Abrahamic faiths.

Introduction Between 16th - 21st March, 2017, a group of twenty-two people from eight different cities across Canada, UK and the US took part in a 5-day intensive training course on ‘Interfaith Engagement in Theory & Practice’ in the cities of Geneva and Montet, Switzerland. The programme was conducted by the Institute of Islamic Studies of the Islamic Centre of England (ICE), under the direction of Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali, in collaboration with the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches (WCC), as well as the Focolare Movement.

Day 1 We arrived at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Geneva the international centre for encounter, dialogue and formation of the World Council of Churches. Founded in 1946, the Institute brings together people from diverse churches, cultures and backgrounds for ecumenical learning, academic study and personal exchange. It welcomes students

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Day 2 After congregational prayers, a beautiful recitation of Du‘a ‘Ahd, a refreshing walk to watch the sunrise over the Alps and a hearty breakfast, we arrived at the World Council of Churches (WCC) headquarters. We were greeted by the general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit whilst standing before a WCC fellowship list showing the 348 member churches that represent over half a billion Christians around the world.

Father Martin Robra, Director of WCC and the Ecumenical Movement, then gave us an informative tour of the building, taking us through the history, mission, activities, and structure of the WCC. We visited their stunning chapel that caters for different religious Christian practices and were presented with artefacts, each with their own significant Biblical stories. The second half of the day was spent on a guided tour of the United Nations Geneva headquarters, where we saw the various meetings rooms. As we walked through the hallways, we passed works of art gifted to the UN by each member country. Throughout the tour, our guide

talked about the current activities of the UN and its history. A short bus ride took us to see the 193 flags representing the member countries of the UN, whilst opposite we stood next to the famous Broken Chair - a monumental sculpture symbolising opposition to landmines and cluster bombs, to act as a reminder to politicians and other visitors.

Back at the Ecumenical Centre, we had short presentations delivered to us by various WCC work groups. These included: -‘Just Communities for Women and Men’ (campaign for a world without rape and violence); -‘Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel’ (EAPPI), (ensures safe access to schools under occupation); -‘Evangelism Mission’ (builds bridges instead of dwelling on differences); -‘Justice for Water, Diakonia and Eco-Justice’ (building ‘Blue communities’ by reduction of plastic bottles where tap water is safe); -‘Lutheran World Federation’ (one of the world’s largest NGOs focusing on refugees and relief work).

through its history, before accepting our questions. We then headed into the city centre for a guided tour of the International Reformation Museum, St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Reformation Wall in Geneva’s Old Town. The International Museum of the Reformation (MIR) in Geneva retraces the history of the Reformation movement initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and others. Through objects, books, manuscripts, paintings and engravings, the museum tells the story of the movement that spread in part from Geneva during the 16th century and grew into one of the main families of Christian churches. St. Peter's Cathedral (Saint Pierre Cathedral) is over 850 years old, and Geneva's main church. It combines various architectural styles from Gothic to Ancient, as it has been rebuilt over the centuries.

Since the 16th century, the Cathedral has belonged to the Reformed Church. We then stepped into the Chapel of the Maccabees. Built in the 15th century, the colourful Gothic influenced chapel has architectural arches, high ceilings and a stunning pulpit. Before leaving, we shopped for some famous Swiss chocolate! As today was also the birth

Day 3 Our first talk, delivered by Sheikh Shomali, was about Islam and other religions with a focus on the Abrahamic religions.

This was followed by Professor Dr. Dagmar Heller (a Protestant) and Father Lawrence (a Roman Catholic) who gave us an excellent introduction to Christianity and a run

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(Protestant), in which we were able to ask several questions.

As we were still celebrating Bibi Fatima’s(as) birthday, Sheikh Shomali asked the Dominican Sisters at the Convent to say a short du‘a (supplication) and then responded with a moving supplication of his own. It was very hard to say goodbye to the Sisters.

Day 5

anniversary of Bibi Fatima(as), we were invited to attend a Shi‘a Centre for congregational prayers, Sheikh Shomali’s majalis lecture about the importance of unity, supplications and a delicious dinner. As we left, all the ladies were given a beautiful white rose to celebrate Mother’s Day. It was a wonderful end to an amazing and beautiful day.

Day 4 We had an interesting talk on the Christian approach to interfaith dialogue by Clare Amos (Director of InterFaith/Religious Relations). The talk by Sheikh Shomali concentrated on Muslim-Christian relations, followed by a group reflection. Afterwards, we observed Sheikh Shomali’s webinars for the Kawthar Learning Circle, which is an online platform for receiving live webinar lectures with participants from different parts of the world. We left the Ecumenical Institute and travelled to Montet with two Focolare members.

Here we were led on a guided visit of Estavayer - a 13th century village that included the Medieval Church by the Parish Priest (Catholic) and the Convent of Dominican Sisters

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Our last two days were very humbling, as we visited the Cittadella (little town) of Montet to stay with the Focolare.

After a heartwarming welcome, they accompanied us on a tour around their grounds, showing us their daily works. They work together to produce products (office chairs, baby products, etc.) and the profits earned go towards helping the needy and maintaining the centre. They talked about their beliefs of God being love, the importance of unity, and its key role in the Focolare movement’s spirituality. We listened to members’ experiences and testimonies through video and dialogue.

We met those responsible for the centre in Montet, including a special moment with Palmyra, who was with Chiara when she founded the Focolare movement, and we witnessed her share words of wisdom with Sheikh Shomali. After a break with some residents of the Cittadella, we had a talk by Sheikh Shomali on the importance of interreligious dialogue and its aims and policies. The Focolare treated us with an evening celebration and beautiful performances. They encouraged us to reciprocate with on-stage introductions, a poem on unity and a beautiful recitation by Br. Mubarak Sami.

Day 6 At the Focolare centre, we had met Pat Whitney (from London, UK) who helped us throughout with translation and communication, because the Focolare members primarily speak Italian. Discovering that it was Pat’s birthday, Sr Yasmin spent all morning creating beautiful fruit cakes to surprise Pat. It was wonderful to see her absolutely stunned and so thankful!

Sheikh Shomali’s last lectures involved sharing his wisdom and knowledge of the procedures and etiquettes when making interreligious dialogue, and delving deeper into

t - Mubarak Sami, Toronto, Canada “...This trip has opened my heart to so much more we have in common with the Christian community and humanity as a whole...Social wilayah with an interfaith flavour is a powerful concept...”

- Hussein Sheriff, Vancouver, Canada “...Unity within a faith is a great thing, but to witness unity between faiths is all the more moving and humbling. In a world full of ignorance and division, being able to freely come together in dialogue...come away with a greater understanding and appreciation of Christianity, as well as a clearer insight as to what God truly intends for us - a world that is united under the mutual love for the One God, regardless of differences…”

- Giorgia Christodoulou, London, UK

he spirituality of unity. Our final lecture was spent in dialogue with those responsible for formation, where we each shared our own personal reflections on the whole experience and what we had learnt and would take away with us. It was hard to leave the people who had truly taken all of us into their hearts and given us such a wonderful experience.

Conclusion We were awe-inspired by their open-heartedness to work cooperatively in building a more united world by following Jesus’ prayer to the Father - “May they all be one” (Jn 17:21).

They highly respect diversity by focusing on dialogue as a method of building bridges and relationships of fraternity among different individuals, peoples and cultural worlds.

Testimonials “...It was the world of the faithful of that land, who demonstrated their devotion to God in more than one moving way. We bore witness to their tender hearts which they have committed to Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon them both. For days, we met in a realm beyond time where the love of God is transformatively strong. In that realm, we made an oath of friendship in God that we have left in His care to grow and bloom.”

- Jihad Mohammad Hyjazie, Toronto, Canada “...Meeting each of the two groups gave us hope that a world of peace, collective understanding, respect, collaborations, and justice is within reach as long as people act upon their faith with the best of intentions and creating opportunities with the best of their abilities.”

“It was an eye-opening experience to see what people are doing in the world, with their faith and love of God being their only motivator. They are so proud of their beliefs and their faith. These people have taken the phrase “God is love” and put it into practice…”

- Aaliya Sheriff, Vancouver, Canada “...Although I'd never known them before, it felt like we'd known each other for years bonded by our shared goal of Unity...It was truly inspiring to see such dedication, sincerity and love amongst people of faith in God in a time where we're bombarded by negativity in faith. My hope in humanity is restored...”

- Mustafa Khan (IUS Imam Hussain Blood Donation Campaign Coordinator), London, UK “...To see so much harmony at places we visited and the people we met, as well as our amazing group, gave me a sense of unity and spiritually like I've never felt before...”

- Shenaz Sajan, Birmingham, UK “...The trip to Geneva was an inspiring and eye opener...I realised how much people of other faiths are so close to God...”

- Sukaina Ahmed, Birmingham, UK “The Geneva trip was an enriching and humbling experience... we experienced nothing but beauty. We left with plenty to reflect on, inspiration to work on, and direction and vision to lean on...”

- Aliraza Alidina, Winnipeg, Canada

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Sister Veronique Khasa describes her positive feelings during her visit to the Focolare Centre in Welwyn Garden City

A

s Muslims person with a beliefs, our overloaded such as; Am I going Will, I have a place to daily prayers? How conversation take attire shall I put on? endless.

However, the most meeting people of that soon you realise becomes the hot conversation.

God of conversation amongst believers it uncommon for about their careers, family life, yet not the source of their visit to the Focolare in Welwyn Garden felt I was with brothers whose lifestyle was

when meeting a different set of minds often get with thoughts, to be welcomed? complete my would our shape?

What The list is joyous part of other faiths is that God topic of the takes the centre because is the norm. It is believers to talk hobbies and mention God as livelihood.

My Centre for Unity like this because and sisters based on faith.

The Focolare Centre Unity is a beautiful modern building yet it had a strong spiritual feel to it.

I was told that it was originally a primary school which had become available when the

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Focolare brothers and sisters were looking for a place to establish themselves after their long search. On hearing this I understood the spirituality of the place, it is dedicated to the service of God and the community at large.

When stepping into the environment of the Focolare brothers and sisters, I felt as if I was walking into the family. Sheikh Shomali and his family, who have enjoyed a relationship with them for many years, had extended the relationship to me and other students of Hawza Ilmiyyah.

The retreat felt like a safe haven. To begin with we had a few speeches where the Focolare brothers and sisters begun by welcoming us, introducing the purpose of Focolare Centre for Unity. We had a large group discussion as well as question and answer sessions, presentations and our own learning session for students of Hawza Ilmiyyah.

Over a warm meal, I discovered that the Focolare brothers and sisters were people of various life experiences, talents, and professions. Italian is their common language. As a student who lives in the Hawza accommodation for full-time studies it was thrilling for me to meet sisters who

live in the Focolare houses. Although both systems have a different purpose, still I could relate to them as living away from home, devoting themselves to God’s call and the community, but most of all strengthening themselves to become better individuals.

There are many lessons that I’ve learned whilst spending my time with the Focolare brothers and sisters. A family unit like theirs has great value in uniting different minorities in our society. For a friendship to grow it must be nurtured well, it has to be based on a variety of aspirations. Apart from the fact that we are all religious we all care about things such as peace in the world, education, and poverty.

Our retreat ended with a visit to Stanborough Park where we had a picnic.

Sisters from the Hawza and the Focolare could not resist a boat ride pedalling across the river. For me, this meant that we took our meeting one step further, by practising the love that we talked about behind closed doors. I guess that after talking the talk we walked the walk and I will certainly do it again.

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Travelling for Peace

Report on Sheikh Shomali's visits to Canada and Switzerland

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he Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CSOP), an institute of Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Canada, organised the second session of its five-day courses for the peacebuilders of the world last June.

The courses are attended by local, national and international peacebuilders, practitioners, professionals, activists, students, non-governmental organisations, and faith-based groups who are introduced to various approaches to peacebuilding, justice, reconciliation, conflict resolution, and development.

and a Canadian Mennonite Christian, who have collaborated over 10 years in giving expression to their respective faiths in the presence of scholars for the other religion’.

During the session students can select a variety of modules such as: Human Rights and Indigenous Legal Traditions, Gender and Violence, Theology and Peacebuilding, Practices for Transforming the Peacebuilder, Peace Resources in Islam and Christianity. This last module was co-taught by Sheikh Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali and Dr Harry Huebner, described by the course website as ‘two professors, an Iranian Shi‘a Muslim

The course examined the rich resources that each faith tradition offers on the important topics of peace and justice, focusing on both the practices and the theological resources that undergird themes.

Dr Shomali, who taught for four days, expounded upon the Islamic understanding of peace, Jihad (Holy Struggle), the coming of Imam Mahdi (a) and Jesus(a) and discussed the

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This particular module attracted 24 registered students, a number which doubled as other students joined in after selecting it as an option ‘sampler’ module. According to Dr Shomali, the classroom was composed of an interesting mix of Christians from different denominations, one Jew, Muslims (both Sunni and Shi‘a), seminarians, teachers and people who work in NGOs.

ways we should work together to bring peace and unity in the world. As the end of the course coincided with the celebration of Eid ul Fitr, Sheikh Shomali led the local Muslim Shi‘a community in the ceremony associated with the Eid prayer at the Yaseen Islamic Centre of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

On Monday and Tuesday 26th and 27th of June, Dr Shomali also participated in a mini dialogue session held at the Mennonite University between Shi‘a Muslims from Argentina, Iran, the UK and the USA, and Mennonites and Catholics from Canada and the USA. This was a small group of people who had initially accepted a proposal put forward, a few months earlier by Sheikh Shomali, for a dialogue centred around the concept of ‘Unity’ based on the project in which he had been engaged in Italy with the Focolare movement. The book ‘Wings of Unity’ provided the substance of the discussion.

Wednesday the 28th June, was spent visiting a Hutterite

Christian Colony. Hutterites are Christians originated to the time of the Protestant Reformation in 16th century Germany.

Hutterites live in communities (colonies) and share all their possessions. All members living in one community collectively ‘own' the assets of that community. Each colony numbers about 100 to150 people. They have breakfast with their family and lunch and dinner with members of the community. Men and women sit in segregated fashion.

Women observe a distinctive modest dress code. Their children are educated in their own schools. Their main language is English but they also speak a distinctive German dialect because some of their original scriptures are written in that language. Farming and carpentry are some of their main activities.

This was not the first time Dr Shomali had visited a Hutterite colony. Three of the students taking part in the course came from this community, hence the invitation to visit them.

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Kawthar Learning Circle Before leaving Canada, Dr Shomali travelled to Vancouver to lead a retreat organised by the Kawthar Learning Circle with participants coming from various cities across Canada.

The theme of this year’s gathering was ‘How to present Islam in the West’. Every day after Fajr prayer, there was a session to reflect on the Qur'an, discussing the chapters AlAsr and An-Nasr.

On the last day of his visit seven members of the Focolare community of Vancouver came to visit Dr Shomali providing another opportunity for friendship and cooperation between the Shi‘a Muslim community and members of the Focolare movement. (A more detailed report on the retreat in Vancouver will be published in the next issue.)

World Council of Churches, and attached to the University of Geneva, the Ecumenical Institute offers three distinct study programmes at graduate level.

Each year the Institute welcomes a group of students from around the world and from many different religious traditions. Every year the course explores a particular theme according to Christianity, Judaism and Islam. This year’s theme was ‘peace'.

Teaching about Islam at the Ecumenical Institute in Geneva

Dr Shomali introduced the key aspects of Islam, as he did last year. Dr Shomali began his lecture focusing on the historical aspects of Islam tracing its origin back to the Prophet Ibrahim (a) and discussing the position of his sons Ismael and Ishaq.

Students were particularly interested in the mention that the Bible makes in Genesis of the coming of a nation from the son of the Prophet Ibrahim (a) and Hagar; Ismael. The Bible mentions twelve rulers, or in some translations, princes, that would descend from the Prophet Ismael (a).

Between the 2nd and 4th of July, Dr Shomali was invited to teach at the Ecumenical Institute in Geneva. A part of the

Following this introduction Dr Shomali discussed the condition of Arabia in general and Makkah in particular on

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the eve of the birth of Islam. The life of the Prophet Muhammad(s) was analysed before and after the beginning of revelation and how the Islamic community began first in Makkah and further developed in Medina.

fasting, alms-giving, Hajj and Jihad.

Dr Shomali introduced the students to the Islamic value system generating quite a few questions from a very attentive audience. Dr Shomali described this year’s teaching experience as very fruitful and positive.

Further discussions were also conducted with the organisers about a follow-up meeting to the one held last March in which 18 representatives of Shi‘a Islam from across the world met with Christian representatives in Geneva.

Members of the Focolare community ofVancouver visiting Dr Shomali

This was followed by a discussion on the sources of Islam, foremost of which is the Qur’an. He explained that although the Qur’an is the same for all Muslims, there are diverse interpretations of it.

The sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet and the Ahl ul Bayt(as) (the Prophet Household) provided another important topic of discussion.

The role of reason and the intellect within the sources of Islam were also analysed before moving on to the major doctrines of Islam such as Unity of God, Prophethood, Resurrection, the concept of Al-Mahdi and other practices such as prayer,

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'Wings of Unity':

Theory and practice Christians - Muslims Interfaith Engagement

Fiera di Primiero, Italy 25-30 August 201 7

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Sitting on a bus headed towards the little township of Fiera di Primiero where our course on interfaith dialogue would be held, little did we know that we were about to embark on a life-changing experience, a journey on which we would get glimpses of God’s love and His potential plan for establishing unity on earth around the Oneness of His being.

For roughly six days, 17 Catholics and 23 Shi‘a Muslims, including university students, seminarians, and professionals from all parts of the world, gathered in the picturesque valley of Northern Italy, just beneath the Dolomite Mountains to attend a summer programme that emerged after the second series of dialogue entitled Wings of Unity. Sponsored by the province of Trent, the programme was organised by Sophia University Institute of Loppiano, Italy - an academic institute established by the Focolare Movement, represented by its president Professor Piero Coda - in conjunction with the Islamic Centre of England (ICE) in London, represented by its director Hujjatulislam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali.

Strangely enough, even though we had come for an interfaith dialogue, in part to understand and befriend our Christian brothers, most of the Shi‘a participants, including myself, spent the first night mainly getting acquainted with members of our own group. On the dinner table, each group was happy to converse among themselves, a fact that would dramatically change as the shared bonds around the unity of God grew in the coming days. The next morning, the dialogue officially began. Professor Piero Coda asserted the significance of the municipality of Primiero as the birthplace of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. He described this course as one that is made up of both theory and practice; the goal was not only to understand theological perspectives of both faiths on the unity of God but to also

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experience a sample of that unity together in the coming days.

Dr Shomali then explained the thinking behind this initiative.

One of the driving forces was the verse of the Qur’an which reminds us that God guides those who do their best to seek Him, he explained. To truly seek God, one cannot be satisfied with searching for the Truth within the scope of his own school of thought. Rather, a careful and sincere study of all sources is a must. This idea was welcomed by Professor Piero and the joint initiative of the dialogue was born. They named it Wings of Unity, with wings symbolising complementarity and coordination for the shared goal of flying towards God. The day’s highlight was a keynote lecture by Professor Coda on the epoch-making novelty of the culture of unity. He reminded us that everything in life is a gift from God and so is the unity we shared amongst ourselves. But as much as unity is a gift, it is also a lifetime commitment. Professor Coda said that we are experiencing a shift in interfaith dialogue. After a long period of religious conflicts, a new era is potentially emerging in which each religion sees itself as a colour of the rainbow, with its own identity and culture, all while being part of a greater united whole. This vision is accompanied by an attitude shift during our interactions with other faiths, whereby we are more determined to ‘walk together and experience together rather than to teach each other’.

Dr Shomali took up the baton, shedding light on the culture of unity in relation to man and creation. All Abrahamic traditions share three principles of faith, namely: the unity of God, prophethood and resurrection, he said. Although these three principles have been formalised in all Abrahamic traditions, they should not be regarded equally, for there is nothing that should be put on the same level as the unity of God. From this perspective, he continued, although these three articles of faith are established principles in our

religion, prophethood and resurrection are actually subprinciples under the main and core principle of the unity of God. On Day 2, Dr Bennie Callebaut, a professor at Sophia University, provided a rich overview of the history of the Focolare Movement, Chiara Lubich, her life, her philosophy and her hometown where she was first inspired. Next, a collective scriptural meditation session was held, in which students engaged in fruitful conversations and made connections between excerpts from the Bible and the Qur’an on a single theme.

The afternoon session’s highlight was the presentation given

by Rita Moussallem and Roberto Catalano, co-directors of the Focolare Movement’s International Office for Interreligious Dialogue. They summarised the historical stages of interfaith dialogue from the viewpoint of Roman Catholicism. Although there have been doctrinal challenges to approaching interfaith dialogue, each generation was met with new developments that paved the way for a clearer understanding of how we must encounter and unite with the other.

Finally, picking up from his discussion on Day 1, Dr Shomali delved deeper into the discussion on the origins of monotheistic faiths. He explained that all three Abrahamic religions are not distinct with different messengers. Rather, the Quranic view is that each prophet only presented a new edition of the same and only religion of submission to God. Hence, it can be understood, he pointed out, that in all of God’s communications to humankind there was always a harmonious call for unity.

The tryst at the Cima della Rosetta, one of the more accessible peaks of the Dolomites, on the third day, certainly transformed the programme into an experience. Shortly after everyone reached the mountain peak, some of the Muslim brothers spontaneously began to recite God’s praises and some of the renowned supplications of Imam al-Sajjad(a) (the fourth Imam of Shi‘a Muslims). They were quickly joined by their Christian co-travellers with a beautiful hymn, all of whom merged in united prayer to God. Later, congregational prayer was performed with a number of the Focolare present.

Once back at the town hall of Tonadico, Dr Shomali and Professor Coda held an open Q&A session. A sister asked, “How can we practically live what we lived here?” Professor Coda responded: “We can do many projects, but the first thing is that if we do not have the love of God inside us, there is nothing. When I met Dr Shomali there was the love of God. [...] We started this walk together. I think it is because I was able to find the presence and love of God inside his heart”.

After touching on the main obstacles for unity under God, Dr Shomali added that “working for unity is in a way easy, but also it can be very difficult since it can be seen as the highest level of human development, that we would be fully united under God. [...] [This work] needs a sacrifice.”

On Day 4, Dr Mahnaz Heydarpour contributed a comprehensive overview of the core concepts of Islamic spirituality and the centrality of divine love therein, arousing a standing ovation from a tearful audience. She shared a blend of scholarship and meaningful experience to show how

divine love became central to her life and is central to Islam.

She presented some of the most important steps, prerequisites, paradigms of enhancing our spirituality by gaining nearness and similitude to God. She showed how the love of God, His creation and a fellow believer in Him is an integral part of spiritual wayfaring.

Next, guided by his book entitled Unity of God and Unity in God, Dr Shomali went on to talk about the immense benefits and consequences of the Muslim and Christian faith communities especially in light of the return of Jesus son of Mary(a) and the coming of Imam Mahdi(aj). He ended by inviting those who seek unity in God to look to the example of a human body, wherein every part takes what it needs and puts back into the bloodstream what it wants to share, acting as a single whole, as is demonstrated among the Focolare.

Only then, he said, can we reflect the image of God as the ocean reflects the sun.

The day closed with a compelling presentation by Dr Paolo Frizzi on the importance of interfaith engagement with respect to the most important world transformations. Dr Frizzi - who is a core member of Wings of Unity, a coordinator of the summer interfaith programme, and the academic coordinator for Sophia Global Studies - explained that the courses at Sophia University Institute are designed with God at the centre of learning and humility and unity are crucial to student development.

The events of the fifth day transcend what can be spoken. “I think we have experienced the welcome of your soul”, Professor Coda professed, “We not only met God at the top of the mountain but also in the valleys of your soul.” Chiara, he continued, wrote something very beautiful in the house next to us here: ‘God says only one word: Love. And this word is pronounced by God in infinite tunes. And each one of these tunes repeats Love, to God and to others.’ This is what we have experienced in these days. One word from God, but in infinite tunes which always speak love, and therefore they’re never out of tune, and they learn more how to play in harmony. [...] We have experienced Paradise. [...] We can play the harmony of love if we are in tune with God. [...] I beg you, whoever feels that God has called him/her to live this kind of experience deep down in your heart, please say yes to God.’’ His humble and insightful words left a deep impression on us.

As the course came to its end, Dr Shomali recalled verses from chapter al-Sharh and concluded: “I think what we have seen today is the result of very hard work, not just, a few months of preparation. Centuries of work! Prophets and messengers have left with us the message, but then true believers in the course of history tried to remind us of the core of the message which was hidden, and we have people who are inspired every now and then to work for unity and based on their work now we have been able to establish this. [...] We ask God to bless all of them. I ask that you dedicate your lives to God – not the God of any tradition or nation, but the God of all […]. Try to be the most humble and the least of the servants of God, and just pave the way for other people. […] We want to serve everyone so that they go towards God. That is the great honour.”

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Testimonial and Contemplation .............. >> 91

Testimonials: Sr. Mariam Al-Awadi: Originally, I did not know what to expect from this summer course. I feel truly humbled, honoured, grateful and privileged to be given this valuable experience. It broadened my perspective on the importance of unity and love for one another. To believe in God is truly a gift and to work together to call people towards God is an even bigger gift. My favourite part of the trip was our unified worship on top of Rosette Mountain. There, everyone gathered naturally without being called upon, gravitating towards a few brothers in sincere prayer. We felt serenity and happiness as we prayed together in Arabic, English, and Latin to our One Lord. I pray this course continues to unify us in times of division and extends its branches further and its roots deeper.

Sr. Adeelah Nasser: Nothing could have prepared me for what we experienced in the interfaith course in Italy.

It was a beautiful adventure of the heart and soul. I left Italy feeling uplifted, elevated, and with a certain calmness, I haven't felt before. The learning we received came not only through the lectures but also through the shared experiences and melding of our hearts and minds. I wish everyone could experience something like this in their lifetime.

Sr Fizza Hasan: If you ever get an opportunity to be part of the ‘Wings of Unity’ Summer Course then grab it with both hands - trust me you will not regret it! There are few precious experiences that make your soul peaceful and enliven your hope in society - this was one of them.

I decided to embark on this adventure upon the recommendation of a teammate who took part in this last year. I could talk about the journey, the breathtaking sights, the wonderful lectures and workshops but what really stood out for me were the fantastic group of people, Christians and Muslims that attended from all over the globe which I was honoured to be amongst for six days. It was refreshing to meet so many like-minded people who were eager to learn and extend their own knowledge, share their stories and think practically how to apply their newfound learning within their respective communities. My sincere gratitude and thanks go to Dr Sheikh Shomali, Dr Heydarpour and Professor Coda for having the vision and purposeful meaning to integrate two faiths together, and to all the people that were involved in making this fabulous course happen in the picturesque setting of Fiera di Primiero.

Dr Salam Al-Attar: When believers in God gather and praise the Oneness of God, the blessings and Mercy of God showers upon them and opens their hearts to reap the benefits of their interaction.

This summer, in the valleys of Primiero, Italy two seemingly different faith groups reaped a transformational experience of true brotherhood in humanity and in faith.

It became evident throughout the course that the love and subservience to the Almighty that fuels our daily lives were manifested in the physical and spiritual unity amongst all of us. This course was a testament to the genuine existing bond between brethren in faith, particularly in our Christian and Muslim teachers (and their respective institutions). The knowledge acquired compelled us to take our relationships with each other to a higher level by being one with each other in the servitude of the Almighty God. It was rewarding to partake in this unique relationship in God and I sincerely pray for all the continued success of organisers and participants. May the fruition of all the seeds of wisdom sown by our teachers and mentors pave the way to a brighter, more united, future for all.

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Contemplation Leandro, one of the students at Sophia University Institute, said, “I had never met Muslim believers. […] What we shared on the mountain […] when we were praying altogether […] makes me feel really optimistic. In the beginning, I couldn’t imagine how this experience would be […]. I’m always being surprised by God’s plans for each one of us […] I think He always has bigger plans than what we can imagine. As we receive this gift, this gift comes with a great responsibility, to share with others what we lived in these days.’

“Coming here, it wasn’t very clear how the relationships were going to be […]. You come here and you don’t know what will unfold […]. I think it’s very beautiful that within a few days we were feeling that we moved our friendship to the brotherhood. It taught me that I need to give the opportunity to others, spend more time with them, listen to them, and also share my story with them; and leave everything to God so that He will move this relationship from what appears to be just friendship into a brotherhood type of relationship. So I think we have to be patient and open, and try to carry on with this type of work […].” said Mahmoud.

“Now, not only did I see or feel God’s love and His voice strongly through my religion but also through yours, through Islam. He also gave me new brothers and sisters, which is more than I could ask for,’ said Diego, adding in that moment on the mountain ‘of being one, of praising God through both religions’, it was just a really amazing feeling, it was a different kind of experience. We were high up there but I felt even higher, and I could feel God’s love through us [...] and also through the nature that was around us.” “[Before this trip,] the concept of sharing the love for God […] was an abstract concept […] but over the last five days, I felt that we can love God together and it doesn’t matter that I’m a Muslim and you’re Christian. What matters is we love God. And I have hope now, that when the Imam Mahdi comes with Jesus, we can stand up together and say, ‘We worked together and we can serve you together.’ I think over the last five days that has really touched me, and I have hope. I have hope for the future and I have hope for humanity.” said Fatimah.

“It was the first time that I listened about unity from brothers and sisters of another religion. For me, to continue in this way doesn’t make sense if I am just with my brothers and sisters (from the Focolare Movement). It just makes sense if we are together.” said Catarina.

“For me, it was very difficult to come to terms with this idea of how we can experience God – Muslims and Christians – in a relatable manner while in our belief systems some of the points are so different that it’s not possible for us to feel the same. This was really something that was a major obstacle for me to unite with Christians. […] There must be something that is beyond concepts [...]. Throughout the days we were here, I think my answer, personally, deep within myself, came to me when we were in the mountains. There, I closed my eyes and suddenly the sun […] was shining on us. […] I felt that behind me there was so much energy, and I couldn’t say if the energy was Muslim or Christian; I just knew it was pure. [...]”, said Reza.

“In these days I experienced that you have the same love, because love is one and you have God’s love in your life, so you also have Jesus’ love. I want to express my gratitude to Shaykh Shomali and Piero Coda and the other scholars and all of you because you prepared the path of unity, and this week can help us to have a better understanding and experiential knowledge of God, and also ask God to purify our ways of thinking about God and purify our way to do theology also.” said another student at Sophia University.

“I remember at Sophia we used to say: this is the school where there is one master, only one teacher; it’s not Piero, it’s not Bennie -it’s God. And I feel here that this one school at the End of Time we just began now.” said Noemi, a former student at Sophia University.

As we were returning to our hotel that day, the streets of the township of Fiera di Primiero saw faithful Christians and Muslims walking side by side as they shared the never-ending tunes which always speak love.

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Photos by Reza Murshid

A Christian Muslim Forum Twinning Event between St Augustine's Parish and the Islamic Centre of England Report by Reza Murshid

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epresentatives of Muslim and Christian faiths at Saint gathered Augustine church in Kilburn, northwest London, on 9 September 2017, for an interfaith forum. The ornately decorated church, also known as the Cathedral of North London, served as the venue for the followers of Christ and Muhammad to compare and contrast each other’s approaches to the major preoccupations of modern man: God, eternity, the Hereafter, and the education of the laity.

Shaykh Muhammad Saeed Bahmanpour, who heads the research department at the Islamic Centre of England, presided over the forum.

Shaykh Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali said in his address to the forum that in Islam the ultimate mission of human being in this life is to know God. He went on to define ‘knowing God’ as ‘having intimate knowledge of the Creator’.

‘We call a mystic ‘arif , i.e. the knower, in our tradition because he has intimate knowledge of God,’ he stated.

As for getting closer to God, Dr. Shomali proposed that the best way to be more attentive in prayer and contemplation is to change one’s lifestyle.

‘Our lifestyles have a direct effect on the state of our mind during the prayer,’ he said.

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One of the challenges facing a worshipper is forgetting about his own daily challenges during prayer. Dr. Shomali suggested a solution: ‘The best way to overcome this problem is to think that this is perhaps the last time you are given the chance to talk to your God.’ ‘Mind and heart need to be engaged in the acts of worship. A hadith that shows the importance of contemplation in Islamic tradition states that an hour of contemplation is better than 70 years of worshipping,’ Dr. Shomali said. Dr. Shomali suggested that the outward expression of piety is not necessarily a mirror of a person’s closeness to God: ‘There are people who are involved in actual acts of worship but we do not know what is happening in their hearts. The only yardstick by which we have to judge the individual is to see their truthfulness and trustworthiness.’

In his presentation to the gathering, Father Amos from Saint Augustine Church explained various aspects of the decorations and murals on the 147-year-old church. He said that the acts of worship in the church provide kinaesthetic learning for the participants.

Father Amos suggested that all the senses had to be engaged during acts of worship: ‘In every way, through the

use of incense, oil, taste, sound, and touch, the Church has been teaching the laity.’

Another participant in the interfaith dialogue, Kathryn Kane, stressed the importance of education in Christian faith: ‘Christians believe that Jesus is the greatest teacher of all. In the Gospels, he is frequently referred to as ‘Rabbi', teacher, and his followers are disciples, learners.’

‘There are fundamental reasons, rooted in the Bible, which have motivated centuries of Christian involvement in schooling in this country and around the world. God is concerned with everything related to education,’ she added.

Kane, who is a Religious Education and Collective Worship Adviser, added: ‘We are made in God’s image. We need to be educated in order to live in harmony with others. We need to use the brains God has given us. We should become all that God has intended us to be.’

Kane was not the only educator in the interfaith session.

Her Muslim counterpart in the interfaith session was Aliya Azam, a seasoned educator

and a Trustee at Al Ayn Social Care Foundation. In her address to the forum, Azam stressed the role of education in enhancing human beings’ connection to God: ‘According to the Qur’an, the human being is created to worship God. This means that one needs to know this relationship in order to be fully human. This is a natural condition for the human being, the din al-fitrah (i.e. the religion of innate nature). This is the goal of human life and thus provides the ethical framework for all education.’

‘Education is to bring out the natural goodness in people and direct it towards godly paths, this means that the teacher must have a clear understanding of the ways of God and what constitutes godly path,’ she added.

The participants in the forum took a break at noon for the Muslims to attend the Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers at the Islamic Centre of England and for the Christian participants in the church to take part in a Eucharist, a Christian service commemorating the Last Supper, in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed as sacrament.

Catriona Robertson, the co-founder of Multi-faith Forum in London, and Dr Chris Hewer, a Christian theologian who has been at the forefront of interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims, guided the discussion during lunch at the Islamic Centre’s library.

Robertson stressed the role of food in bringing different communities together: ‘The words company or

companion have at their root the Latin word panis, meaning bread.

So in effect, by breaking bread together people from different backgrounds come together.’

The guided discussion began with a comparison of Islamic and Christian notions of the Hereafter.

Shaykh Bahmanpour stated: ‘Because we are living in this material world as human beings, we are not fully equipped to perceive, in this life, what joys we will be experiencing in Paradise. But we cannot help ask ourselves in this lifetime what God has in store for those who go to Paradise?’

Dr Hewer stated:: ‘There will not be any fear in Paradise. There, human beings will be experiencing only the ever expanding love of God in the human heart. We enter the divine sunlight in which we realise what we have done to ourselves and others.’

Bishop Paul Hendrix, from the Archdiocese of Southwark in south London, stated that according to Christian theology ‘saints will be singing the praise of God in Paradise.’

He added that: ‘We know that we will be in an ideal state in Paradise.’

A discussion then ensued on how to educate the laity and whether high level discourses which are full of ambiguity and perhaps doubts should be presented to the non-clerics.

Hewer lamented the lack of deep knowledge among the laity and called it: ‘the gap between the seminar room and the pulpit.’

‘This gap continues to be great as long as the religious educators consider the laity as babies who should only be fed milk and not meat,’ he added.

Shaykh Bahmanpour replied that the laity does not come to the place of worship to hear highly intellectual discourses and perhaps it would not be right idea to discuss problematic issues with them.

In conclusion, Shahnaz Safieddine, a participant in past interfaith sessions, reported on her recent trip to Kenya as part of a Muslim group to engage with Benedictine clerics. She said that her discussions with the clerics were quite instructive and inspiring.

‘We are forced to revisit our own tradition after being challenged during the interfaith dialogue,’ she added.

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“Unity of God – Unit Monastics and Muslims in Dialogue Nairobi, Kenya, September 2-7, 2017

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he fifth gathering of monastic men and women and Shi‘a Muslims took place in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2017. The previous four meetings in Rome (2011), Qom/Isfahan (2012), Assisi/Rome (2014), and Qom/Mashhad (2016) were preceded by three separate meetings organised by Dr Shomali and Abbot Emeritus Timothy Wright (Ampleforth).

The site of this year’s meeting was the Subiaco Centre of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing in Karen, Nairobi. The Centre was an ideal setting for the conference, providing comfortable individual accommodations en suite, meeting rooms, WiFi connection, and meals featuring organic produce from the monastery garden. Even more important for the success of the conference was the gracious and attentive hospitality of the Sisters and the staff of the Centre and the presence next door of a vibrant and prayerful community of Benedictine Sisters who welcomed us to join them at the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. A special prayer room was set up for the Muslim delegates, who also welcomed our presence at their daily prayers.

The Shi‘a participants came from Iran, England (Iranians, Americans, and a Kenyan), and Canada. The Benedictines, including Abbot Primate Gregory Polan and the former Abbot Primate, Notker Wolf, came from six countries in Africa (Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda), Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, Italy and the United States. Also present was a German theologian, a correspondent for Bavarian radio, who has reported on previous conferences. Although the delegates came from fourteen different countries and were, for the most part, new to this dialogue, all agreed that that in the space of just six days we experienced a depth of interreligious friendship and a widening of our hearts (Dilatato Corde!) that was truly a gift of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

The theme of this year’s meeting, “Unity of God – Unity in God,” obviously goes to the very heart of the faith of Muslims and Christians. Both share a belief in the Oneness of God, but the way they express that belief is profoundly different. The Christian

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nity in God” faith, as defined by the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church (Nicaea, 325) and as formulated in the Nicene Creed, professes belief “in one God. . . in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God . . . consubstantial with the Father. . . . [and] in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. . . .” Some 300 years later, the Prophet Muhammad narrated the revelation he had received: “All praise be to God Who has neither taken to Himself a son, nor has He any partner in His kingdom, nor does He need anyone, out of weakness, to protect Him" (Qur’an 17:111).

In the not so distant past, the most common way to deal with such radically different expressions of monotheistic faith was by means of apologetics-defending or “proving” the truth of one’s own religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. At best, this approach led to a polite standoff (agreeing to disagree), at worst, to increased hostility towards those whose way of expressing their faith in the Oneness of God differed from one’s own.

The goal of our gathering in Africa was to provide a space in which Shi‘a Muslims and Catholic monastics could speak openly to one another about the ways they express and understand their faith in One God. We resonated with the statement of Christian de Chergé, the Trappist monk and friend of Muslims who believed that “To speak of God in a different way is not to speak of a different God (“Dire Dieu autrement n’est pas dire un autre Dieu”). Even more, we wanted to speak with one another about the ways our faith motivates us to work for unity, whether that be within our own communities of faith, with people of other faiths, or within society at large.

We devoted much of our time together to small group or plenary discussions. The initial schedule called for only four initial presentations, two on “unity of God" and two on “unity in God." Two more were added during the course of the conference, one on “The Appearance of the Twelfth and Final Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, and the Return of Jesus in Muslim Eschatology," the other, a PowerPoint presentation on “Jesus and the Trinity in Christian Iconography."

During our discussions we were urged to speak in the first person about our faith, religious experience, and spiritual practice-in other words, to speak not so much in terms of “Catholics believe . . . ,” or “Muslims believe . . . ,” but rather, “I believe . . .” The discussion also provided opportunities to ask questions of one another and thereby come to a better

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understanding and appreciation of experiences and practices that differ from, but can often be seen to complement our own.

Two especially striking observations were made during these discussions. First, one of the monastic participants who has done extensive study in the development of Christological and Trinitarian doctrine during the period prior to the Councils of Nicaea (325), Ephesus (431), and Chalcedon (451) noted that as the Christian Church became more and more Hellenised, it ignored, even rejected the contribution of the Syrian, Coptic, and other Eastern Churches, which had elaborated a Christology that was more Semitic. Had the Church been more open to Eastern ways of understanding the relationship of Jesus to God, he said, it is conceivable that Islam could have developed into a “rite” within the Christian Church.

Second, a Muslim participant commented that he did not agree with those Muslims who believed that Christians were polytheists.

“You share our belief in One God,” he said, “but the way you express your faith in the Oneness of God is Trinitarian.” He added that while did not agree with this way of expressing the Oneness of God, he accepted the honesty and sincerity of Christians who assured him that belief in the Trinity did not weaken or compromise their belief in the Unity of God. Running throughout the conference was the growing conviction that our dialogue about the unity of God must go beyond coming to a better understanding of and respect for one another. We need to find ways to work together to deepen our unity with God and our unity with one another as brothers and sisters in the one human family and as “cousins” in the Abrahamic family of faith.

In addition to the presentations given and discussions held at the Subiaco Centre, the conference included participation in an interreligious afternoon at the Jaffery [Shi‘a] Islamic Centre in Lavington, Nairobi; courtesy visits to the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo, and to the Auxiliary Bishop of Nairobi, the Most Rev. David Kamau Ng’ang’a; brief presentations to the staff and students at the International Benedictine Study House, an extended visit to and discussion with the Benedictine community at Prince of Peace Monastery (Tigoni); and two public events at Tangaza University College, a Catholic University College jointly owned by the twenty or so member religious congregations, among them, the Benedictines.

On the first day at Tangaza, after welcomes from academic administrators and an introduction by the Abbot Primate, Dr Newton Kahumbi Maina, Ph.D., of the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, spoke on the state of interreligious dialogue in Kenya. The second day was devoted to the specific characteristics and goals of monastic interreligious dialogue.

The contact established between DIMMID and Tangaza is especially promising for the future of Monastic-Muslim dialogue in Africa. The newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor Designate, the Rev. Prof. Stephen Mbungua Ngari, and the Head of the Mission and Islamic Department, Fr Innocent Maganya, M. Afr., expressed their

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eagerness to collaborate with Shi‘a academic institutions in Iran to offer courses and workshops, both at Tanganza and throughout East and South Africa. Fr. Maganya also expressed his readiness to work with DIMMID to provide formation programmes in interreligious dialogue for monks and nuns in this region. It is possible that similar formation programmes for French-speaking monks and nuns could be developed in collaboration with a centre run by the Missionaries of Africa in Bamako, Mali.

On the final evening, the African monastic delegates to the conference met with Prior John-Baptist Oese of Tigoni, Fr Maganya, and the Secretary-General of DIMMID to discuss possibilities for the establishment of a continental commission of DIMMID in Africa. It was decided that the next step would be for the African delegates to seek the continued support of their superiors and communities as they report to them on what took place at this meeting. A further step will be to make contact with the various regional associations of African Benedictine communities such as the Benedictine Cistercian Association of Kenya and Uganda (BECIAKU), the Benedictine Union of Tanzania (BUT), the Benedictine Communities of South Africa (BECOSA), the Benedictine and Cistercian Association of Nigeria (BECAN), and ask for their recognition and support of monastic dialogue with Muslims as an especially timely and important mission for monastic men and women in Africa. We will suggest that they include the development of Monastic-Muslim dialogue in the agenda of future meetings. Thirdly, we will follow up on Fr Maganya’s proposal to design and offer a programme of formation for African Benedictines who will be more formally involved in dialogue with Muslims, a programme that could travel to different parts of English-speaking Africa.

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Courtesy of: http://www.dimmid.org The full programme and photo gallery can be accessed from DIMMID website *Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique / Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIMMID)

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T

he 2nd National Congress of Interreligious Dialogue, with the motto of ‘The Culture of Interreligious Dialogue Building peace, was held in San Juan, Argentina for three days on October 9-11, 2017.

The Interreligious congress, which

Building Peace:

The congress aimed at the development of a permanent space promoting the culture of dialogue between the representatives of the different religions professed in Argentina, on a national, provincial and local base.

The themes of the Congress were: ‘Religious communities as participants in the dialogue’, ’Freedom of worship and interreligious dialogue’ and ‘Interreligious dialogue, the tool of the culture of peace’.

Over a period of three days, the members of the Congress toured different places in the province where presentations as well as cultural activities and different religious expressions took place.

The opening ceremony on 9th October 2017 was held at the Auditorium of the Franklin Rawson Museum whereas the Tuesday 10th morning activities were moved to the Eloy Camus Auditorium of the Civic Centre. After prayers and supplications by some religious representatives, discussions on the central topic, ‘Interreligious dialogue, the tool of the culture of peace’, took place. Activities lasted throughout the day and in the afternoon continued in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The central theme of the discussion was, ‘Freedom of worship and interreligious dialogue’.

The Culture of Interreligious Dialogue Sheikh Feisal and Sister Sumeia report on the second

National Congress of Interreligious Dialogue-San Juan, Argentina, 9-1 1 October 201 7 was sponsored and supported by the Secretariat of Worship, was attended by more than 250 people from different faith backgrounds.

The participants included the members of Ministry of Government, the Department of Religious Affairs, NGOs, the Provincial Interfaith consul of San Juan together with representatives of different religious groups and political factions from all over Argentina.

The congress aimed at generating a space for dialogue and constructive reflection, where peace-oriented actions were proposed through the exchange between the various religious communities of Argentina.

Throughout this Congress, it was demonstrated that dialogue, coexistence, respect and mutual appreciation are the fundamental pillars in the construction of peace in the world, based on the permanent search for common values and unity without anyone losing their individual identity.

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On the closing day the conclusions of the discussions were presented in the historical Cell of José de San Martín. Prayers were made by the representatives of the different religions, and topics for discussion in future congresses, such as environmental care, world

disarmament, family values etc. were also discussed.

The official closing ceremony was held at the birthplace of Sarmiento, where seven representatives of different religions read parts of the Declaration of the Second National Congress of Interreligious Dialogue.

A part of the declaration is as follows: "... considering that for building peace we must create bridges between human beings, therefore, education, respect, love, understanding and knowing each other and working with a spirit of brotherhood will be the first step towards it. That is why the Interreligious Dialogue invites Argentinian citizens from different faiths to build spaces for dialogue to strengthen peace and constantly search for cohesion, equity, equality and justice to ensure an imminent prosperity for the future generations. Doing so will allow us to recognise all men as creatures of God. We propose to promote formal and non-formal educational structures as fundamental tools to educate us and strengthen the learning of values by promoting diverse activities such as sport, cultural and artistic activities, among others.

It calls us to elaborate an agenda of common themes, seeking the complementarity with other communities of the society, arranging dialogues with the state, the academic and scientific world and looking for new leading threads that bind the religious values with the society.

The interreligious dialogue to build peace will become a reality by setting the example in all areas of our life through prayer, with a heart full of openness, through actively listening to others, transmitting all this to our communities by everyday activities that encourage them to reject violence and to care for the environment, through the protection of children and adolescents, but above all, by respecting the rights of everyone."

It should be noted that the First National Congress of Interreligious Dialogue was held last year in the city of San Miguel de Tucuman.

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Visits to Canada, Scotland and the Netherlands Between October and November, 2017 Dr Shomali undertook a number of important visits. interviewed him after his return to get an insight into the purpose of the visits.

InthenameofGod theBeneficenttheMerciful

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bout two years ago I received a joint from a invitation group of Mennonite Christians and some Shi‘a Muslims from the city of Edmonton in Alberta – Canada, who had invited me and Professor Harry Huebner from the Canadian Mennonite University of Winnipeg, to go there and deliver a series of lectures. I quickly accepted because the invitation came from Christian friends and a Shi‘a Muslim organisation - to me this was a sign of unity and I thought I should support it. Unfortunately for some reasons the event didn’t materialise.

About a year ago Professor Huebner and I received again their invitation for a serious of events and we started working on them. The main invitation came from ‘A Common Word Alberta’ initiative.

The ACW is a worldwide enterprise launched in Alberta Canada in 2007 as ‘a letter signed by 138 leading Muslims to the leaders of the Christian churches and denominations of the entire world.

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It proposed, based on verses from the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Bible that Islam and Christianity share the commandments of the paramount importance of loving God and loving one’s neighbour. It is an extended global handshake of inter-religious goodwill, friendship, and fellowship and consequently of world peace’.(from http://www.acwalberta.ca/who-we-are)

The event was the 5th annual Christian – Muslim Dialogue, organised for the last week of October which coincides with interfaith week when universities, Christian and Muslim communities all get involved. The planned event was to take place in different locations between the city of Edmonton and Camrose. Professor Harry Huebner and I were supposed to be the main speakers.

Unfortunately Professor Huebner fell ill and could not make it; however, he was substituted by three Mennonites: Professor Huebner’s son Chris Huebner, Dr Urma Fast Dueck

both from the University of Winnipeg and Pastor Doug Klassen from Calgary.

I arrived in Edmonton on 25th October. The opening event with Pastor Doug Klassen and I, was held at Islamic Shi‘a Ithna Asheri Associaton (ISIA).

The theme of the discussion was: ‘The concept of self-sacrifice for faith communities as embodied by Imam Husayn(a) and Prophet Jesus(a)’. This was followed by a Q&A session. The whole event was excellent and attended by many Christians and Muslims.

The following day our dialogue programme was held at Kings University. This was originally a Biblical collage but was later turned into a university. Dr Fast Dueck and I had a session on Dialogue on MuslimChristian Relations in which we talked about the history of our engagement and presented our reflections on the topic. This was followed by a Q&A session.

In the evening we had a regular Thursday programme in the Islamic Shi‘a Ithna Asheri mosque. As it was also the anniversary of Imam Hasan’s(a) martyrdom, I talked about Imam Hasan(a), his advice and spirituality.

On Friday I led Jum‘ah prayers, attended also by some Christians. In the afternoon we continued our dialogue programme at the University of Alberta.

The theme was ‘Contemporary Challenges; Islamic and Christian Responses – The Value of

Life’. This was led by Dr Chris Huebner and I. It was a wellattended event and was followed by a Q&A. One Saturday we had the main programme for ‘The Common World’, titled ‘Christian – Muslim Dialogue more important now than ever’. Dr Urma Fast Dueck and I gave presentations on the topic. The programme was followed by group discussions with the participants engaging with the topics we had presented. This session was also very well attended with Christian leaders, activists, politicians and some members of the Legislative Assembly. In fact it was so popular that at one stage they had to close the registration. The event was held in St Mathias Anglican Church. In the evening we had a programme in the First Mennonite Church. This programme was led by Dr Urma Fast Dueck and myself and was about sharing our personal accounts on

were very enthusiastic and afterwards many came to talk and shake hands with me. ( see page 6) In the evening we had another programme in the First Mennonite church but this one was for the community. The speakers were both Chris Huebner and I with David Goa, formerly of Chester Ronning Centre, serving as moderator.

The theme was ‘Peace Expressions in Islam and Christianity’.

On Monday morning we had another programme under the title of ‘Dialogue / Peace Resources in Islam and Christianity / Christian/ Muslim relations-building & understanding’. This

was hosted by the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life and held at the University of Alberta in Camrose, about an hour’s drive from Edmonton.

Our talk was followed by a Q&A session. This was more of a class but also open to the public. It was attended by around 50 participants who stayed for a two and a half hour session.

My trip to Canada continued to Vancouver. There we had a meeting with our Kawthar Learning Circle students. I talked about the reaction between our deeds and rewards and punishment in the Hereafter. On the way back from Edmonton to the UK, I stopped in Toronto where we had a joint meeting with some of the KLC students and four of our Focolare friends.

dialogue for the youths.

On Sunday we had a programme in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmonton. As it was the 500th anniversary of the Reformation a special service was held. Dr Fast Dueck and I were invited to address the congregation during the service. It was a very significant invitation because Dr Fast Dueck is a Mennonite Christian and Lutherans have some history with Mennonites. Moreover, I was a Muslim. We also had prayers by Catholics, Mennonites, Orthodox, Lutherans and Muslims. The church was packed and there was very nice atmosphere. My talk was about ‘Seeing the face of God in other religions’. Praise be to God, people

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day after coming back to London I went to Scotland on the 2nd Nov. We went directly to Al Furqan mosque in Glasgow. We had a SunniShi‘a dialogue programme which concluded with issuing of joint resolutions. It was a very constructive session organised by several organisations, including Muslim Council of Scotland, Ahl ul Bayt Society of Glasgow, Minaj al-Qur’an International and The Islamic Centre of

England. This was reported also by some Asian media in the Urdu language. Some of the attendees had previously come to Iran through an

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invitation by the Islamic Centre of England. (islam today issue 52 October 2017)

speeches discussed many issues related to Children’s safety and rights.

(See full speech on page 7).

On Friday we had a dialogue session at Jesuits’ Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Glasgow. This was a Muslim / Catholic Christian event. The Archbishop Emeritus Mario Conti, Chair of the Bishops’ Conference’s Committee for Interreligious Dialogue, was also present and chaired the meeting.

In the same evening I spoke at the 4th Annual Peace and Unity Conference organised by Ahl ul Bayt society of Glasgow. This was held at the Glasgow City Chambers. The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon was in attendance as well as representatives from other parties and different Shi‘a, Sunni and Christian organisations. The topic of this year event was ‘The Rights of Children’. Well received

In the evening I led a programme in Edinburgh for the Shi‘a Muslim community.

Trip to the Netherlands O

n Friday 10th of November Dr Shomali arrived in the Netherlands for some academic visits and to speak at the Arbaeen procession held in Rotterdam. In the morning, he visited the Islamic University of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam and met the Rector, Dr Ahmet Akgunduz, who kindly gave him a copy of his recent publications on Islamic Jurisprudence, and then Dr Ahmet Dundar, who gave him a tour of the University. In the afternoon, he also visited Brill Publishers, well-known for its scholarly publications on Islam, in particular the Encyclopaedia of Islam. Sheikh Shomali held useful meetings with both the Chief Executive and the Acquisitions Editor for Middle East and Islamic Studies. Brill will be celebrating its 335th anniversary next year.

Dr Sheikh Shomali also visited Leiden University, the oldest university in Europe and a place where Islam is studied.

Leiden University was founded in 1575 and is one of Europe’s leading international research universities. Dr Shomali was taken around the University by Dr Ahab Bdaiwi who is a lecturer in charge of the programme for Islamic and Arab philosophy. He explained that among its new initiatives the University is planning to offer degrees in Islamic and Arab philosophy.

On Sunday 12th November the Shi‘a Community of the Netherlands organised Arbaeen procession in order to deliver the message of Imam Husayn(a) to the people. The procession was a silent one with no banners except in the Dutch language. The colour of choice for the procession was white rather than the traditional black which could have been confused with the colour of ISIS. The participants of this procession were drawn from different communities and ethnic backgrounds and from different parts of the Netherlands. Their gathering to commemorate the Arbaeen of Imam Husayn(a) was held in one of the squares of the city centre of Rotterdam. The programme started with the recitation of verses from the Qur’an in Dutch and in English with one speech. They also distributed leaflets in Dutch. A large screen hired for the occasion showed lectures about Imam Husayn(a) in English by various scholars such as Dr Chris Hewer and Rev Nadim Nasser. Sheikh Shomali was invited to give a talk in the square in English. (Full speech on page 8).

He was positively encouraged by the efforts of the Shi‘a and decided to accept the invitation. On Saturday night the Shi‘a of Rotterdam also had a programme for Arbaeen in their centre in which Sheikh Shomali gave a key talk on social wilayah.

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Seeing the face of God in other religions Sheikh Shomali at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmonton – 29th October 2017

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thank God the Almighty for giving me the blessing to be here and be part of your service on such a special day. I am also very grateful to the organisers to inviting me to their very special celebration.

In both our traditions we find that everything which is created by God is also His manifestation, a sign of Him. Whether it is small or large in our sight, it is unique and special for God. In everything, we should be able to discover the signature of God. If you consider the work of an artist, a small painting or big one, when the signature of the painter is on it you would value that painting even more. I think for us believers, it is a challenge to train ourselves, our minds and our hearts to be able to see the signature of God everywhere. This is what we refer to as ‘the face of God’; in both our religions we have a concept of seeking the face of God. I was thinking about this concept. Of course we know that God has no body so that He would have a physical face, in the sense that we normally use ‘face’ for human beings. The face, for us humans, is a very important aspect of our being.

If I want to have the best and all-out encounter with someone it should be a face to face one. If I talk to you but face the other way, this is not a good encounter. Likewise, if my face is turned towards you but you are facing the other way this is not a good encounter either. Face to face or eye to eye encounters are the best situations to enter into a dialogue.

The beauty of God, on the other hand, is that He is always facing us. It is only we that turn our face away from Him. In the Qur’an we read: “Wherever you turn, the face of God is waiting for you”. Naturally, we may find the face of God more

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obvious in holy places; in churches, in mosques, in monasteries... We should train ourselves on how to keep our eyes open towards the face of God because he is everywhere.

Whenever we go somewhere, we should remain focused on God and be able to see His face in everything. One of the biggest challenges for a human being is to be able to see the face of God in other faiths. For some religious people, this might be the most difficult thing to do. However, this should be the easiest thing, but it is difficult for us to see the face of God in other traditions or some other scriptures or other religious denominations. I think this needs maturity. I am delighted to be here today and see these signs of maturity. At the same time we should be very loyal to our own traditions and act according to what we believe, in an honest way and submit ourselves to God. We should see value in other people’s religious traditions, respect them and pray to God together.

The best thing we can do is to pray to God and praise God together. If there is any conflict – and I pray there will not be – it should stay outside the walls of the holy places; it should be out of the minds and hearts of believers. If we have conflicts, these should be outside of our religious traditions and not within, outside of our practices and prayers and hopefully, we can learn how we can take this peace within to the outside world.

Please let us all work together and do not let anyone bring conflict and tension to our holy places, to our holy prayers and to our relations. May God be always with you and be your support and guide!

THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN The following is Dr Shomali’s address to the 4th Peace & Unity Conference.

Peace be with you

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am very grateful to God for giving me the blessing of being here for the second time and after my last visit to Scotland in February when I was invited to address the Scottish Parliament during the Time for Reflection session.

Children’s right is a very important topic and I thought perhaps my contribution might be more useful if I explained the significance of children from the Islamic perspective. To be able to understand exactly the contribution of Islam in this matter, it would be important for me to explain the condition of children before the advent of Islam.

Arab society in the Arabian Peninsula, just before the coming of Islam lacked humanity. It was a society suffering from ignorance and darkness and perhaps those who suffered most were children.

Children did not receive sufficient attention and mercy, especially girls.

The Qur’an clearly blames and condemns the people for burying their daughters alive.

The Qur’an says of those who received news of the birth of a girl: “His face would become dark with anger and say, what shall I do with this shame?” Of course, there is a history of this that goes back to the past, when tribes attacked each other and women were taken as hostages. Because of this, they developed this attitude towards females.

But Islam brought respect for children, especially for girls. Our Prophet(s) used to show the maximum respect for children, especially girls. I would like to mention a few examples from the life of the Prophet and then make a comment which I think it is relevant for today.

One anecdote which is very beautiful demonstrates how our Prophet Muhammad(s) used to show his love for his children and grandchildren. He

often kissed his grandchildren, something seen as a sign of weakness in the society of the time. A man was expected to keep his feelings inside.

Once someone was surprised that the Messenger of God kissed his grandchildren and told him: “I never kiss my children”. The Prophet replied: “If you don’t show mercy, you will not receive mercy.” One has to show mercy to children so God shows His Mercy to you.

In another anecdote that may have happened more than once, when the Prophet prostrated in prayers sometimes his grandsons, Hasan and Husayn, climbed on the back of the Prophet and he would take his time to come out of prostration, even if in congregational prayer when many people would pray behind him. The Prophet had so much love for his grandchildren that he would prolong his prostration so that they could finish playing and come down from his back.

Only then he would stand up.

Once when the Prophet was about to start the prayer, - as you know we start our prayers with the pronunciation of Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest), Imam Husayn could not pronounce Allahu Akbar properly. On that occasion, God ordered the Prophet to repeat the words. He repeated the words seven times until the young child could also pronounce it properly.

Showing respect and love towards the children is the essence of religion and humanity. We have a beautiful hadith (narration) from the Prophet(s) which I believe can summarise many things he said: “Love children as much as you can, you should love and have affection for the children”.

Rahma (kindness) is to give love to children without expectation; expecting something in return is not kindness.

The Prophet also said; “if you promise something to children you have to keep your promise.” Sometimes people might promise something to children to keep them happy but later on they cannot keep their promise, this is not right. The

Prophet said: “Your children look at you as their sustainer as if you are the world.” So whether it is our children or any other children we should look at them as if we were responsible for them because they look at us as their protectors and sustainers. One of the worst things that could happen is when an innocent child has put his or her trust in us adults, and we mistreat them or abuse them. Our seventh Imam Musa al Kazem(a) says: “God never gets angry as much as when women or children get abused.” So when children are abused God is most unhappy with us.

We have to work together to spread the message of protecting all the children of the world who are both innocent and a gift of God. According to the Islamic tradition all babies, even those miscarried, go to heaven. We have a saying that when God tells a miscarried baby to go to heaven he/she replies: I won’t go to heaven unless my parents join me.

I would like to share an idea with you.

When we buy a computer or a mobile we are advised that if we want a longlasting battery we need to charge it fully, we have to do the same thing with children. We have to give our children as much love, peace and tranquillity as we can, so that later on in our lives we don’t have any difficulties. Children who receive love from their parents, in the school or from the community will lead a more stable life and will not wish bad for other people. I am sure many of the adults who do criminal acts had a difficult childhood devoid of love and warmth.

We have to make sure that we give unconditional love and mercy to children so that throughout their lives they keep beautiful memories of their childhood and get positive energy.

Whenever they have a problem they can draw on the light and hope in their childhood to empower themselves. So let’s work together to give as much love and tranquillity to the children to make this world a better place for them regardless of their ethnicity, faith or race.

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Imam Husayn's Message for humanity Dr Sheikh Shomali Arbaeen procession - Rotterdam, 12th Nov 2017

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irstly, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to be part of this programme and to show your love and dedication to the message of Imam Husayn(a). May God accept your efforts in the most generous way and may God Almighty write your names on the list of those visiting Imam Husayn(a) this Arbaeen.

What I would like to share with you and our non Muslim friends is a quick review of what Imam Husayn(a) has done and see what humanity can get as lessons now and in the future from his message.

First of all we know that God the Almighty had special plans for humanity right from the beginning of creation. From the time that human beings were created God wanted us to live with honour and dignity. God says: “We have honoured all children of Adam.” (Qur’an 17:17) Honour and dignity are what every human being deserves.

And there is nothing more important than having an honourable and dignified life.

When division and conflicts appeared, God sent us the Prophets and the Messengers to guide us towards unity, peace, justice and solidarity so that we would be able to have an honourable life.

Unfortunately, throughout history we human beings passed through different stages and phases of conflicts and disagreement after we had become united. We become

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united and then we get un-united. This has repeated again and again. Even the Qur’an tells us that Prophets came to unite people by bringing a unifying message but their followers after a while became divided over the same message (2: 213) therefore God sent new Prophets to stress again the unifying factors.

Abraham(a), who was a key figure in the history of mankind, a meeting point between Christianity, Judaism and Islam, had a special role to play in the plan of God for humanity.

He is the one who demonstrated in the best possible way the significance of the unity of God. He was also a caring father and the patriarch for all humanity. A man who was very hospitable, a man who was concerned about everyone and was finaly chosen by God as His friend (khalil). And then through the children of Abraham(a) we had all the messengers and prophets. We have Isaac and all of the the Israelite prophets until Prophet Jesus(a) and through Ishmael, we have the Prophet Muhammad(s) and Imams including Imam Husayn(a). In the Bible, Genesis, chapter 17, verse 20, and some other chapters of the same book God refers to his plan of giving a great nation to Abraham(a) through Ishmael and Hagar. In chapter 17, verse 20 God says to Abraham that through Ishmael he is going to give a very large nation and 12 rulers in that nation. That nation is Islam and that is a branch of an Abrahamic tree.

Abrahamic religion constitute already more than half of the

population of the world. But unfortunately not long after the demise of the Prophet Muhammad(s) who was the last Prophet and the one who brought the message of peace and love as the Qur’an says, some power-seeking people hijacked Islam, and took Islam away from the Prophetic message.

They claimed the name of the successors of the Prophet but they had no interest in true Islam. In the personal, social or political life there was no spirit of Islam and therefore a separation started to emerge in the Islamic community between power and the real faith, between state and religion. Imam Husayn(a), the grandson of the Prophet, was not happy to be part of an unjust system and kept himself separate from the power. He lived for 10 years during the time of the reign of Muawiyah. A peace treaty had been already agreed by his brother Imam Hasan(a) and Muawiyah.

Both grandsons of the Prophet, Hasan and Husayn, tried not be associated in any way with that so-called Islamic Caliphate or Islamic government of their time.

Unfortunately, when Muawiyah was about to die he asked everyone to pay allegiance to his son Yazid who was by any standard a corrupt and immoral person. Nobody was happy with Yazid as an ordinary member of the society, let alone as the leader of the Muslim community.

A major problem started when Yazid took power and wanted to force Imam Husayn(a), a man from the progeny of Abraham(a) and Ishmael and Muhammad(s) to pay allegiance to him and to accept his authority.

This is when Imam Husayn(a) gave a lesson for all history that you cannot be silent when the dignity and honour of humanity are under threat. You can avoid violence even if you are going to lose your legitimate power to other people who are not legitimate and are taking over the power if this

serves the interests of the community keeping unity and peace. But when they want you to be become a part and parcel of a corrupt and unjust system and use you to give legitimacy to their corrupt actions, you should not accept or tolerate. Imam Husayn(a) proved this by sacrificing his life, as did his dear companions and family members – 72 men in total. Imam Husayn(a) gave his life bravely refusing to endorse an unjust system and unjust Caliph, and this is the lesson for us.

The best gift we have from God, more valuable than even our lives, is our honour and dignity. Imam Husayn(a) said: “Life is very important but life under the flag of the unjust people, without dignity, when you are being humiliated is not worth living”.

So this is the message we have to take from Imam Husayn(a). It is a message that is ever more relevant to humanity, calling for honour and dignity for all the children of Adam. From the East to the West, from the North to the South, men, women and children should be able to have a dignified life and they should be able to be free and decide for themselves what kind of life they want to live.

I hope God Almighty enables us to learn in different ways the message of Imam Husayn(a) and share it with all of humanity. I would like to conclude by saying that Imam Husayn(a) is the icon of justice and dignity and a role model for the whole of humanity.

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he group ‘Wings of Unity’ met again for the fourth round. There were about twenty Catholic Christians and Shi‘a Muslims at the Sophia University Institute of Loppiano. As in the past, we experienced a moment of great cultural richness, but above all spiritual richness. The topic chosen was certainly not the easiest and was undoubtedly anything but to be taken for granted: revelation.

Islam and Christianity differ not just a little on this theme, and if the positions are not put into the context of an environment of peaceful exchange and deep listening, they tend to become rigid and even conflictual. Instead, as on prior occasions, even if diversity was not lacking and was often anything but marginal,

there was a great warmth. The warmth took my breath away, and I imagine that those who were present also felt the same way. For two hours everyone was still immersed in listening not just with interest but deeply involved.

The impressions I gathered at the end of the evening were quite different from the clichés we gather every day from the mass media on the relationship between Muslims and Christians. The message that has been communicated through these common experiences of life and thought is that dialogue is possible even in the face of the differences and difficulties that seem to block this spirit.

Wings of Unity: Effecti ve an d Affecti ve D ialo gue

By Roberto Catalano

we lived an experience of effective dialogue because there was the affective dimension that was the result of these days spent together. This is not to say that it was sentimental - far from it! The affective part is born precisely from a long experience of mutual listening, acceptance, and the capacity for dialogue that welcome the other, even if they are different, and without any pretension or expectation of modifying positions or points of view. In effect, this experience of dialogue is the experience of life even before being an intellectual experience, and it truly becomes such only if rooted in the existential dimension.

We had proof of it the evening before our closed-door seminar in front of about 150 inhabitants of the city of Loppiano, coming from different countries and nationalities. We shared the progress made over the last year and a half and we reached the point of communicating the deepest aspects of this experience. Even if the evening was completely improvised, what emerged with clarity was the vital dimension of this frame of thinking entitled Wings of Unity. We spoke of the summer school which was held last August in Trent, but also of our personal experiences and theological and philosophical understandings that are emerging both on the individual and communitarian levels. In the hall

Still, the strongest experience was once again the one lived with Mohammad, Mahnaz, Israa, Shahanaze, Hanieh, Sharazad, and so on. It was the experience of discovering that before anything else we are brothers and sisters – even before being Christians and Muslims. This does not mean to give in to an attitude of confusion. The characterizing elements of each one of those present were well-defined and clear. What makes a difference is the atmosphere of fraternity that was created thanks to this attitude of brotherhood. In fact, even brothers and sisters remain very different from one other. It is an experience that is difficult to describe unless one lives it. But once it has been witnessed, it is impossible to forget and dialogue becomes a reality! 

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Jerusalem, History, Theology and International Law Academic Conference on Al-Quds on the 39th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution

‘Jerusalem belongs to all three Abrahamic religions and must be free and open to all of them’

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peakers in the academic conference of Jerusalem (al-Quds) History, Theology and International Law which was held in the Islamic Centre of England in London expressed their views about the holy city from historical, theological and legal angles.

In his remarks which were delivered via a video link, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Manuel Hassassian, talked about the importance of Jerusalem for all three Abrahamic religions. He opposed what he called the monopoly of one of these religions over the holy city. He called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to open Jerusalem to all believers and put an end to Israeli injustice. He thanked Iranians for their constant support of Palestine and thanked the Islamic Centre for holding this conference. He said that as a Christian he always admired Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance.

Dr Nehad Khenfar, an academic and lecturer in International law, looked at the issue from a legal point of view. He explained the resolutions passed by the Security Council of the UN about the rights of the Palestinian to the city.

He argued that based on those resolutions, all legislation passed by the Israeli authorities about Jerusalem are null and illegal. This is because under international law only the inhabitants of Jerusalem have sovereignty over the city, not Israel nor Jordan nor any other state, he explained.

He also mentioned the 1998 Rome Statute of International Criminal Law which prohibits the occupier force from moving its population to the occupied territory, which is something that Israel has been doing for many years by building Jewish settlements.

Dr Khenfar said that Palestinians now living in countries that have signed and ratified

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w the Rome Statute into their internal legal systems can and should take legal action against Israeli authorities, politicians, military personnel and anybody who ever had a role in forcing out Palestinians from their homes.

He then talked about the ‘conditional’ membership of Israel in the UN and said Israel has violated those conditions and therefore according to the General Assembly’s resolutions, it is not a legitimate state anymore.

In concluding Dr Khenfar reiterated that all Israelis who have taken part in changing the status of Jerusalem can be sued under the laws of the International Criminal Court.

Later during the conference, Syed Ali Raza Rizvi, the President of Majlis Ulama Shi‘a in Europe underlined the Islamic Revolution’s global and transnational appeal for justice and its support for all the oppressed people around the world, including Palestinians.

Dr Jon Hoover, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Nottingham, gave a brief lecture on the history of

Jerusalem. He said that the ‘Children of Israel’ captured the city around 1000 BC when ‘King David’ conquered the city and his son, ‘King Solomon’ built the first temple. In 578 Babylonians destroyed the city and enslaved its people. He then described the Jews’ return to the city and rebuilding the temple between 520 and 515 BC, which is known as the ‘second temple’.

In 70 CE Romans destroyed the city.

Dr Hoover said that for those who have read the New Testament it is interesting how accurately and in details Jesus predicted Jerusalem’s destruction.

Dr Hoover said that Emperor Hadrian built another city on its ruins and banned Jews from entering the city which survived for 700 years. In fact, Jews were allowed to enter the city after Muslims took over in 638 AD. In 692 Muslims built the Dome of Rock. Then he explained why Abd al-Malik built the dome.

He then continued by describing the fall of the city to Crusaders in 1099 and Salah al-Din recapturing it in 1187 CE. From 1250 to 1517 Mamluks ruled the city and from 1517 to 1917 it was under

Ottoman rule. In 1917 during the First World War, the British Army captured Jerusalem. Between 1917 and 1948 it fell under the British mandate, and between 1948 and 1967 it was divided between Israel and Jordan.

Dr Ghada Karmi also talked about Jerusalem from a historical perspective but from her personal experience as a native of Jerusalem. It was not an important city during the Ottoman time apart from being a pilgrimage destination, but in the 19th century when Europeans opened their consulates in Jerusalem and sent their Christian missionaries to convert the locals, the Ottomans began to take notice. She said that it is very difficult to estimate the correct number of Muslims, Christians and Jews in the city firstly because of unclear boundaries and secondly because of the Israeli policy that tends to show Jews are in a majority. She said that in 1928 when Jews began their migration to the holy city, the population of Muslims was about 7000, Christians 5000 and Jews 9000. She said that the number of Jews increased dramatically. This was not by birth but by immigration. As a result

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in 1944, there were 97000 Jews and 30000 Muslims.

The numbers in 2015, if we believe the Israeli numbers she said, are 525,000 Jews, 300,000 Muslims and only 12,000 Christians. It is interesting that the number of Christians is even lower than it was in 1931.

She then talked about her personal experience as a child in Jerusalem. She described the character of the city as Muslim/Christian and said that relations between the two were based on mutual respect. She said that Muslims would go to Christian festivals while Christians would come to Muslim festivals and they would send each other gifts on each group’s religious occasions. She regretted that the city of her childhood does not exist anymore, ‘ethnic cleansing’ having changed the city’s character.

The Reverend Nadim Nassar said that Jerusalem is important for all of us as believers. He expressed regret that no Western Church cares about the plight of Christians living in Jerusalem and their decreasing number. He then talked about the significance of the city from a Christian theological perspective saying it was a shame that we did not have a Jewish rabbi to talk about the theological importance of Jerusalem from a Judaic point of view. He continued, however, by saying that Jesus entered the city when people were expecting a saviour to emerge and become their king.

But as he explained, Jesus said that his kingdom is not from this world.

He said that when the Lord chose to become ‘one of us’, He chose Jerusalem as His city. Therefore in his view, Jerusalem is the capital city of spirituality. He said that in order to understand Jerusalem it is crucial to understand three cultures. Most people do not know that Christianity began from the Middle East and there are native Christians all over the region. Secondly, he said, we should understand the cultural diversion of the city in the last 50 years. Thirdly and lastly he said, we should understand the culture of God and His decision to choose Jerusalem as His city.

The final speaker of this conference was Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali, the director of the Islamic Centre. He began by explaining the global impact of the Islamic Revolution at a time when everyone thought that the age of religions was over. The revolution, he believed, proved that humanity can still live based on religious values. Faith gives courage to the oppressed and a purpose in their lives.

He then talked about Imam Khomeini’s care for the oppressed whether they were Iranians or not. He said

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that from the very beginning the Imam was opposed to both apartheid and occupation.

One of the first foreign policy decisions after the revolution was to cut political and economic relations with South Africa, then under apartheid. In Palestine Shaikh Shomali said there is both apartheid and occupation, and therefore Imam Khomeini did not hesitate to support the Palestinian people.

Dr Shomali then talked about the theological aspects of Jerusalem in Islam and in the Qur’an. First, he mentioned that for all the first 13 years of Islam in

Makkah, the Qibla was Jerusalem and the Prophet Muhammad(s) and his companions prayed towards that direction. Only in Madina and after some time, following a revelation from God, did the direction of the Qibla change to Makkah. The second importance of Jerusalem from the Qur’an’s point of view was the Prophet’s ascension to heaven from al-Aqsa Mosque.

He talked about the significance of this journey and theological views on why the Prophet was taken on the Me‘raj (Ascension) from Jerusalem and not directly from Makkah.

He said that one view would be that Jerusalem and its surroundings, is blessed according to the Qur’an, and this blessing was so significant that the Prophet was to ascend from that place to heaven. He also narrated sayings by Imam Ali(a) about the importance of al-Aqsa mosque as one of the four gardens of Paradise on earth, next to Masjid al-Haram, Masjid al-Nabi and Masjid alKufa.

Dr Shomali said that today, unfortunately, not only the inhabitants of the city but the holy city itself has been taken as hostage. He then prayed and wished for the return of Jerusalem to all believers as a holy city, not a political city. 

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Visit to Canada

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Dr Shomali started the session with a talk about the importance of unity in the community before moving on to an interesting Q&A session where the discussion covered many issues related to community education and how to face the challenges of living in the West.

n the 28th of February Hujjatul-Islam Dr Shomali travelled to Canada for a six-day trip. During his visit he delivered the annual lecture at the Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo as part of his ongoing academic engagement with the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. (see islam today April 2017 issue 46).

The following day, Dr Shomali was invited to give a talk at Carleton University, organised by the Carleton University and the University of Ottawa Islamic associations; Ahlul-Bayt Student Association and Thaqaleyn Muslim Association. The title of the talk was: ‘Reflecting on Connections: Integrating Islam in Western Society’.

The event was arranged in cooperation with the Conrad Grebel University College of the Mennonite Church of Eastern Canada. The event was also supported by: Global Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Interfaith Grand River, Islamic Humanitarian Service, Studies in Islam, Rension University at the University of Waterloo. The title of this year’s lecture was: ‘Unity of God and Unity in God’. In his lecture Dr Shomali presented the concept of tawhid (unity of God) according to Islam, explaining how belief in the unity of God would lead to unity of people in God.

Addressing a packed auditorium of mostly Muslims students, Dr Shomali started with the premise that nothing that come from God is only for the benefit of few and that in Islam we always consider the relationship between God and the people. He stated that the path of God goes through people and the path towards people goes through God. A message from God is for all humanity but it acquires different forms depending on the

Whenever Dr Shomali travels to Canada, he always tries to visit universities, his Christian friends and the local Ahl-ul Bait communities. This time around he travelled to Ottawa to attend a number of private and public programmes. From Thursday evening 1st of March till Sunday 3rd of March, Dr Shomali attended the winter retreat with the Khawthar Learning Circle ‘s students and their families. (A full report to be published in the next issue of isam today). On the 4th of March he was invited to the Ark Centre of Excellence for an interactive session with brothers.

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background of the people who receive it.

For example the Arabs made Islam part of their culture as did the Persians. The cultural forms that are generated from the interaction between the message (of Islam) and local customs, although useful are not to be understood as the message itself, said Dr Shomali. He affirmed that is important to distinguish between the cultural expressions and traditions of a certain group of people who embrace Islam or any religion for that matter and the core message of that religion.

Dr Shomali used the analogy of falling rain.

“When it comes from the sky rainwater has no colour, smell or taste, but the moment it hits the ground it will acquire the properties of the place where it has fallen” he said, adding that the result does not represent the essence of pure rainwater. In terms of Islam and its people, Dr Shomali stated that it is good to keep and encourage ones’ culture and customs but it is not right to tell people of the West that if they wish to approach Islam they should change their culture for one of the already established Islamic cultures. He added that: “‘People can keep their own culture, the way they dress, eat …., as long as they don’t contradict the principles of Islam. Islam does not come to replace someone’s culture.

This would only create stiffening of position from one culture against the other. Like rainwater when Islam arrives it brings benefits to everyone indiscriminately and it is the people who will flavour that water according to their taste.

Islam respects other cultures especially when these have been built over centuries, but if there is a need for correction Islam asks for limited specific changes.”

Before returning to London, Dr Shomali also visited a the Ahlul Bayt school in Ottawa where he held a meeting with teachers and administration staff on philosophy of education in Islam.

He also spoke to the students of year 7 and 8, about the significance of time and how to appreciate and benefit from it.

The annual lecture The Wilfrid Laurier University - Waterloo part part of the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary

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Humbleness:

A Christian perspective

by Frank Johnson (Co-director of the Focolare Movement in Great Britain)

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he major fault that is present in all human beings is pride.

It was pride that caused angels to turn into devils. It was pride that caused Adam and Eve to lose the earthly paradise. In fact, pride is at the root of all sin. Humility is the opposite of pride and the antidote to it.

Unless we are able to acquire the virtue of humility, we will never make progress in the spiritual life. The root of the words ‘humble’ and ‘humility’ is ‘humus’ which means ‘earth’ or ‘soil’.

Already in the Old Testament there many references to the virtue of humility.

The Book of Proverbs is filled warnings of those who refuse to be humble.

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

The Psalms too have many references to humility.

Psalm 25:9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

Psalm 149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory The New Testament is full of blessings for those who put others before themselves.

We know from God’s Word that he resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. How can we know that we are

living in humility and ready to receive God’s blessings?

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Humility is the ability to be without pride or arrogance and it is a main characteristic that should be seen in those who follow Jesus Christ. Jesus is the best example of someone who humbly followed God’s plan for His life.

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he was giving an example to all of his followers of how he wants them to live.

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet (John 13: 1-17) It was just before the Passover Festival.

Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

St Paul too speaks often about the importance of humility, as for example in Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

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St James (4:10) says: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

And Luke (14:11) says: For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

God himself is humble because he is love. God humbled himself out of love.

Therefore, not only does humility open us to God: it clothes us with Christ, the humbled God. Humility is the ornament of the godhead. The Word clothed himself in it when he became man. By it he lived among us in the flesh . . . And anyone who wraps himself in it truly makes himself like him who came down from on high and clothed his grandeur and glory in humility, lest the created world should dissolve at the sight of him.

Isaac of Nineveh Ascetic Treatises, 20 (p. 76) Chiara Lubich also spoke often about our need to be humble. A virtue that unites the soul to God … is humility, the emptying of self. The smallest shred of the human that does not allow itself to be assumed by the divine breaks unity,

and with grave consequences. The unity of the soul with God, who lives within us, presupposes a total emptying of self, the most heroic humility….

This idea of being empty, nothing, in front of our brother or sister, and in front of God, is a constant theme in Chiara Lubich’s writings.

Humility also leads souls to unity with others: aspire constantly to the “first place” by putting self as much as possible at the service of neighbour.

Humility may seem an impossible virtue to acquire, but if, in the present moment, I make myself completely empty in front of my brother or sister who is speaking to me, then, in that moment I am living humility. The acid test of my humility is how I react to criticism or negative comments made about me. Sometimes I may say to others that I am useless, or no good at this or that. If I am humble I will be happy to accept such comments and agree with what is said about me by others, if I am still proud I will reject them and feel hurt and offended.

Every soul that wants to achieve unity must claim only one right: to serve everyone, because in everyone the soul serves God….

Like St. Paul, though free, make ourselves servants of all in order to gain the greatest number (see 1 Cor 9:19).

The soul that desires to bring about unity must keep itself in such an abyss of humility that it reaches the point of losing, for the benefit and in the service of God in its neighbour, its very self.

It re-enters itself only to find God and to pray for its brothers and sisters and for itself.

It must live constantly “emptied” because it is totally “in love” with God’s will … and in love with the will of its neighbour, who it wants to serve for God. A servant does only what his or her Master commands.

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Humbleness:

An Islamic perspective

by Dr Mohammad Shomali (Director of the Islamic Centre of England) In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

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irst of all, I think I can agree with everything you (Frank Johnson) said and I do not think there is anything problematic or that needs to be checked. In Islamic culture also the virtue of humbleness is extremely significant. In fact, I have always thought that it would be one of the few virtues that I can say are the most important virtues, as I mentioned some years back in a paper, “Key Concepts in Islamic Spirituality.” I discussed three virtues; humbleness was one of them. Thus, it is a very important concept which I have been constantly reflecting on.

There are many different angles to humbleness; first, it seems that we have to be humble before God. Unfortunately, many times even believers are not humble before God and think they can do what they like and somehow just please God minimally. Or, for example, sometimes even unconsciously we try to deceive ourselves by doing our own things, but in the name of God. Hence, it is extremely important to be humble before God. Furthermore, it is also very important to be humble before the truth.

Furthermore, it is also very important to be humble before the truth. Although it is easy to say, it is very difficult to be able to accept the truth regardless of who is telling the truth, even if he is my enemy.

Indeed, it is not easy to be open to that truth; perhaps it is easier to accept it from a friend than a stranger, and certainly not from an enemy.

Moreover, we need to be humble before people. In my opinion, one of the beautiful things that we find in our spirituality is how a virtue like humbleness simultaneously helps you in your relationship with God and with people. Other virtues perhaps help us more with God or more with people, but humbleness is one of those virtues that help us in both areas. Similar to the saying you mentioned, “Be humble and you will be uplifted,” we have a hadith: “Whoever tries to be humble for the sake of God, God will raise him”.

It is not that he would be only raised in his relationship with God; he would be raised even in society because by nature people love humble people. I do not think anyone loves people who are too proud or arrogant, even amongst your children, you will love the one who is more humble.

Gratitude is similar; the one who is grateful is loved by everyone.

Consequently, humbleness is a virtue which is so fundamental that it can help you with your relationship with God, your relation with others, and even your relation with yourself because it is humbleness that puts you in the best condition for learning, changing, improving and receiving ideas and criticism so that you can grow.

However, the problem is that it seems humble people are not many; so, it is a question why such an obvious thing is so rare. Maybe I am not very optimistic, but I think it is not unfair to say that if we ask people, for example, in your office or community to introduce humble people, they would not say “I do not know where I should start; there are so many humble people.” It certainly seems that there are not that many humble people. Although being humble is one of the greatest achievements and we all understand that it is very irrational to become proud and arrogant, for we cannot become proud and arrogant when we are completely dependent and needy, the reality is that most of us are not humble most of the time.

The question is why is this the case? It seems that we have a sense of worry, instability or insecurity which makes us arrogant. If someone does not feel confident or strong, he will try to secure his position by lowering other people and raising himself artificially. On the contrary, those who are confident and rich inside do not need to be proud or arrogant.

We have a hadith which states that the only people who need to oppress are those who are weak. A weak person would oppress because he or she has some needs and wants to meet those needs; because he cannot do it by himself, he oppresses other people. Hence, there is an emptiness that such people want to cover up by being arrogant. Although

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humbleness, in a sense, may look like poverty or emptiness, it is actually to be rich.

For example, if you are a new teacher or the subject is new, you become very worried when students ask questions.

If a student asks a few questions, you think that he has a plan to destroy you in front of everyone. However, if you are a confident teacher, not only would you not be worried about these questions, you would actually love people to ask very difficult questions because that would make the class more interactive and give you the opportunity to teach more. Therefore, if we really possess something valuable inside we should become more humble, and when you are more humble it increases your capacity for gaining more. As you said, God gives the gift of wisdom, for example, to those who are humble. We have traditions that, for example, God gives the gift of prophethood to those who are humble.

For instance, one hadith states that God said to Moses, “O Moses, Do you know why I chose you over other people, gave you revelation and spoke to you?”

Moses said, “No my Lord I do not know.”

He did not say, “Yes, there must be many reasons that He chose me. Which one are you talking about?” So God said, “I looked at the heart of people in and out and I saw none of them more humble before Me than you.” Therefore, Moses was the most humble person at that time and God thus chose him.

There is a story states that once God said to Moses, “Next time that you come to the appointment with Me, bring someone who is lower than you; so do not come alone, bring also someone who is lower than you.” So, Moses went everywhere and he could not find anyone that he could say he is lower than me. Then

he saw an ill and ugly animal and said, “Maybe I can say this animal is lower than me, it is not a human being, but an animal,” but then he said, “I cannot even say this animal is lower than me because that animal has no guilt or sin.” Thus, he went to meet God without taking anyone and God asked, “Why did you not bring anyone?” He replied, “Because I did not find anyone lower than me.” God declared, “If you had brought that animal you would have lost your position.”

Consequently, humbleness is absolutely important, but at the same time, it is extremely difficult. If you are humble it means that you have already made great success since it is not easy for a beginner to be humble. However, when you do become humble you are put on a motorway which quickly takes you towards God and higher positions.

So, the important question is how can we become humble? Of course, being with humble people is very inspiring because you automatically and naturally are motivated to become humble.

However, we may not find such people very easily or perhaps there are layers of pride within us that would not disappear by only being with humble people.

So, I think this is an area that we have to work together and bring our experiences and resources together so that we realise how we can be humble, especially as faithful communities. Unfortunately, sometimes we bring our pride and arrogance to religion, between two denominations or between two religions.

If we were really humble, then we were in a better position to enter into dialogue and discussion and find similarities.

However, when we are not personally humble and we put any cleric dress, that pride comes in the way of unity, causing difficulties. A Muslim might say

that a Muslim must be the winner, or a Christian might say that a Christian should be the winner.

Hence, though we may think it is for the sake of God, in reality, it may not be for the sake of God. This might be the same selfish game people do in different names and now we do it in the name of God. In summary, there is no doubt about the significance of humbleness in our traditions, but we really need to work hard on the practical side and try to achieve this humbleness. Moreover, if we do attain it then we should try not to lose it; as our fourth Imam says, “O God please do not raise me among people any rank unless you bring me lower in myself the same or more.” Perhaps as a first-year seminarian, I have enough humbleness, but when I go to the second year I need more humbleness.

When I become, for example, a graduate I need more humbleness. Furthermore, when I become an Imam I need even more humbleness. Hence, humbleness is a virtue that we really need to work on, especially by seeing what we can learn from our spiritual and mystical traditions. Thank you.

The Islamic Centre of England

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The Importance of Relating to others The following is Dr Mohammad Shomali’s paper presented to Muslim Council of Britain for their document titled: ‘Our Shared British Future Muslims and Integration in the UK’

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s Islam a stranger in the West in general or in British society in particular? What understanding should Muslims have of Islam and themselves here? What should others think about Islam and Muslims?

To answer the above questions adequately we need to first reflect on the nature of divine religions in general and Islam in particular. Divine messages are always universal.

We cannot think that the God of everyone would discriminate in His message by addressing some and excluding others. This is not the way that God can be understood.

No kind teacher or doctor would deprive some people from a good thing that he has to offer. In the same way, any message which comes from God is for everyone. Indeed, we can go further and claim that everything that belongs to God is for all. For example, the Ka‘ba in Mecca which is known as the House of God, the Qur’an says: ‘This is the very first house which is built for mankind’ (3:96). The house of God is also the house of men, not the house of elites nor the house of some people. Anything that belongs to God is for everyone.

A message may start from one place and spread; just like light can emanate from one place and project itself, illuminating its surroundings. No one can say this light is only for us. Islam is for all, as the Prophet was also sent as a ‘mercy for all people’ (Qur’an 21:107). Muslims are not only supposed to benefit other Muslims; rather they are brought forth for the benefit of all people (Qur’an 3:110).

Islam started in Mecca and then expanded into the Arab peninsula, but it was never meant to be only for Meccans or Arabs or only for the Middle East. Before the Prophet passed away, he offered the message to people of other empires and nations, including the kings of Iran and Yemen and the Emperor of Rome. Thus, the message is universal.

At the time of the Prophet, the message did not reach everyone. It spread slowly to other people. Generally, when

the message is reaching out, it takes the form and shape of the people who have already embraced it. Islam is not an exception to this. To understand this better, we can look at the example of water which comes from rain and is pure but depending on the river bed, it can take different tastes. If it is a salty desert, the same water becomes salty and impossible to drink. Societies passed on the text of the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet but with their own understanding, rituals, cultures and customs. For example, it may look more Arabic or Persian or Asian than merely Islamic. This may be also the case for parts of Christianity to the extent that some people forget that Christianity also started in the Middle East and Jesus was from Palestine.

One of the problems faced by the message is culturalisation. There is nothing wrong with cultures. Indeed, cultures play a great role in enriching and maintaining people’s experiences of their religion. People can use their cultures and talents to give different, colourful presentations of the reality but they should not let these secretly replace the whole or parts of the message. For instance, you can bring food in any container but the container should not become so important that it diverts people’s attention from the food or changes the taste or benefits of the food.

Unfortunately, many times the way cultures or traditions or religious communities have tried to establish identity in their adherents was by distancing themselves from others. So instead of saying what you are, the focus was on what you are not. And this is problematic. This is a type of identity which is based on fear and exclusion.

And certainly, this type of understanding is neither compatible with Islam nor able to work in the world that we live in today. If it has worked in the past, it is because the world was very divided and partitioned. You could live in a town or even a country in which there were no people of other faiths, ethnicities or cultures.

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of our faith. How can we believe in God, the Creator of all mankind, and then fail to care for part of the creation of God? For us, not only does every human being carry the sign of God, but also every animal, every bird, every insect, every flower, every drop of water is significant because it is a manifestation of God. So now, we need to rethink our understanding of our identity. If we look at a human body, we have different organs and different parts. Every organ has some function hence every organ has some identity. But if their understanding of their role is to exclude others or to ban others, then we are not going to survive. You can be an eye, you can be an ear, you can be a heart, but you can only survive if you understand how to relate to others and define yourself in a bigger unity.

This is not the world today. And this type of fragile understanding of identity is not going to work today, and definitely not in the future.

We need to have a different type of understanding based on what you have and what you can offer to other human beings, and in turn appreciate what they have.

Being able to relate to other people is an essential part of every person’s identity today. I cannot be a good Muslim or Christian especially today, unless I know how to relate to other people and how to accommodate them in my own identity. And certainly, for believers in God, this is also a very important part

This type of understanding is what we need. And when I look at the Qur’an, I see that this is actually the plan of God. God has made lots of arrangements in His creation and legislation so that we would move towards unity. I think what would help communities to develop a new sense of their identity and facilitate the process of opening up themselves to a wider unity, is to give them reassurance that there is no attempt to pressurise them to assimilate or to eliminate their identity or marginalise them. When cultures, traditions and religious communities feel more comfortable and safe, they open up more and become more hospitable and more respectful of each other.ď Ź

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Together on the Wings of Unity On their return from Italy, Mustafa Merali and Fatimah Alidina-Merali describe their life changing experience during their visit to Focolare Movement

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n Saturday 14th April, 23 Shi‘a Muslims – including university students, seminarians and professionals from 15 cities, from Argentina, USA, Canada, UK, Italy and Iran gathered in Italy for what can only be described as an experience of a lifetime.

For roughly five days in Loppiano and four days in Rome, we embarked on a two-part journey with our Focolare brethren. In Loppiano we learnt more about the Focolare Movement and got to experience their way of life, and in Rome we joined an international conference on

hope. Perhaps most of us did not expect that on this trip we would embark on a life-changing experience, a journey on which we would get glimpses of God’s love and His potential plan for establishing unity on earth around the Oneness of His being.

The programme was organised by Sophia University Institute of Loppiano, Italy – an academic institute established by the Focolare Movement, represented by its president, Professor Piero Coda – in conjunction with the Islamic Centre of England (ICE) in London and Risalat Institute in Qum, represented by their director Huj. Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali.

The few days spent in Loppiano were packed with programs and tours as “These teachers spoke we were taken around the village to see the various schools, businesses about some of the practical ways and workshops that made up the in which they attempt to bring God to community. The participants arrived from their various all aspects of life. countries on day one and we They also try to instill in students the were settled into our respective

need to set aside oneself in order to welcome and love the other.”

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accommodations. The next day began our introduction to Loppiano whereby we watched videos about the history and purpose of this small town which has become a kind of lab of fraternity; its diverse members try to build a sampling of a united world. We also heard testimonies from residents about the concrete ways in which they strive to live a life of mutual love and unity with one another. We then proceeded to attend the local mass, after which we lingered to meet and greet people from all over the world and from all walks of life.

In the afternoon, we met with the heads of the various ‘Schools of Formation’.

The discussion that ensued was intense and fruitful, and the hour-long planned session ran much longer than expected. These teachers spoke about some of the practical ways in which they attempt to bring God to all aspects of life. They also try to instill in students the need to set aside oneself in order to welcome and love the other.

We later managed to visit the School of Families and the School of Priests where we met and interacted with the various members of the Schools. We asked questions, held discussions and toured the facilities. The School of Families hosts families from different parts of the world to experience the culture of unity while immersed in the Loppiano atmosphere.

Families spoke about the importance of communication and explained at length how they emerged stronger and more unified as a result of this program. In the School of Priests, it was interesting to hear about how priests from different parts of the world spend an average of four months at the formation center to live the spirituality of unity as a priority.

With emphasis on mutual love, these priests do everything together in harmony, including praying, cooking, cleaning, and studying.

Over the course of the next few days we visited Polo Lionello, the Centre for Economics, where we were given a tour of an exhibition displaying and introducing the Economy of Communion - an ethical business model that was founded by Chiara Lubich.

The model encourages participating businesses to be an integral part of their communities, willingly sharing a portion of their profits to those in need, thus fostering a “culture of giving”.

The talented handicrafts of Loppiano were a joy to see. We visited the studio of renowned artist Ciro who is famous for transforming everyday “scrap material” into beautiful pieces of art. We also visited Hung, the Calligrapher who made stunning wire sculpture. He is also known for his graceful Chinese calligraphy pieces, and we were honoured to have him create a piece for us as we all watched enthusiastically.

Among the highlights of the Loppiano trip was the Fifth round of Wings of Unity held at Sophia University Institute.

The conference featured talks by Dr Shomali, Professor Coda, Roberto Catalano, Vincenzo Di Pilato and Sister Shahnaze Safieddine. The theme for this session was: “Mission of Prophets & Mission of Religions”. The discussion brought forth a deep sense of spirituality and connectedness with the Almighty.

Drs Coda and Shomali demonstrated a humbling, yet inspiring example of qualities present in the leaders of the end of time. These godly scholars (and their teams of educators and directors) demonstrated a similar action, not in the sense of revelation, but in the sense of bringing to life the spirit of revelations. As they shared their views from the scripture, our hearts kindled with a united sense of devotion to the Almighty and His appointed saviours for the end of times; topping the spiritual fuel for this ongoing life journey.

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On our last day in Loppiano, we participated in a sharing session with Sophia staff and students. Professor Coda and Dr Shomali both gave inspirational talks, and we all left feeling inspired by the deep sense of unity that we witnessed.

After this great experience, our group was on a spiritual high as we bade farewell to Loppiano and made our way to Castel Gandolfo on the outskirts of Rome, home of the Centro Mariapoli.

The picturesque views of the winding roads to the top of the hill, where one view opened to the

“These godly scholars (and their teams of educators and directors) demonstrated a similar action, not in the sense of revelation, but in the sense of bringing to life the spirit of revelations.”

stunning Lake Albano and the other the valley leading to Rome, were the perfect setting for the interfaith conference.

The Focolare Movement was hosting an international conference for their Muslim friends entitled “Giving Hope Together: Christians and Muslims journeying in the charism of unity”.

Around 400 Christians and Muslims from all over the world gathered for this four-day event.

The program included keynote talks by religious leaders, testimonies and experiences by different participants. The talks covered topics such as “Suffering in Islam” presented

by Dr Shomali, and “Suffering in Christianity” as well as talks on Lady Mary from both religious view points. Various workshops and sharing circles split the big group into smaller ones, so that all were able to interact and network with fellow brothers and sisters in a more intimate manner.

An open afternoon was organised for Saturday the 21st April to invite other guests to partake in this conference, and here Professor Coda and Dr Shomali introduced the Wings of Unity project to all in attendance. Throughout the conference, one attained a new sense of appreciation for the multicultural mosaic of the brethren in faith who shared in this collective unity between Christians and Muslims. It also offered a lens of recognition and reflection of the global peaceful movement of the Focolare, aiming to bring everyone closer to God, irrespective of their declared doctrinal affiliations or lack thereof.

Our trip to Loppiano and Unity conferences in Rome were both avenues of reflection, meditation and grounding of oneself back to the ultimate reality; being one with the Almighty. It provided a spiritual boost and cleansing, turning one’s heart (as one of the Focolarini beautifully articulated) into a blank page awaiting God to write His will upon it so that we can fulfill it (as prescribed).

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Reflections from fellow participants: All gratitude belongs to Allah SWT to whom I am ever indebted for this invitation to the summer trip to Italy. In many ways it was but a pilgrimage to higher forms of unity in God; one that was collective, selfless and God-centric.

The trip to Loppiano felt like a dream come to reality and provided a heartwarming glimpse at what life in the future (at the end of times) may hold God-willing. Loppiano and its inhabitants provided an ideal sample of what a society governed by high standards of moral ethics that aims to bring unity with God would look like. The organisers, teachers, students and population in general demonstrated an outstanding sense of brotherhood and sisterhood in God and an intense sense of devotion to serving Him and being one with Almighty by being one with his creation.

The trip to Rome was very special. It was certainly a conference that was first of its kind compared to others I have attended. As we participated in Juma prayers and ending the conference program with our Christian brethren during their Sunday Mass service, we underwent a similar sense of spiritual uplifting (and arguably higher on both occasions) as they were closer approximations to what spiritual devotion would be like in the forecasted advents of Imam AlMahdi and Jesus peace be upon them.

Dr Salaam al Attar (London, ON) This trip made me appreciate different aspects of Islam more and the hope that it’s possible to build a utopian society. I’ve also started understanding more deeply the importance of the human connection and living the words of the Quran that we recite daily.

Leaping in Loppiano Passport ready, journey proceeds Italy the destination, time to lay down more seeds Flying into Florence, as picturesque a city you will see Then travelling onwards to Loppiano, busy with trees Instant calm, instant serenity People determined to love for God in His Sublimity No space for enmity We were in the presence of Spiritual wings of unity Old friends from around the world were reunited In essence their hearts can always be sighted The mark of one is their character Rationality, deeds, efforts and virtues are what matter We sought the path of Absolute Truth Even though sometimes we get distracted by a sore tooth We can still smile in this world of suffering When you have love, the pain can even be sweetening From Loppiano to the old castle land outside Rome We embraced a conference for which many had come Muslims and Christians from across the continents Sitting together being reminded of the blessings The Divine had sent The Holy Prophets and Virtuous Mary are flag bearers for the ship of Truth, to join is free This ship sails on, they know their destination but the Question arises do we?

Energised seeds of hope can become branches of light Let’s pray we get to see that sight, the pure light in all its Might

In The Name of our God The Most Merciful and Kind Who made everything we find Before our eyes and mind His Mercy contains all things Under the sun and where lies The unreachable high rings Of the vast expanding skies His garb is that of Tawheed Manifested in multitude He gives and gives to those in need Not seeking their gratitude His Word is Truth; His Action: Light No gift decreases from His Might He is The Beginning, The End Towards Him all hearts and minds tend The key to knowing Him is here: Know yourself, and you will find The One who nurtures humankind From your own heart, He is more near And so He brought us to this sea To drink from a pure source and see His beautiful signs everywhere We thank God for our Unity Dr Mostafa El-Diwany (Montreal, Canada)

Dr Ahmed Khweir (Glasgow, Scotland)

Sister Adeelah Nasser (Houston, Texas)

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Wings of Unity:

History, Methodology & Outcomes

by Prof. Coda & Dr Shomali Italy, 21st April 2018

T

he following is part of an open session of a four day conference organised by the Focolare Movement, entitled: ‘Together to give hope. Christians and Muslims on march with the charisma of unity.’

This session was attended by numerous leaders and promoters of dialogue between Christians and Muslims. The first and last questions were addressed to Dr Shomali and the two middle questions were addressed to Dr Coda.

Introduction by the presenter What Prof Shomali and Prof Coda will talk to us about is the story of ‘Wings of Unity’.

Prof Shomali met the Focolare movement many years ago in England.

Both sides have led many groups of students to Italy and the city of Qum in Iran for a better understanding of Christianity and Islam. For the last three years in the context of an itinerary of dialogue, a cultural exchange was born between Prof Shomali and Prof Coda and their students at the University of Sophia (Loppiano – Italy), and the name of this initiative is ‘Wings of Unity’.

Dr Shomali, what is the Wing of Unity?

First I should express my deep gratitude for giving us the blessing of being here together praising God. As you know we have known the Focolare movement for many years and

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had many discussions in the UK, Italy and other countries for almost two decades. One of the things which drew my attention from the very beginning was Loppiano and I have a great love and affinity towards it.

We kept in touch bringing many groups of students from the Seminaries in Qum to Italy to know more about the Roman Catholic Church and visited many other Christian organisations.

We had Catholic/Shi‘a rounds of talks.

But I always wanted to know about the spirit of Loppiano. So together with my wife we brought a group of ladies from seminaries in 2013 and after that we invited Roberto Catalano, Cristina, Paul and yourself to Iran. In Qum we talked about the next step and I thought it might be good for our sisters to come for four weeks to observe ‘formation’ in Loppiano.

In February 2015 we brought a group of 15 sisters. Thanks be to God, we had a wonderful time. I began to understand the importance of our relationship. Up till then we had known each other for 18 years and I had very carefully observed the movement in different parts of the world.

It was my understanding that we have already established a good level of love, mutual understanding, respect and trust, but it also seemed that we were somehow stuck; we did not seem to be going forward.

In one of the meetings in February 2015 in Sofia University, we had an exceptional gathering with students and staff in which we felt a deep sense of unity. In the same meeting, Piero asked me to go back to Sofia to teach.

In April 2016 I went back to Sofia to teach a group of MA students. I had four sessions on ‘Islam and Dialogue’.

At the end I had a meeting with Piero in his office and that was for us a historical meeting.

I told Piero something that a Muslim might never have said to a Christian or vice versa. I said: “We have known each other for a long time and we have trust and love for each other but we do need more guidance from God to move forward. If we sincerely tell God that we have done our best to understand His plan for unity, then God will guide us.

However, I believe I cannot say to God, I have done my best if I only read read Muslim literature and only discuss with Muslim scholars and perhaps you feel the same. If we want to understand the plan of God for unity then we must think together. We should ask God to talk to us without conditioning to tell me first and then I would tell the others”.

“One of the things which drew my attention from the very beginning was Loppiano and I have a great love and affinity towards it.” -Dr Shomali

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We asked God to help us, no matter which mouth or mind He chooses. So Piero agreed with me and asked what we should call our project. It just came to my mind, ‘the wings of unity’. Because unity, like a bird, should have two wings, because even with two small wings you can fly but with one big and strong wing you cannot fly.

Prof Coda, Prof Shomali referred to a moment of great unity, a moment of fundamental importance, what happened?

I remember that morning when we spoke for almost two hours and I had the sensation, in what Dr Shomali was saying, that there was a desire, a proposal that carried the stamp of God. It wasn’t something born simply out of a strategy or a thought.

I am not sure how to describe it. In both our (religious) traditions we know what it means to perceive God’s

presence, He makes himself present in our lives, our hearts and our minds. I felt this presence strongly. Therefore immediately within the responsibility that I have been given as the dean of this university (Sophia University) in search of a way to live in the spirit of unity, it became clear that this was an idea to welcome. Immediately in order to fully interpret what was behind Dr Shomali’s praying for God to guide us, I felt that - having learned from Chiara during these years that we followed the spirit of unity - that our reciprocal love, starting from our own traditions, has the courage of (accepting) otherness.

This reciprocal transparency can express itself in a promise. Having seen (in the past) the example of Chiara in the Malcolm X Mosque in New York meeting Imam Muhammad, I asked Dr Shomali if we should ask God to take into his hands our hearts and minds, to awaken the energy that He wants, both

faithful to our own tradition but open to go all the way to do what He wants.

I remember that Dr Shomali immediately accepted this with great joy and I remember his gesture touching my head which I have interpreted as if he wanted to say this is coming from God. We felt this was an exchange in God’s way, we felt this strong presence, and so we made these pacts without preconditions, each one with his own deep faith and a desire to walk together.

That’s where we started from. It has been only two years since then and all the steps we have taken have been marked by this complete unity of intention that transcended us. In fact we were the first in being surprised by what was happening.

What are the first fruits of this encounter?

I think the title that Dr Shomali wanted to give and I loved immediately, Wings of Unity, was appropriate. The wings are us but the wind that allows the wings to fly is God’s spirit. So we started with meetings of small groups from Sophia University and the Islamic Centre of England and in this atmosphere we exchanged our understanding of the unity of God and unity in God, our unity, the way we see it through our own traditions.

I remember the first encounter in the room. Dr Shomali said effectively: what we have here is a new place of dialogue.

Unity is the aim towards which we move.

Our traditions and God’s Spirit push us towards this direction. But unity already exists and is the look of love that God has upon us. We are already one in that look of God’s love but this needs to be

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“...when we want to measure how much we have in common or how much we differ, we start to count the elements, such as we both believe in unity of God, one point, ... or how twenty practising Christians and translated into physical terms. We we pray differently…. This is a twenty three practising Muslims, began to understand that there for whom faith is the most important was a methodology of dialogue that huge mistake. thing in life, united. The presence of was not external to each other but ” -Dr Shomali other people was not something to be internal, through the roots of one’s own religious tradition that could open us to the divine breath.

So far, we have had five sessions of this dialogue. We decided to involve our youth and we asked ourselves if we would succeed in this experience. We organised the first summer school on the mountains of the Trentino region (Italy), with 20 Christian and 20 Muslims.

This has been a miracle of unity. There was joy from the youth; they are more prepared to experience this reality.

We have also had two female researchers from the Islamic Centre of England who have been an incredible gift as they spent almost four months at Sophia University immersed in university life. Now one of our students would also like to do his doctorate joined with the University of Qom as a Christian to know (Islam). In December we will have the first Week of Unity, a formative course of seven days for our youths in which we will try to transmit to them what we think God’s teachings are in our own traditions and the experience that comes from practising them.

Dr Shomali, in which way does Wing of Unity forms/trains youths toward peace and dialogue?

We have had five rounds of dialogue and in these dialogues which came about after two decades of real practical dialogues we came to understand much better the significance of Unity of God and Unity in God, as Piero said, not only on this platform but in many other places. Just last September in Kenya we had a programme about ‘Unity of God and Unity in God’. In Canada in several universities I talked about this topic, and also at the Scottish parliament.

Sometimes there are ideas that I am thinking about and I want to check this with my friends, Muslims and Christians, together on one platform, I raise this in these meetings. I get comments from Muslims and Christians too and this is really beautiful. So what is interesting for us is that we test it in our laboratory. So we tested it in the summer school where

tolerated or something neutral but they found the presence of others in their own relationships with God useful.

There was a moment in Dolomites when some of the youth gathered, gradually others joined in and they praised God together and they had such a wonderful time that one of the participants from Montreal told me I pray to God to die in the same tranquillity that I had in that moment.

So this is possible that if we really believe in God and give Him the place He deserves then we can be truly united because it is in God that we can be perfectly united.

There is a common mistake, when we want to measure how much we have in common or how much we differ. We start to count the elements, such as we both believe in unity of God, one point, or believe in prophecy, another point, or we pray differently…. This is a huge mistake.

In my opinion if we believe in One God, this is more than 99%. God is so important that anything else besides Him becomes insignificant. So if we have deep love and devotion for God, then I can see my brother who is also devoted to God is much closer to me than my blood brother if he is not that submissive to God. So this is the core idea that we try to examine and stablish. So if we work together and prove the power of love for God through our joint testimony it would have such an attraction that no one can resist. I hope by working together God finds in us the value to use us for His plan for unity.

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www.islam-today.co.uk

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On EMPT

The followings are two reflections from a Christian perspecti emptiness, held at the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn G

E

mptiness is a very rich concept in Christian spirituality. One of the most famous passages in the New Testament about emptiness is from St Paul, where he speaks about Jesus emptying himself for our sake: Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you all, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.

But he emptied himself, taking upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the form of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2: 4-11)

experience it. It simply means we’re human. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, we were actually created with this emptiness that literally nothing in this world can fill.

Chiara Lubich often uses the expression of making yourself ‘one’ with the other; that is empty yourself in front of each person you meet. And as God can onlyfill our life where we give space to him, she also used to say that ‘we only have what we lose’.

Emptiness’ is therefore not a negative concept in Christianity but implies a fullness from a different source.

Personally, the most striking passage in the New Testament, for me, regarding this emptiness and fullness at the same time is the dialogue Jesus had with Nicodemus in the gospel of St John:

St Augustine of Hippo’s famous saying is that ‘Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.’ That is to say that we experience restlessness (emptiness) until we allow God to fill us.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’

Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?

Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’

One of St John of the Cross’s central themes is the concept of ‘Nada’ (emptiness). This doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong when we

Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born

of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’

Nicodemus said: ‘How can this be?’

Jesus answered him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel, but you do not know these things?’ (John 2: 1-10) Jesus here explains that to ‘be born again’, to be born of water (conversion and forgiveness) and the Spirit (allow God to be the ruler of our hearts), is a condition for every human being in order to be able to see and enter the Kingdom of God. And this is not an exclusive Christian message but a description of the human condition as such. In fact, Jesus wonders how it is possible that Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, could be unaware of this deep human truth.

In other words, we human beings are all called, without exception, to recognise our wretchedness, our restlessness, our emptiness and be converted from our empty ways of life. We are all called to accept God’s forgiveness and allow the emptiness, be filled with the mercy of God, with God himself. Only then, will God be the king on the throne of our hearts, and our emptiness will be filled with a fullness so that our joy will be complete (John 15: 11).

by Rumold van Geffen

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PTI N E SS

perspective, presented during a discussion on the subject of Welwyn Garden City in the UK

C

hiara Lubich often used a strange Italian phrase: ‘Farsi uno’ which we translate as ‘make yourself one’. Odd both in English and Italian but actually beautifully expressive of ‘putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes’.

This way of empathy is based on the writings of St Paul: ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep’ (Rom 12.15). It is true love and involves emptying ourselves of all the riches we have inside us, in order to take on board the needs of the person next to us.

The pirates’ hat I had an experience of this soon after meeting the Focolare spirituality. I was helping my brother Trevor run his guest house in Eastbourne. His wife had left both him and their five year old son. I stepped in to help him cope, with both running a business and parenthood.

One day I was feeling particularly heavy. I can’t remember why. Perhaps it was the fact that Trevor’s marriage had failed. Maybe I felt trapped? I was at university and this was the holiday period, when I could have been travelling… Suddenly my little nephew Alan, ran into the room. He had a beautiful smile on his face and he was clutching a sword and a pretend plastic pirate’s hook. ‘Uncle Paul, Uncle Paul make me a pirate’s hat!’

At first I was going to dismiss him and tell him I was too busy but he was so enthusiastic I melted. I quickly found an old newspaper, folded it into the

triangular shape of a pirate’s hat and drew a skull and crossbones on the front. He was thrilled. I placed it onto his head and he ran away screaming pirates’ curses…

I suddenly realised that I was happy.

It was such a contrast to my previous mood. I was taken aback and realised that love had set me free. By emptying myself I had received the fullness of joy and of peace. It was an experience that remains with me forty years on, as if it had happened yesterday.

The

creative

power

of

love

Over the last few years I have had the privilege of working with Sarah Finch, an actress who shares the spirituality of the Focolare.

We have collaborated on various quite ambitious theatrical projects.

Two years ago we were writing a play to perform at UNESCO in Paris. It was called ‘The Return of the Little Prince’ and a sequel to the original book by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. I would write the first draft of a script and then we would meet up and develop it together. It is a great partnership: I bring writing skills and she brings a wealth of experience of the theatre.

However, our experience has been more than this. We always try to be empty in front of one another – to be prepared to give our ideas but then to lose them. Early on we established a few ground rules to help keep us on track:

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• •

To really listen to the other person and try to understand what the other is saying ‘beyond the words used’ No idea is a stupid idea. This gives space for ‘newer and even better’ ideas to be born. Many times we have been amazed at how creative ideas have blossomed ‘beyond our imagination’

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To speak in ‘truth’. In other words to fully give our ideas and not hold back on our own perspectives. This is quite hard to do because sometimes it is easier to pretend that we agree with something and therefore avoid ‘creative conflict’ which can be enriching. It means believing in the love of the other – but also being detached from our own ideas. I think this develops over years of working together and demands great sensitivity.

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Being prepared to apologise and start again when we’ve not lived the above!

by Paul Gateshill

To put love first so that it is God who gives us his light

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How to Empty Ourselv The following speech was presented by Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali at the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City in the UK

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his topic might not seem to be a common way for Muslim ethicists and spiritual masters to discuss spirituality. I tried to find something similar like a direct translation but was unable to do so. Nevertheless, we have ideas that resonate with this topic.

When it comes to our relationship with God, most of us find ourselves unable to understand or acknowledge our absolute poverty and emptiness before God. Normally, we talk to God and think of God as a person like us but bigger; for example, a master. We thus try to set the terms of our relationship with God. For example, I think it is better to work for God because He is generous and rich, etc. Nonetheless, I am still thinking of myself as someone who has the right and the position to get into a one-to-one relation with God in the sense that we are like two equal partners in this relationship.

Unfortunately, many religious people hold such views.

The reality is that we are too little before God to think of ourselves and God in such a relationship. On the contrary, we are like a shadow for God; thus, how can a shadow start negotiations with the real Being?

In addition, the problem is that with our limitations we somehow restrict this affiliation; one can only get what he has prepared for. Consequently, if you have restricted expectations and limited understanding of what you can get from this relationship, then you will get less. For example, if I think a shop only sells sweets then I will only

buy sweets from there. I will not buy other things. Or if I think my teacher can only teach one subject I will not ask him to teach me other subjects.

Therefore, we restrict our relationship with God based on what we think it can do for us and what God can offer us. We even go further and restrict the means of giving. For example, if I am working on strengthening my spirituality, I think that my spirituality comes only from prayer or when I go to the mosque or the shrine.

Many times I think of this scenario, that I am going to the shrine in Qum and I am supposedly late or just in time to catch the salah, the prayer in the shrine. Then, I see a lady on the road carrying a child and asking for a lift. So, I may say if I was not in a rush I would have certainly given a lift to this lady, not knowing that perhaps my shrine is now going to be built by giving a lift to this lady. Hence, I am limiting God’s generosity to what I am going to do, not thinking that maybe God has something bigger for me planned on the other side of the road.

This scenario actually happened to Moses when he was taking his family in the dark, and perhaps cold, night.

Moses was very worried about the safety of his family, but he saw a fire on the side of the road. The Qur’an states that he told his family to stay, “I will go and check, maybe I can take some fire or maybe there is a guidance.” So, he went to the side of the road and saw the fire, and actually from there God started speaking to him. Therefore, if Moses limited himself to this road and just looked in front of him, even if he looked 100 km away, he would have

missed the opportunity which was on the side. For this reason, I think we should always look for opportunities from 360 degrees around us.

Consequently, emptiness in regards to our relationship with God means to first know our poverty, do not limit your relation with God, do not limit what God has to offer, and do not limit the means, the time, and the people through whom God is going to give to you. Be empty, but here empty means to be open; sometimes emptiness is nothingness, but this emptiness means maximum openness and maximum capacity for receiving.

Another aspect of emptiness is regarding my relationship with people.

Indeed, it is extremely difficult to have a association with people which is not shaped by some kind of judgment or prejudice; even if it might be positive prejudice, it is still a kind of prejudice.

Perhaps you think I am worse than I am or I am better than I am, but whether you think I am worse or better, it is not me. Let me be myself. Thus, it is very difficult to be able to have encounters with people while we are empty like a mirror.

An expression found in Islamic narrations is that a believer should be like a mirror for another believer.

A mirror does not add anything to you, nor does it reduce anything from you. It corresponds 100% to what you are. So, if we can empty ourselves and make ourselves a mirror then people can see themselves in us and we can also see people as they are.

Not only that, you can even help them understand themselves as they are.

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elves

A famous story in Persian spiritual literature states that a king was building a corridor which he wanted painted and decorated in the best way possible. He called for the best paintersartists of the world. He gave each group one side of the corridor and they put curtains all the way from the beginning to the end of the corridor so that either group could not see what the other one was doing. It was truly a competition. The onlookers saw that one group of artists were taking lots of paints and brushes and working day and night. However, the other group just took sandpaper, but no paint. When their work had finished, the curtain was removed. The first group, the one with the paint and brushes, had painted a breathtakingly beautiful picture and the second group had the same exact painting, but they had not used paint.

They had polished the corridor with sandpaper, making it like a mirror.

The moral of the story is that we need to empty our hearts from any ego, selfish ideas, and prejudice. If we manage to do so, then it will start shining. Muslim spiritual teachers state that the first step is takhliyya, (to evacuate). The next step is tahliyya, (to decorate). Here you perform good deeds; finally, tajliyya, (to shine). Evacuate, bring good deeds, and then shine. Thus, we should try to become like a mirror in our associations with people. Of course, it is easier said than done, especially when it comes to our relatives.

When it comes to our relatives it is really difficult to become a real mirror for those we live and interact with. Indeed, it is still difficult to do so with those who do not live with us and just want some pieces of advice; nevertheless, it is still manageable. Great practice is required in order to become a truly objective mirror of other people.

A very important concept is the concept of fairness. In my opinion, one of the signs of people who are

at a very high level of closeness to God is that they are fair. However, what exactly is fairness? Perhaps the following example can clarify it.

Imagine two parties have a dispute and they go to court. However, the judge happens to be the relative of one of the parties. Will the other party then accept that court? Obviously, they will not, because the judge will be biased.

Thus, fairness means that I must be so unbiased that I would not take any side.

So, it is not the relative who is the judge, but I am the judge. You are bringing someone to the court where you are the judge; you are one party of the dispute as well as the judge.

It is extremely difficult to be fair because every day we become the judge; we have issues with our friends, neighbours, colleagues, in fact, everyone. I bring them to the court where I am the judge and, at the same time, I am one part of the debate and dispute. Consequently, here fairness needs maximum emptiness from the ego to be an unbiased judge over yourself. So, I think those who can be fair are at a very high level of nearness to God. When Imam Sajjad was asked about some of the most important aspects of Islam, one of the things he mentioned was being fair to others.

My last point is regarding an important aspect of emptying ourselves in regards with people, and that is conversation because I think a great part of our interpersonal affairs are based on our words and conversations. Good conversation is extremely important for human beings. Furthermore, in our conversations we need to be able to listen to people. If I think that I already know what this person is going to say, then I will not listen; obviously, that is not a good approach. Perhaps I may not say anything and listen politely, but practically when I am listening to this person, as soon as he or she opens his\ her mouth I think that I already know what is going to be said. Sometimes we

do not listen carefully to the words, but already make our judgments. It is similar to a doctor who has already written a few sample prescriptions regardless of what you tell him about yourself. Hence, this prejudgment occurs many times with those with whom we have dealings, as we have already given them a file in our mind. We do not permit them to have a chance to be different from what is already registered in that file; even if we have hours of conversation we just find more evidence to support whatever is previously written. In fact, we are the ones interpreting everything in the same manner.

Consequently, to be empty here means to really allow that person to speak as if it is for the first time. It would be a great exercise in humbleness and controlling emotions if we can make our relationships with people such that we always give them a fresh chance and not view them as criminals who need to defend themselves. If I am not clear, I can ask questions and give that person more of a chance. However, I should be so respectful to that person that I let him write his own description in my memory, not that I write most of it and then ask him to fill in the blanks.

Therefore, it is very important to give people a chance. Unfortunately, many times we behave to the contrary.

However, God is not like this. Although He has all the knowledge about us, God always lets us talk to Him. There is even a saying in our hadith that God says He loves the cry of the sinners more than the glorification of the worshippers and the righteous. God sees value in their voice, but we are not like that. We only love the voice that praises us, and do not listen to the one who does not.

There are numerous areas in which we need to work on emptying ourselves.

When we empty ourselves we actually enlarge our capacity and give God more of a chance to decide what He wants to give without limiting Him.ď Ź

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Suffering and Unity: A

Presented at the open session of the conference: ”Together to give hope. Christians and Mus

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e are living in an important period in the history of humanity where we witness many suffering. However, we also see many signs of hope. Meetings such as this are a great sign of hope, as hundreds of people from all over the world and from Islamic and Christian backgrounds are here under one roof with united hearts.

I remember the first time I was here with my wife and two sons in 1999, we had people then whom we do not have today, Chiara, Natalia, and Imam W.D. Mohammad. We also had a meeting with Pope John Paul II. So, we remember all those souls who gave their life for unity and suffered for humanity. Indeed, blessed are those who suffer for humanity.

Today I would like to share a brief account of the Islamic understanding of suffering. Suffering is part of human life in this world. We cannot expect a life without misery and difficulty. If you want a perfect life, then you have to wait till you go to Heaven. In this world there is no perfection. Right from the beginning, God told Adam to be careful with respect to Satan.

The Qur’an in chapter Taha, verse 117 states, “We said, ‘O Adam!

This is indeed an enemy of yours and your mate’s. So do not let him expel you from paradise, or you will be miserable.’”

God said to Adam, “This is an enemy of you and your wife. Do not let him send you outside heaven, otherwise you would suffer.”

Therefore, our suffering started when we came to this world. Of course, when I say this world I do not mean this planet, but the physical and worldly life that we have in this stage of our life.

Similarly, God says in the Qur’an: “Certainly We created man in travail” (90:4).

If you want to train commandos you would not send them to five-star hotels, but to forests and you would reduce their food and sleep in order to train them. Likewise, God wants us to train, cultivate our will and acquire virtue.

Therefore, it is actually serving our

We have created man in hardship. The numerous limitations and interactions in this life cause suffering; for example, an innocent person could carefully be crossing the road, but a careless driver can come and hit him. He did nothing wrong, but it is unavoidable.

Farmers are happy when it rains, but the homeless are not happy because they suffer. Yet, it is something that we cannot avoid in this world of limitations, interactions and cause and effect. What other people do affects us, while what we do affects other people.

Therefore, lots of interactions may make scenarios that have positive or negative impacts upon us.

Then, we have to remember that we are also free because God has given us free will. Thus, sometimes we make mistakes; mistakes and problems can happen out of our control or sometimes as a result of our unwise decisions. For instance, if we have not studied well when we were young in adulthood we cannot get a good job. Thus, it would bring some kind of suffering to me and my family.

We cannot completely avoid suffering in this world. Moreover, it is important to have these difficulties for the purpose for which God has created this world.

purpose to be in a world where we are challenged and sometimes stretched.

Suffering is not necessarily a sign of being disliked by God. When people saw that the Prophet Ayyub (Job) was suffering, some judged him by saying that he must have done something bad so God was now punishing him.

This is certainly not the case. Although it is true that we suffer because of

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: An Islamic Perspective

and Muslims on the march with the charism of unity” Castel Gandolfo Rome - Italy, 20th April 2018

Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali our mistakes, it is not always the case. Consequently, to suffer is not necessarily a sign of being disliked

by God. On the contrary, it is actually possible to be a sign of being liked and favoured by God. Therefore, one must

but to have no problem is also not a sign of being loved by God. There is no such implication that not being poor or ill is an indication of being liked by God. Indeed, the Qur’an tells us that when it comes to giving worldly gifts, God is more ready to give worldly gifts to the people who are not faithful. The Qur’an says: “... had it not been that the faithful people would have lost their faith, He would have given so much wealth to the people who denied and rejected Him that they would have made silver roofs and ceilings for their houses” (43:33).

Thus, God has no hesitation in giving worldly blessings to everyone, especially to the people who only think about this world and the people who have nothing else. God is happy to give wealth; so, we should not think that people who have fewer problems are necessarily favoured by God.

be able to discern if he is suffering because he has done something wrong so that one can change his behaviour or whether the cause was out of his control.

To be healthy, rich, or powerful are also not necessarily signs of being favoured

by God. In fact, they may sometimes be signs of the opposite. Not only is suffering not a sign of being disliked,

It is possible that those who suffer are very much loved by God. Once Prophet Muhammad was asked, “Who are the people who have the greatest suffering and calamities befall them in their life?” The Prophet said, “The prophets and messengers face the greatest challenges in their life,” and then he said, Those who resemble the prophets the most would receive challenges the second-most.”

So, depending on your rank you are supposed to be ready to be challenged by problems.

Imam al-Baqir says that if God really loves someone, the person might be beset by calamities. He prayed to God, “Please remove these calamities;” God says, “My servant, I can be fast in removing your problems, but if I save it for you and do not respond quickly it would be better for you.”

We understand from several hadiths that on the Day of Judgment when people see what God gives them for their suffering, they would wish they had endured more. Someone who has lost his/her parents especially in childhood who comes to know how God protects, loves and awards orphans, would accept his situation more wholeheartedly.The same goes for a person who suffers physical hardship due to illness.

If one does not suffer at all, one should worry. If someone never faces tragedy and always has full protection everywhere, one should know that there must be something wrong. Once the Prophet was invited by someone so he went to that man’s house and just before the meal was served, the Prophet saw a hen walking on the wall and laying an egg. The egg dropped and stood on a nail in the wall. It did not crack, which was unusual. The host realised that the Prophet was surprised.

He said, “O Messenger of God! Are you surprised? By the one who has raised you as a prophet, I have never had any tragedy in my life.”

Perhaps he thought God was favouring him that he had no problems. The hadith states that the Prophet did not eat, but stood up and said“ So God has

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left you to yourself if you do not suffer at all.” It means that God no longer cares about you.

God is most generous in His rewarding of the patient. When it comes to rewards the Qur’an tells us that God is very generous. Many adjectives describe the reward from God: ajrun kabir (great reward), ajrun karim (generous reward), and ajrun ghayru mamnun (reward without being accounted). The Qur’an tells us that God rewards good deeds ten times more; it is the minimum, not the maximum.

“Whoever brings virtue shall receive [a reward] ten times its like (6:160).”

God does not multiply the punishment; yet, when it comes to reward for good actions the minimum is ten times more.

For example, if you give to charity, God says it is like a seed which multiplies into many more seeds. and then even more. Indeed, He is very generous, but there is something exceptional for the people who suffer and remain patient. In this case God does not state how many more times He rewards them, God says: “Indeed the patient will be paid in full their reward without any reckoning (39:10).”

God will reward them without measure for He has special treatment in store for them. This verse truly depicts the power of suffering.

I say to people if you have a problem, perhaps in marriage, business, community, or with neighbours, children, or parents, first ensure that you are not responsible. Unfortunately, we usually look for others to blame; we hardly look at ourselves. Our first assumption is that others have imposed that suffering on us. We have to question ourselves first.

A believer has to be doubtful about himself (al-muminu zaninun bi nafsih).

We love ourselves so much that we can easily deceive ourselves; we cannot see our own problems. If you are convinced that you have done nothing wrong then look at your actions again and again, as it is not sufficient to only look once at ourselves to find the problem. Only then, if you sincerely find no fault of your own but are still suffering, be grateful that there is an opportunity for you to rise toward God. You have to be thankful so that you can achieve much more.

Suffering can help with respect to unity.

Suffering is one of the greatest tools for achieving humbleness and humility.

A beautiful hadith states that sometimes in the knowledge of God a person is capable of reaching a certain position, but his actions are not enough to raise him to that position.

Therefore, it is through suffering that he can reach that position. Hence, some spiritual people have actually prayed to God to make them ill and poor so they could suffer. However, the Prophet and our Imams teach us not to ask and volunteer for suffering, but to be ready for it when it does come.

There is a very inspirational story about a young person from the city of Balkh, Afghanistan. He asked Bayazid Bastami (d. 261/874–5 or 234/848–9), a spiritual master, his definition of ascetism. Bayazid replied, “When God gives us blessings we thank Him, and when He does not give us blessings we are patient.” If we are ill or poor, we are patient, but if He gives us we are

grateful. This young man replied, “This is what dogs do in our city. When we give them food they are thankful and when we do not give them food they do not attack us, they remain patient.”

This Sufi master was very humbled and asked, “So, what is your definition of gratitude?” The young person said, “When God gives us we give to others and when He does not give us we thank Him.” The master learned a lesson that day. Hence, if suffering comes you should actually be grateful; of course, not if you bring it upon yourself or others.

In one of the passages that we pray to God while in prostration, we say,“All praise is due to You, the way that people who are grateful for [their] suffering praise You.” I want to praise You in the way that people who are grateful for their suffering praise You; I do not want to praise You just like someone whose stomach is full and then he says, “Thank you God for giving me food.” I want to praise You God like someone who has nothing to eat and then says thank you, like someone who knows the value of poverty as he knows the value of being rich.

Suffering can help with respect to unity.

Suffering is one of the greatest tools for achieving humbleness and humility.

Unfortunately, when everything is right we tend to take things for granted and think that we do not need God anymore.

If I have a good job and enough money coming in every month to pay my bills, I do not need to worry; “Indeed man becomes rebellious when he conssiders himself without need (96:6-7).”

If we have no problem this does not mean we are totally free from need. It is suffering which makes us humble.

When you have an ill person at home or when you have problems in society you feel that you have limits and you have

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to accept the realities of life. You do not become like Pharaoh, Nimrod, or Hitler; rather, you become very humble.

Undoubtedly, the greatest obstacle for unity is arrogance; arrogant people cannot be united.

The late Imam Khomeini used to say

even two scholars in one city cannot be united. Therefore, suffering is a very important tool for humbleness.

When you suffer you may have a better understanding and empathy for other people who suffer. if you are ill, not only do you understand people who are ill,

example, someone who is ill feels for someone who is poor, because by suffering our hearts become soft and we can better sense the problems of others.

The hearts of those who do not suffer for sake of others, slowly become hard and then they become inattentive to the problems of people. So through our suffering we can be united with others who suffer too.

When we suffer we see that many things lose their significance and many barriers disappear. Suppose you are a Muslim mother and your child is ill in hospital and next to you is a Christian mother whose child is also ill. Will you say that I am a Muslim and she is a Christian, so we have nothing in common?

Or on the contrary, your common suffering makes you united. Even if other people mind their differences these two would never quarrel over it. They will help each other so that they can better serve their children.

For example considering the Syrian refugees who have lost their homes.

Does it make a difference whether they are Muslims or Christians? You cannot go through that hardship and still partition people; yes, when you feel strong, when you are behind the pulpit or on the minbar, and you have thousands of followers, then you may make distinctions.

However, when you are a refugee, a homeless person, an ill person, or someone in difficulty, you understand the suffering of others and you cannot make those distinctions.

Thus, suffering is not necessarily a bad thing; rather, it can actually be one of the best experiences that we have in our life and a great tool for unity. Thank you very much. ď Ź

that if 124,000 prophets live together they will be united, but sometimes

you may even better understand people who have other kinds of suffering. For

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The role of the ‘Word of God’ in our life Following is a summary of a talk by Hujjat al-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali on ‘The Words of God’ discussion held July 2018, at the Focolare Centre of Unity in Welwyn Garden City UK In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

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he Word of God plays a significant role in our lives.

Although it may not have actually played this role completely in our lives, it is an aim that I am trying to achieve. We can bring the Word of God into our lives on a few levels. First of all, acceptance of the Word of God can be considered as formalising our faith. It can sometimes be very abstract or even ambiguous to say that I believe in God, but if we translate belief in God into believing in the Prophet and the Book, it makes it more formal and more concrete. For this reason, in many places, the Qur’an states that we believe in God and in what God has revealed to the Prophet and previous prophets. So, for us, to believe in the Qur’an, and Bible for you, is a way to ensure that we are formally or officially part of the community of faith.

Thus, I think this is the first function of the Word of God. Another role the Word of God plays is in our guidance. It is not just something we sign as acceptance, like when we sign a declaration to become a member of something. There are a few ways the Word of God guides us. One way is that the Word of God awakens our innate understanding of God, what is right and what is wrong. In Islam, there is a concept called fitrah, which refers

to the innate knowledge and desires of human beings. Therefore, we believe even if we are not taught from outside, all human beings grow with a certain understanding and distinction between what is right and what is wrong. God has placed an internal compass within us, moreover, He also teaches us through revelation. These two forms of guidance match and are compatible.

Hence, the Word of God is a reminder; indeed, one of the titles of the Qur’an is Dhikr. Dhikr means invocation, as well as remembrance and reminder.

The Qur’an states that it is a reminder: “It is just a reminder for all the worlds.”

(81:27) The Word of God reminds us what we as human beings should be able to understand by ourselves. Therefore, if a human being has been brought up well, although not necessarily religiously, and has a sound understanding of Word of God, there should be lots of resonance. However, this is not to say that everything written in the Word of God can be understood innately because that is mostly for basic things.

Nonetheless, there should be lots of resonance.

The second thing is that the Word of God unearths the treasures of intellect. Thus, Imam Ali(a) states: the prophets came to unearth the treasures of intellect.”

This tradition indicates that there are things human beings have understood

throughout the ages by using their reason in the form of wise teachings.

Unfortunately, these are sometimes buried under numerous superstitions or confused ideas. Consequently, we have to unearth them. So, the Word of God gives you a means of access to the treasures of the intellectual findings of humanity. It is very important in Shiʻa Muslim tradition that the Word of God should resonate with our conscience as well as our intellect.

Regrettably, many Muslims do not have the same approach. In any case, we believe that the Word of God should actually bring out these intellectual understandings and findings of humanity. The Book of God is an encouragement for us to start thinking; it does not just say, “Sit and I will walk.”

In contrast, the Book of God says, “Let’s walk together and I will show you the path.”

The third thing is that the Book of God teaches us something extra, something that we are not able to understand by ourselves. Thus, even if all the philosophers of the world think for thousands of years, they cannot free us from the need of the Book of God. The Qur’an says: “And teaches you what you did not know.” (2:151) One of the things the Prophet does is to teach you what you were not able to know by yourself. So, he emphasises

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what you are able to know, but also teaches you something that you were unable to know. Yet, how does the Word of God teach us something more than just reminder and more than unearthing intellectual treasures? I have written three points; the first is by learning theoretical knowledge. For example, the Qur’an tells us how to interact with family, though some instructions are a reminder. Being kind to parents is a reminder since even if you are not religious you can understand it. However, there are more details in the Qur’an about how to deal with your parents, children, and spouses. Furthermore, the Qur’an explains what should be done if there is a family problem, such as between husband and wife. Neither is the Word of God a book of theories or an academic book. It is written in a way that not only teaches you but also relates you to the subject and tries to develop it within you. This aspect is extremely important; hence, whoever wants to really engage with the Word of God should read it carefully, but not just as a university book. Though it should be read carefully like a university book, one’s soul must also be connected to it.

Indeed, there is something more than theory here; the Qur’an does not just want to tell you that you have to be kind to your parents, it wants you to actually appreciate that and then implement it.

Consequently, the Word teaches you, makes you appreciate, and makes you implement.

Then, in addition to all of these, and more significant than all of these, I think there is still another level of benefiting from the Word of God in our lives, and that is the fact that when you connect to the Word of God you connect yourself to God. No human book can achieve something similar. If I write a book anyone who reads this book can understand something about me and can even have some personal experience about me without seeing me through my book because a book is somehow a picture of the author.

However, the Word of God is different because it is designed to be a rope that is extended from God to earth so that

we connect to God. The Qur’an states, “Hold fast to Allah’s cord”.(3:103) You should hold onto the rope of God.

is what the Word is saying, this is what I am doing, how much do I correspond, and how much do I resonate?”

Therefore, God has not just given us a book; He has given us a rope to help us connect with Him. My view is not typical, but I do not see why people should not accept it; if we present it to them they should accept. I think that God has made a channel to send light, mercy, healing, and guidance through this rope. These are the exact words which are used in the Qur’an, not my words. Thus, there is rahmah, shifa, nur, and guidance, “We send down in the Qur’an that which is a cure and mercy.”(17:82) Light, mercy, guidance, and healing are sent through this channel. Consequently, the Qur’an is not something which was given fourteen centuries ago, now everything is finished and we just try to review it.

I believe that with those 114 chapters that God has given, He has created a space through which He is still at work.

Even today He is at work in His Word.

I am not totally surprised if someone says that a generation may understand something that the previous generation not only did not understand, they were not supposed to understand. Of course, this is not a contradiction. He has created a space through which He functions and, therefore, we can say there are two types of guidance. One is to show the path, and this is given to all people. The other is to actually come along with you on this journey and take you to the destination. This guidance is also available and God does it through the Prophet and through the Word for the people who appreciate the first offer of guidance. So, I can make the Word of God my personal tutor and my personal trainer.

If we keep doing this, not only will our life become compatible with the Word of God, but it will also become a mirror for the Word of God in which people can see the Word of God today. I have already made the journey easier for them. If one person today applies the Word of God, He makes a connection to the Word of God easier for other people.

Our great role models and leaders from both traditions who have tried to live the Word of God, like Imam Khomeini, Allamah Tabatabai and Chiara, not only lived the Word of God in a very fresh and contemporary way but also reflected the Word of God for others.

What we are supposed to do is quickly get what they give us and then pass it on to other people; either we pass it on less, equally, or I think we can even do more as there is no limit here. It is an ocean which always has something to offer. Nevertheless, this should be done with humbleness, as we have discussed the first thing is humbleness.

Please remember this extremely important point. The Qur’an is not just a Book, written and finished; rather, it is a Book whose ink is fresh. In my view, this is an area that then needs to be cultivated through reflection on the Word regularly, bringing the Word into our lives, and constantly checking our life and performance with what this tutor and mentor is teaching us. “This

A beautiful hadith of the Prophet Muhammad reads: He said to Imam Ali, “Isn’t this the fact that after God His Book is the best thing?”

The Book is more important than the Prophet and the Imams because they were all creatures, whereas the Word of God is not created by God. In reality, it is a manifestation of God. Hence, we can get connected to God through the Word of God and constantly be inspired.

We can receive detailed guidance and instruction, not just abstract commands.

I think then, little by little, you can start feeling the presence of God very vividly through the Word.

The Qur’an is not this paper and ink, but it is the means God has used to come into our life. Therefore, by holding the Qur’an you can get connected to God. So, these are just some thoughts I wanted to share with you. It is something that I believe is possible and am working on myself.

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How Christians engage with the scriptures The following is part of a presentation delivered during a discussion on ‘The Words of God’ held at the Focolare Centre of Unity in Welwyn Garden City UK by Paul Gateshill

I have divided this brief introduction into three parts:

The ways in which Christians understand and approach the Bible (Minds) The ways in which Christians use the Bible (Hearts) The effects of living the Word (Hands)

T

he ways in which Christians understand and approach the Bible

Different Christian denominations approach the scriptures in a variety of ways. This might range from a fundamentalist view that every word in the Bible is the unerring word of God that cannot be questioned - to a more liberal perspective: that the Bible is inspired by God but written by humans and needs to be understood within the culture in which it was written.

So, if we take, for example, the story of Creation in Genesis: A fundamentalist view is that the world was indeed created by God in six days and therefore science has got it wrong. Mainstream Christianity, on the other hand, would see Genesis as an attempt to answer more ‘why’ questions rather than ‘how’ questions such as: Is creation an accident or was it planned by God? What is the place of humans in this creation? Why do we suffer etc?

I’m going to focus on the way mainstream Christianity approaches the scriptures.

It sees the Bible as the inspired word of God, which has been written and compiled over many hundreds of years by different groups of people grappling with their understanding of God and of his work throughout history.

Biblical scholarship The Book of Isaiah Before the advent of biblical scholarship, most people would probably not have been aware that this popular book was written by different people over

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a period of around 200 years. In fact, Isaiah comprises three separate collections of oracles: Proto-Isaiah (chapters1–39), containing the words of Isaiah; the words of the 8th-century BCE prophet Isaiah ben Amoz.

Deutero-Isaiah (chapters 40–55), the work of an anonymous 6th-century BCE author writing during the Exile (586 BCE).

Trito-Isaiah (chapters 66–56), composed after the return from Exile.

(515 BCE) This understanding has emerged due to:  The Historical Situation: Chapters 40–55 presuppose that Jerusalem has already been destroyed and the Babylonian exile is already in effect – they speak from a present in which the Exile is about to end. Chapters 56–66 assume an even later situation, in which the people have already returned to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple is already underway.  Anonymity: Isaiah’s name suddenly stops being used after chapter 39.  Style: There is a sudden change in style and theology after chapter 40; numerous keywords and phrases found in one section are not found in the other.Of course, most Christians would have little knowledge or interest in any of the above! They would be more concerned with what Isaiah has to say to them in their daily lives today.

The ways in which Christians use the Bible The Bible is central to Christians, especially so since it was translated into their vernacular - one of the cornerstones of the Reformation. The Bible is used collectively in worship and study and for individual meditation.

In worship, Christians use readings

from the Old and New Testaments, with a special emphasis on the Gospel reading. Respect is shown in a variety of ways – eg standing when the Gospel is read. The readings usually provide the basis of the sermon. In Free Churches, the Bible is placed on the communion table to symbolise the importance of the Word of God. In individual study and meditation.

Many Christians will use the Bible for meditation and prayer. This is often accompanied by notes helping the reader to go into depth.

The effects of living the Word There is a definite focus on living the word in the Focolare. At the beginning of the Movement during the chaos of World War II, Chiara Lubich and her companions took the Gospel and read it phrase by phrase. It shone with a divine wisdom in every passage. Every word became a light in their lives.

They not only read it but also put it into practice. They focused on one sentence and meditated on it, and then applied it to their daily lives. They discovered that living the Word had various effects: The Word makes us free – in the Gospel St John says ‘The truth will make you free’ (Jn8:31) The Word brings about union with God. I’m sure many of us have experienced that at the end of a long day when we have really tried to live the Word – to love, we can experience a deep sense of union with God. We may feel tired but experience the fullness of joy and peace which can only come from God. The word produces the hatred of the world and the holiness of the disciples ‘John Chrysostom said: ‘The sea is raging and you will calmly sail over it. Your pilot is the reading of the

Scriptures and your rudder will not be broken to pieces by the temptation of worldly affairs.’

The Word makes us one Chiara Lubich wrote: ‘The word of Life is like a little pill which contains in concentrated form all that Jesus brought to earth, the Gospel message’ The Word brings about a complete change of mentality St Paul says in Ephesians: ‘Be renewed in the spirit of your minds and clothe yourselves with the new self.’

When I met the Focolare I met people who lived the Word – who loved.

Sometimes with very simple gestures which really challenged me: I realised that I was actually a very selfish individual. I remember once a close friend told me after a social event that I had been quite arrogant and that I had put another friend down. I was really shocked by this – because it was true. I had already met the Focolare then and I was trying to put love into practice. I realised then that it wasn’t about trying to be nice to everyone – living the word demanded a complete change of mentality. To live the word means to become another Jesus – the Word.

We might also add that the Word:  makes us see the truth  brings comfort  gives us joy  produces works  gives wisdom  preserves us from human worries  obtains everything

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Justice/Fairness The following is the content of the Islamic presentation on the concept of justice/fairness.

This is part of an ongoing dialogue between Catholics and Shi‘as held at the Focolare Centre of Unity in Welwyn Garden City By Shahnaze �����

A

n employer and employee discuss a monthly payment rate, and the employee agrees to the proposed salary. Some months later, the employer discovers that her employee’s salary is less than the average market rate. What should the employer do?

Would offering a higher salary be an act of justice or an act of fairness?

It’s in our nature to want to be treated fairly. We see it most in children who often complain to their parents and teachers about being treated unfairly. We also see a need and demand for fairness in the workplace, higher institutions, and even the economic and political spheres. Unfair treatment unleashes feelings of agitation, resentment, and loneliness in the victim, which in turn may lead to broken relationships and, hence, broken communities. Thus, understanding what it means to be fair and how it differs from justice will heighten our awareness and help us to improve on one of the most important qualities that solidify our relationships.

What is fairness?

Sometimes we assume that the words ‘justice’ (adalah) and ‘fairness’ (insaf) are synonymous because we often use them interchangeably. But in the Qur’an and hadith corpus, ‘justice’ and ‘fairness’ are not the same, though they are closely related.

Fairness is a step ahead of justice, as being fair requires one to be just, while being just does not necessarily require one to be fair.

Insaf (fairness) comes from the root word nisf, meaning ‘half’.

Insaf, then, has two sides: one is your side and one is the other.

To put into context, when there is a disagreement between you and another person, or between your group and another person or group, to be munsif (fair) would be to stand in the middle and look at both sides. You are expected to distance yourself from yourself and your group and judge between yourself and the other with detachment. Doing so can be challenging because we tend to be attached to ourselves, and to detach requires concentration and effort. Once we have managed to view the case entirely from the perspective of the

other and arrive at an accurate conclusion, we have attained the quality of fairness.

Justice requires observing people’s rights by giving them exactly what they deserve. Fairness involves not only observing others’ rights, but also going out of our way to make sure they are treated as we want to be treated if we were in the same situation. In other words, fairness is an act of nobility.

Referring to the example above, if the employer chooses to continue to pay the salary that was agreed upon with his employee, her actions are considered just - that is, one that is within the boundaries of established laws. If, on the other hand, she decides to raise the employee’s salary - not because she’s compelled to do so but rather out of consideration of the market rate or out of empathy for the employer’s living conditions - her actions would be considered fair, a quality that involves empathising with others, especially if the other is in a desperate or detrimental situation. In other words, we search for an excuse for the wrongdoer.

It is important to bear in mind that while struggling to accurately perceive the other side to attain fairness, we shouldn’t demand others to be fair. People are continually learning and developing, while making mistakes and striving to amend them. Imam al-Sadiq(a) said, “It is not fair to demand others to treat you with fairness”.

The benefits traditions

of

fairness

in

Islamic

Prophet Muhammad(s) said, “Whoever is charitable toward a poor person and fair toward people in spite of himself is the true believer”. Imam Ali(a) also says that fairness is the best of characteristics which brings harmony among hearts and make relationships lasting.

The effects of fairness Fairness demands that we consider the circumstances before making a decision. Imam Ali(a) said, “Do not raise your children the way [your] parents raised you; they were born for a different time”. (Ghurar al-Hukam, no. 1410) Fair parents

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base their value system on real character and effort rather than outer traits such as personality, intelligence, and physical appearance. In this way, children develop a worldview that is rooted in care and compassion, rather than in power and control.

This extends to the educational sphere. Fair teachers find good qualities in each of their students, clarify their own expectations and grade accordingly. They also are sensitive to which of their students are putting in real effort. They carefully consider their students’ backgrounds, whether it comes to financial status, emotional support, giftedness, or some or all these aspects. A fair classroom or school environment reduces behavioural problems in children and adolescents, and promotes enthusiasm for learning.

Moreover, fair leaders or managers communicate their expectations clearly, give everyone a voice, apply their own expectations to themselves, and know how to recognise true merit in their employees. An unfair workplace is a toxic environment, one that leads to feelings of loneliness, grudges, and misery; such settings prompt the workers to fulfil no more than what is expected of them.

Hence, our well-being - whether in the family circle, educational institution, workplace, or on a national scale - lies in more than just benefits; it lies in being respected and having a sense of belonging. This is what fair treatment can offer.

Building a character of fairness A quality is something that is a firm part of the soul and, as a result, its corresponding actions are carried out automatically, without thinking. For example, an act of generosity does not necessarily make a person generous. A person is generous when he or she gives with joy - without feeling it to be a burden, without expecting praise, and without boasting about it afterwards. Some qualities are harder to attain, but the more a person strives, the more God helps that person embed the quality within the soul, thus making it easier to carry out the corresponding action.

Below are some general practices that can help anyone plant the seeds of fairness: • Emptying ourselves by placing the ego aside. Being in control of our emotions and ego allows us not only to see the truth of the opposing side, but also to be ready to sacrifice our own interests for the betterment of the other. We become more attentive by being in the present moment, and this allows us to catch the fleeting moment when reality clashes with our biases.

• Adopting a new attitude toward discomfort.

In other words, getting comfortable with being

uncomfortable, because we tend to be comfortable with our own worldview.

• Being concerned with what is right rather than with appearing right. Instead of searching for the answer that makes us feel good, we should search for the right answer. As a result, we won’t prefer an immoral person from our own group to a moral person from another group; rather, we will recognise morality despite the other side, and we will recognise immorality in our own group and condemn it.

• Being aware of cognitive biases. There are many types of bias, such as confirmation bias, which is when we only listen to information that confirms our preconceptions; the ostrich effect, which is the decision to ignore negative information by burying one’s head in the sand, like an ostrich; and saliency bias, which is when we focus on the most easily recognisable features of a person or concept.

Prophet Muhammad(s) said, “Someone who is biased or allows people to be biased in their favour has removed the rope of faith from his neck” (al-Kafi, 2.308.2). And in another tradition, he says, “Being biased is when a person considers bad people from his group to be better than good people from another group. It is not bias when a person loves his own people; however, it is bias when a person helps his own people and oppresses others” (al-Kafi, 7.308.2).

Fairness in interfaith dialogue Being fair is especially important when it comes to interfaith dialogue. Fair people acknowledge the realities of what they witness when meeting brothers and sisters of other faiths; witnessing common beliefs and practices gives them a sense of joy, without feeling they are relinquishing their faith in the process. Fair people also admire the good actions of people of other faiths and strive to rid themselves of any pre-existing stereotypes that only serve to hinder their relationships. Also, fair people do not use dialogue to confirm their negative beliefs about the other, or check for the wrongs of others.

Rather than looking for confirmation for their previously held beliefs and listening to what they want to hear, they search for the truth with an open mind. Ultimately, this quality can uncover novel ideas and intuitions in each discussion, which, in turn, will enable the faithful to journey together toward God. All in all, in the process of dialogue, fair people yearn for God and His representatives to be known to humanity, and they work together to sincerely live according to the core beliefs of the Abrahamic faiths.

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Ta l k o n Justice

The following is the content of the Christian presentation on the concept of justice/fairness.

This is part of an ongoing dialogue between Catholics and Shi‘as held at the Focolare CenBy Christopher Evans tre of Unity in Welwyn Garden City

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he subject of justice points us first and foremost to God himself. In the Old Testament, God describes himself to Moses as: “I am who I am”.

Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, God’s people have had insights into the various aspects of God’s character. These include: Everlasting God, Mighty God, Most High, the Lord of Hosts, the Lord our Shepherd, the Lord our Peace, the Lord will provide, God Almighty, God Creator Mighty and Strong, the Lord our Rock, and the Lord our Healer. To this partial list, we can add from Jeremiah 13 verse 16 the description of God as ‘The Lord our Righteousness.’

of God’s righteousness and justice when he says: “Your Love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like a great deep.”

Christians see in Isaiah 16:5 a prophecy that these twin aspects of God’s character – faithfulness and justice – will be the hallmarks of the promised Messiah. “In Love, a throne will be established.

In faithfulness a man will sit on it – one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness”.

Now in several Bible passages, there is a strong link between God personified as righteousness and God personified as justice. This is put very powerfully by the psalmist in Psalm 89 who discerns that righteousness and justice are at the very heart of God’s being.

He puts it in this way: “Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of your throne, steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”

Psalm 9:16 affirms that God is known by his justice, and in verses 8-9, this psalm perfectly encapsulates another aspect of justice that runs through the Old and New Testaments – namely, that God will judge the world with righteousness and will govern the peoples with justice. St Paul speaking in Athens helps us to understand that this judgement of justice will take place through the Risen Christ.

Similarly, in Isaiah (5:16), we discover that the Lord of Hosts is exalted in justice and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness. Or in Deuteronomy (32:4), God is described as The Rock whose work is perfect; all his ways are just. He is a faithful God who does no wrong. He is upright and just.

I particularly love the psalmist’s description (Psalm 36) of the magnitude

God’s justice is particularly seen as justice for the oppressed. This is beautifully expressed in Isaiah 61, which describes the year of the Lord’s favour.

Let me just quote the very first verse:

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The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the blind.

This is a hugely significant prophecy for Christians because, when he preached in the synagogue, Jesus told his listeners that he was the fulfilment of this prophecy.

Indeed Jesus not only sees

justice for the oppressed as central to his mission and ministry, but goes even further by identifying himself with the hungry, with the thirsty, with the stranger, with those without clothes, with the sick, and with those who were in prison.

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me” (Matthew 25).

Jesus was scathing in his criticism of the religious elite of his time – the Pharisees. Outwardly they were faithful in their religious observances, but they had neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. The Pharisees, who saw themselves as religious role models, must have been shocked to be described as hypocrites, as wicked, as vipers, and as blind guides.

So a compassionate and just concern for the world, for society, and for the individual and a practical and pro-active expression of that concern are absolutely central components of what it means to follow God as a Christian.

I’m now going to quote from a passage that I discovered on the Christian Enquiry website. These are not my words, but they are words that sum up my understanding of this particular aspect of justice.

Millions of people have kind hearts and want to help those who are poor or in distress. But when men and women start to follow Jesus earnestly, they discover that deep within them their view of the world is changing. Seeing the world through God’s eyes they recognise that there is an urgent need to

change the world so that justice is done and peace is achieved in the way that God desires.

It is central to the Christian faith that God desires a world in which justice is done. However, the past hundred years have revealed the scale of injustice in the world to be greater than anyone had previously imagined. Global forces that are deeply unfair determine the destiny of the world’s poorest people and cause damage to the planet’s environment.

War and suffering follow.

Striving for justice and working for peace, particularly for the world’s poorest people, are at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The good news that Jesus came to announce was that suffering and oppression could be brought to an end. Christians believe that their faith should lead them to be the people who help bring that about.

As we have already seen, justice is intimately connected with righteousness, mercy, compassion, and peace. When Christians pray to God “thy kingdom come ON Earth as it is in heaven” we are praying for a world where justice, righteousness, mercy, compassion and peace are experienced and enjoyed by everyone.

Finally, I should not end without saying that God’s justice is intimately connected with God’s judgement. Christians believe that we will all be accountable to God for the way in which we have lived our lives. This in itself is huge subject, but it is worth noting that the parable from Matthew 25 (that I quoted in part earlier) on Jesus indicates that our judgement will be based precisely on whether or not we have worked for justice for the poor, justice for the disadvantaged, and justice for the suffering.

To end with I would like to end with a quotation from the prophet Micah (Micah 6:8) which seems to me to be a rather lovely mini-manifesto for life: God has shown you, O people what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

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Interfaith youth camp in Scotland

A unique and amazing experience summed up what many of u������������������������ Youth Camp 2018 (SIYC), held in Aberfoyle, near Stirling, on 7-9 September 2018. Claudia Melis reports

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articipants expressed different expectations before the camp began but a recurrent theme was: “I would really like to spend some quality time in an interfaith environment with other young people! I hope there will be fun activities, educational workshops and the right atmosphere for debate and discussion.”

The idea of a SIYC developed from the Wings of Unity project, a collaborative initiative between Dr. Mohammad Shomali, director of the Islamic Centre of England, and the Sophia University Institute of Loppiano, Florence, Italy.

When Dr Shomali was in Glasgow last November, he met Archbishop Emeritus Mario Conti, chair of the RC Bishops Conference of Scotland Committee for Interreligious Dialogue, other members of this committee and several Muslim leaders. On that occasion, Dr Shomali shared his hope that an experience such as Wings of Unity could be repeated in Scotland.

This hope was shared by the four Scottish young people (two Shi‘a Muslim and two Christians from different Churches) who had attended the Wings of Unity summer course in Italy in August 2017. They and several others enthusiastically contributed to it becoming reality.

During the camp in Scotland, they spoke warmly about the impact Wings of Unity had made upon them. Maya Conway, a physics student and member of the Episcopal Church from Edinburgh, also introduced a ‘motto’ to put into practice during the weekend: this was the Golden Rule present in all main religions. The Islamic and Christian scriptural quotations were shared.

“No one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself” (The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith).

“In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

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Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland, during which the ‘earth cube’ was offered to all.1 The young people at the camp also received a cube: the phrases written on each side challenged them to look at nature in a new and different way during one of their outings.

At the end of the weekend Maya told us, “I always come away from interfaith dialogue with a new passion for my own faith, as well as more knowledge of others.”

The youth camp was prepared by a small group of Shi‘a Muslims led by Azzam Mohamad, Director of Ahl Al Bait Society Scotland and four members of the Focolare community in Glasgow.

We were led in reflection about Christian-Muslim dialogue

by Dr Shomali, who affirmed that unity with God and unity among us are inseparable. He stated that we tend to want to ‘possess’ God, instead of the more we leave ourselves ‘to be possessed’ by God, the more we grow in unity with one another. Dr Shomali encouraged everyone to always learn, going deep within ourselves and following those questions we have inside, in our search for Truth. He also highlighted the importance of always being open and humble in front of each person and the fact that we can always learn from each other.

As well as these moments of deep reflection, we didn’t miss out on fun and enjoying the beautiful surroundings of Aberfoyle! It was natural for the young people to get to know each other and build friendships either around the campfire or while launching themselves from high trees in the adventurous ‘Go Ape’.

An experience which struck many was being able to observe one another’s worship - in the Muslim Prayers and the Catholic Mass. An introduction was given before each of the moments of worship, respectively by Dr Shomali and by Fr John Convery, member of the RC Bishops Conference of Scotland Committee for Interreligious Dialogue. For many of us, it was a ‘first’ and it became a true moment of God.

Working together, sharing ideas with one another created a strong relationship of trust among us all the members of the organisational team. Sonia Allam expressed this well when she said that after all our planning meetings, living this weekend together really sealed our relationship as brothers and sisters.

A workshop on “dialogue as a lifestyle” began our programme.

The young people got into pairs to get to know somebody new and practised their listening skills. Edward Duncan, leading the workshop, explained how it is important to be “empty of oneself” in order to really receive the gifts of the other.

At the end of the camp, Lina Morcos, a Christian from Jordan who lived for 13 years in Jerusalem and four years in Syria, commented: “A sign of hope for the future, seeing all these Christian and Muslim young people gathering together in a peaceful atmosphere of unity”. Everybody agreed that we want to repeat this experience next year!  The Earth Cube is a motivational tool for supporting a healthy and sustainable planet. More information at http:// theearthcube.org/.

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Our main speakers, Dr Shomali and Dr Lorna Gold (head of policy and advocacy and Climate change campaigner for Trocaire, Ireland, and a member of Focolare) shared stories of their faith journeys. Dr Gold spoke about ecology as something we could live together and work for, caring for ‘our common home’ in thinking of the human family and future generations.

Dr Gold was recently involved in the organisation of the “Interfaith Reflection and Prayer for Our Planet” event during

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Lady Mary in the Qur’an

In the following talk, Hujjat al-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali presents the Muslims' understanding of Lady Mary in Islam, based on the verses of the Holy Qur’an

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

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fter listening to the previous presentation we are truly spiritually prepared and attuned, albeit it is difficult to reach the same height. As you know, Lady Mary is greatly praised in the Qur’an and is the only woman mentioned in the Qur’an by name.

Indeed, the Qur’an makes references to other women, like the wife of Pharaoh and the mother of Ishmael; however, no other woman is cited by name. Lady Mary has been mentioned thirty-four times in the Qur’an; sometimes alone and sometimes along with Jesus, “Isa Ibn-e-Maryam: Jesus the son of Mary.”

Moreover, although her story is divided into many different chapters, a chapter in the Qur’an is called Mary, indicating her special position. Furthermore, the characteristics that we find for Lady Mary in the Qur’an are very special, to the extent that the Qur’an says that God chose her over all the women of the

world. Thus, at that age, she was the best dedicate girls to the temple. The temple woman. It may also be true regarding was for men. other ages, but certainly, in her age, she One significant point that drew my was chosen over all women. attention about two or three months ago I would like to mention characteristics was that when the mother of Lady Mary that we find for Lady Mary. The first dedicated her to God, the Qur’an says characteristic is that her upbringing that God accepted her vow. was very special. Lady Mary’s father, “Thereupon her Lord accepted her with a and perhaps her mother, had a dream gracious acceptance (3:37).” that they would be given a special son, which was Jesus(a). Since they thought it Her Lord accepted in a good way, a good would be their immediate child and not acceptance, wa anbataha, and made her grandchild, they were expecting a son. grow up, wa kafalaha Zakariyyah.

Thus, Lady Mary’s mother made a vow “And made her grow up in a worthy when she was pregnant to dedicate her fashion, and He charged Zechariah with her care (3:37).” child to God. She said, “‘My Lord, I dedicate to You in consecration what is in my belly (3:35).’” God made prophet Zakariyyah(a) (Zechariah), to be in charge of her “My Lord, I am making the vow to dedicate upbringing. The point that came to my what is in my womb to you.” At that time mind a few months ago, which I am it was a practice to dedicate your child still trying to digest, is that as a father to serve in the temple. However, when or mother we always want our child, for Lady Mary’s mother delivered the baby example, to be very good, pious, spiritual, she was surprised to see that it was a girl. and dedicated to God. However, we are Nonetheless, she still wanted to keep only part of this. The main thing is the the promise as it was uncommon to relation between the child and God. I

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cannot decide how my child is going to was just an instrument of God, but be. Although I can pray, I cannot decide. the growth of Mary was not decided by Nevertheless, because the mother of Zechariah(a). Therefore, the Qur’an says Lady Mary offered her when she was that whenever Zechariah(a) used to visit unborn or was just born but did not yet Mary in her place of worship he found have free will and was a little child, God there is food, accepted her at that time and undertook “Whenever Zechariah visited her in the her upbringing. Consequently, I think sanctuary, he would find provisions with this somehow solves the problem in the her (3:37).” sense that if you can manage to make this deal with God when your child is It must be noted that this did not still unborn or it is very early and God happen just once or twice, but kullama; accepts to become the guardian of your every time Zechariah(a) visited Lady Mary child, I think then it is guaranteed. there was some food. Perhaps the first few times he did not ask questions and Making God accept is a matter of your maybe thought someone had brought full trust and dedication to God. God says them, but then finally he asked: that Lady Mary’s mother said, “Please accept her,” and God says taqabbalaha, “God accepted her and made her grow up and made Zechariah(a) look after her.” It is impossible for someone to be accepted by God and become grown by God and then become an evil person. Hence, in my view this point provides a very good kind of hope for parents. (a) When their child is not yet born, or when it is born but still very little, they can make this deal with God.

‘‘God says that

God especially asked her to be obedient, to prostrate, and to worship with the worshipers.

A stage then came when God gave her the good news,“When the angels said, ‘O Mary, God gives you the good news of a Word from Him whose name is Messiah, Jesus son of Mary (3:45).”

This verse reveals that angels spoke to Lady Mary and she was in communication with them. As far as I know, no scholar would dispute the fact that she was muhaddath, a person who was spoken to. The angels said to her, “O Mary, truly God gives you the good news, the basharah, of a Word from Him, kalimatin minh, a word from Him. God could have said He is going to give a son or child; however, He says, “a Word from Him,” which is not a very common expression to use for human beings. Of course, we know that every creation of God is a word because the Qur’an often mentions words of God for creation.

“Say, ‘If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord (18:109).’”

Lady Mary’s mother said, “Please accept her,”… “God accepted her and made her grow up and made Zechariah look after her.” It is impossible for someone to be accepted by God and become grown by God Although we know that every and then become an evil creation of God is a word of God, it is not very common to use the person.’’ term for people. Nevertheless, God

If they ask Him to take care of their child and He accepts, then it is guaranteed.

Thus, from the time Lady Mary was states here that Jesus is a Word from in the womb of her mother and then Him and his name is Messiah, ‘Isabni afterwards, she was always under special Maryam, Jesus the son of Mary, divine care. Another important point is “Distinguished in the world and the that God made one of His prophets look after her. In fact, this is also the gratitude “He said, ‘O Mary, from where Hereafter (3:45).” of God. Since Lady Mary’s mother does this come for you (3:37)?’”

He would be a person who has a high offered her as a servant to the temple, God makes His prophet her servant; How does this come to you; where does position in this world and the Hereafter, he has to look after her. How grateful this come from? Lady Mary replied that “And one of those brought near [to God] is God? Hence, Lady Mary grew up in a this comes from God. So, this shows that (3:45).” very special way and with full dedication if God works through a means it does And he would be one of the people who to God under the protection and not imply that the work will be limited are very near to God. Hence, this verse guidance of someone like Zechariah(a). by that person. Although Zechariah(a) was a kind of preparation so Lady Mary Indeed, she grew up so well that even was responsible, the growth of Mary was was aware it was going to happen.

Zechariah(a), who was in charge of her more than what Zechariah(a) could see upbringing, was surprised. Zechariah(a) happening. Therefore, she grew up and

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She knew she was going to have this child, but it happened in a very miraculous way that perhaps never happened in history. As far as we know, only Adam had no father and mother.

His example might be easier to understand because it is a complete intervention of God to create someone, whereas having just a mother and no father might be more difficult for people to digest. How can there be a divine act which also uses a human being to give creation?

In a sense, this example is more difficult to comprehend.

Consequently, as far as we know, this is the only time this has happened; the case of Adam has some similarities and some differences.

God for help but perhaps saw in that person signs of piety, for I assume when an angel takes the form of a human being he looks like a pious person and not a mean person.

So, that angel came in the form of a pious person and Lady Mary said, “I ask God to give me refuge,” and if you understand these things and are a pious person you should understand that I am now under the protection of God.” Thus, Satan would not be able to come here. It is a very special verse which I am still trying to understand, because she should have said, “I ask God for protection,” and that is it.

However, she said, “I ask God for protection if you are a pious person,” which means if you understand such things and are a person who has this logic or approach. Hence, her chastity is greatly emphasised in the Qur’an.

“Guarded her chastity (21:91, 66:12).”

Thus, when God decided to create Jesus(a) through Lady Mary, we all have this story of the angel coming to Lady Mary, as stated Also, her obedience to God is mentioned, in a beautiful but deep verse in the Qur’an. For many years I have pondered “She said, ‘I seek the protection “And she was one of the obedient (66:12).” upon this verse. Lady Mary had gone of the All-beneficent from you, to a private place; some say she went should you be Godwary (19:18)!’” The Qur’an also states that angels spoke to her. It is also mentioned that Lady for prayer, while others say she wanted to have private time, perhaps to bathe. “I seek refuge with God from you Mary received sustenance from God and if you are a pious person.” She from Heaven directly in chapter 3:37.

An angel then appeared in the form of a complete human being, not a half- was asking God to give her refuge Another aspect the Qur’an states about from him if he was a pious person. Lady Mary is that she was chosen, body human being, “And he became istafaki. Therefore, God chose her, incarnate for her as a well-proportioned What did she mean? It seems that, “God has chosen you (3:42).” human (19:17).” first of all, no idea of sinning came to her mind; she was not such a woman Moreover, she was purified by God, Lady Mary clearly did not expect any human being, especially a man to be in her who would think that this is a time that which is another very important she can have a relation. That thought Qur’anic concept. For example, we Shi‘a private place. As a woman who was very careful about her chastity, she was greatly definitely did not come to her mind. The Muslims consider a verse in the Qur’an worried. The Qur’an says that only thing that came to her mind was extremely dear to us. The verse is about Lady Mary said to the angel, how to maintain her chastity; she asked the Ahlul Bayt(a) (the family of Prophet

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because to be siddiq is more than to be truthful in one’s words. Siddiq means that one is completely in harmony with the truth. Not only does a siddiq tell the truth, but he or she also thinks truthfully, plans truthfully, and acts truthfully.

Everything is done according to the truth, and Lady Mary was in such a condition.

Muhammad(s)) and the holy Imams. In verse 33 of Chapter 33, God says to the Household of the Prophet, “Indeed God desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification (33:33).”

God wants to remove all the impurities away from you and purify you a thorough purification. Thus, we believe that the Ahlul Bayt(a) are purified. God states the same thing about Lady Mary, “And purified you (3:42).”

God purified you. In my understanding, for everyone, spirituality is a matter of seeking purity. However, there is a limit to what you can achieve; so you seek purity and you become purer, purer, and purer.

Yet, a time comes that you can no longer go further.

‘‘What we read in the story of Lady Mary brings to the mind that she was not thinking of anything for herself. She was totally empty from personhood as such; she was fully possessed by God.’’

For example, you cannot avoid mistakes, forgetfulness, or thoughts which sometimes come to your mind.

From that stage onwards it is only God who purifies. So, first we have seeking purity, tatahhur, then we have tathir purification. Lady Mary reached that level that she did her best and then God took over and from that stage it is only God. We still have to do lots of things, but a time comes when you are only in the hands of God. Hence, Lady Mary reached the level that she was only in the hands of God. What is more, she was also siddiq, as the Qur’an says, “And his mother was a truthful one (5:75).”

So, these are some of the characteristics of Lady Mary that make her very special.

Yet, we need to ask how we can bring these aspects to our life because the Qur’an states that she was a role model.

There are four foremost categories of people in the Qur’an: “The prophets and the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous (4:69).”

A Qur’anic verse states that God gives two examples for believers: one is the wife of Pharaoh and one is Lady Mary.

Therefore, Lady Mary is introduced as a role model for all believers, men and women. Perhaps we need to discuss more about how we can benefit from her life.

The four categories are to be righteous, salih, to be a witness, shahid, to be siddiq, truthful, and to be nabi, prophets and messengers. Lady Mary was siddiq, most truthful. Siddiq is very rarely used for people; I do not think it is used for any person who is not infallible

In addition to trying to move towards these virtues that we mentioned, I think one of the things that we find very special in the life of Lady Mary is that it seems she was, as her mother wanted, fully dedicated to God. You do not see any sense of ego, any sense of selfishness,

or any sense of having plans for yourself, even good plans. Sometimes we have bad plans for ourselves; for example, we just want to be successful or enjoy our life physically, but sometimes we have good plans for ourselves; for example, I want to be a great scholar, I want to teach many people, and I want to write many books. However, even this good plan can still be selfish.

What we read in the story of Lady Mary brings to the mind that she was not thinking of anything for herself. She was totally empty from personhood as such; she was fully possessed

by God. It can thus be said that not only did her mother dedicate her body and physical presence to the temple, but because her soul was accepted and was also dedicated to God, she became an instrument of God. It is not by accident that God chose Mary for His Word, for if there was anything personal or selfish there she could not receive the Word of God. Indeed, God saw maximum capacity in Lady Mary because there was the least of personhood, impurity or selfish ego.

In my view, this is a great lesson for us.

Although we can never become like Mary, we can move to that direction and try to be just a container for the will of God and for the word of God. We should be at the service of God and work for the plan of God, which in fact is the best plan for ourselves. If we dedicate ourselves to God and are an instrument for God, then that is the best thing. It is not that we are losing, but we are actually gaining more. Thank you for listening to these few points that I wanted to share. 

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Week of Unity 1st- 8th December 2018 - Loppiano & Trento Report by Mustafa Merali and Fatimah Alidina-Merali

O

n December 1st 2018, Shi‘a Muslims from different corners of the world gathered in Loppiano for the eagerly awaited ‘Week of Unity’. The programme was organised by Sophia University Institute of Loppiano, Italy – an academic institute established by the Focolare Movement, represented by its president, Professor Piero Coda – in conjunction with the Islamic Centre of England (ICE) in London and Risalat Institute in Qum, represented by their director Huj. Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali.

their spirituality is a kind of spirituality which is very close to our idea of social wilayah, which is deep devotion to God but manifested in your relationship with your brothers and sisters. And your love for God is so strong that compared to that, all … differences-although they remain-are not be able to draw your attention away from a common love for God.” Dr Shomali at this point, right at the very onset of the week of Unity, decided to begin with an Introductory Prayer. While supplicating to God Almighty, he mentioned:

The morning of 2nd December saw our participants gather at Sophia University for an internal session with Dr Shomali. “Today we want to thank You for showing Those who were new to interactions us the beauty of faith, the beauty of with our Focolare family were glad to receive a briefing from Dr Shomali to better appreciate just how special these bonds of unity are that have been nurtured over the years. In this briefing he mentioned: “With our Focolare friends we have a very outstanding relation… because [among other things] it seems that

religion, the beauty of Your love, the beauty of unity and solidarity. You have manifested Yourself to us so much so that we were able to see that beyond all differences, beyond all geographical, ethnic, religious, and all different kinds of differences that might be there, Your light is shining on all of us. Your attraction is so great that we just need to open our hearts to You in a world in which humanity suffers immensely from lack of trust, from suspicion, from hatred and hostility. In a world divided and partitioned for different reasons, and even sometimes sadly for religious reasons, we are so grateful that You guided us and made us able to understand that only faith can unite, and love for You can only make us caring, kind, and merciful people…”

There was then a magnificent speech

by Professor Piero Coda on the topic of “The Epoch-Making Novelty of the Culture of Unity’. Describing the gift of unity and the precious exchanges being experienced during these days, Professor Coda mentioned the following:

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“This is the law of life: everything is a gift from God, and precisely because it is God’s gift, everything must be received from Him and implemented by us. It is not a gift that just requires our openness and ability to listen and receive - even though that is the first requirement; but it is a gift that must be understood and performed by us, with intelligence and freedom, fidelity and creativity, because God wants free and responsible persons with rich imaginations who make human history with Him. God is the origin and the goal of the journey of Unity, but He wants us to be co-builders with Him of the unity of history and the cosmos all the way to the end in eternal life with and in Him.”

regarding the history of Loppiano was shown and everyone’s knowledge of Loppiano, Chiara and unity was now deeply enhanced and brought to the front of their minds. the following day we had a great talk delivered

by Dr Shomali covering many aspects discussed in his book ‘Unity of God and Unity in God’. The importance and necessity of unity among the believers in God was passionately explained.

Issues such as submission to God and servitude being the core tenets of faith were extremely well received. He said:

“We are building something that “Sometimes we inherit ultimately will be conceptual frameworks given to us! There and theological will be neither temple, perspectives that limit nor sunlight nor our understanding, moonlight in this and instead of being new city, which is a servant of God in given to us by God, theology we become a because He Himself servant of theology and will be present in our not a servant of God. midst. He is already [But] theology has to now, but we cannot serve God and serve contemplate Him yet with an open face; people’s recognition of God; sometimes we perceive Him; we love Him; we know it becomes too formalized that it doesn’t that He is there; we thank Him and we give you space to really move freely with open ourselves to Him with our whole your whole heart towards God.” heart… but He has yet to fully manifest the light of His unity forever.”

“I think in the End of Time, we will not have different schools-one school under Next was an interesting presentation on Jesus, one school under Moses… I don’t ‘The Prophecy and Reality of Loppiano’ think we will have different schools with

by Professor Bennie Callebaut. This was different managements. The prophets particularly interesting for those who came in different times. They spoke were visiting Loppiano for the first time. different languages. But these were All that we had read about the founder of realities that were forced on them the Focolare movement, Chiara Lubich, because of the practicalities of life. … was now being explained and shown to But in the End of Time I think we will us right before our eyes. A superb video have only one school, and that is the

School of God- one God, one authority, and one syllabus, but we can have beautiful teachings of all messengers.

Professor Coda was quick to comment on the talk by Dr Shomali: “We cannot accomplish this plan without you.

We are together in realisation of this plan of God, that in all the instruments are the different religions, and in this moment a particular instrument is this [Shi‘a] spirituality.”

Next, students and participants were blessed with a talk from the respected Vincenso Di Pilato on the topic ‘Elements for a Christian Theology of Interreligious Dialogue’: “We have many words, but perhaps little experience of unity. So here we are having an experience of unity, but we still have to find the words… we must learn what God wants from us. God taught us in the Bible how to be together: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ And in this love, God is present and He teaches us unity.”

This was followed by a talk by Shahnaze Safieddine on the topic of ‘Truthfulness as a Quality to Enhance Mission & Dialogue’. This was a follow on from her talk on the previous Italy trip of April ‘18The lecture was about the quality of being truthful and seeking the truth as a necessary component in our path to knowing ourselves and others, and this can eventually help us succeed in moving towards God, the Truth, together.

She mentioned: “We have the choice to admit a truth when it’s clear to us, or deny it. When

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we admit it, our vision strengthens; when we deny it, our vision becomes cloudy, and hence, an impediment to knowing ourselves and improving our relationships with others, whether it’s within or outside our faith.”

translation headpieces were in working order and Dr Mahnaz Heydarpoor delivered an outstanding presentation on ‘The Core of Islamic Spirituality.

Part of her presentation included an expansion of the following extract:

“In interfaith, we’re not merely trying “In my view, it is possible to summarise to get along. We are on the path the core of Islamic spirituality in two to self-improvement and eventually, points: (a) to be attentive and mindful of community-building. A search for the God whole-heartedly while establishing truth can bridge our differences and a close relation with Him based on love, move us onto one path. This will lead and (b) loving and serving His people.” to a greater understanding and respect of one another in our pursuit for the truth.”

On the 4th December with a full coach, we made our way to Florence city centre to visit ‘Centro La Pira’. An amazing talk was given by Israa Safieddine there on the topic of ‘Ramifications of a paradigm shift in Interreligious Dialogue’. A beautiful example which stood out for me was when Israa showed video clips of people who are colour-blind being exposed to colour for the first time through some optical aids. The shock and amazement at seeing colour was incredible and appreciation for the different shades of beauty of God’s creation could easily be drawn as a parable to those who truly witness Interfaith Dialogue with open hearts and minds.

On the morning of 5th December at Sophia University, the stage was set, the

the topic of ‘Our Journey in God and Loppiano’s Place in the Puzzle of Unity’.

A brief introduction by Professor Piero set the scene for an unforgettable event in which he mentioned: “[The] title Wings of Unity expresses very well the type of experience we’re having.

We have our wings, but the breath or the wind is that of the Spirit… We are already one because God is looking at each one of us with love, and so we have to translate this love of God into our relationships.”

Dr Shomali echoed similar sentiments and had the following to say: “What we want in this process of Wings of Unity is to move from having very honest and genuine dialogue to where we both listen to God. We need two ears to listen to God. I can use a Muslim ear and a Christian ear and try to understand the will of God …and get a very clear signal from God.”

Thereafter ensued Dr Heydarpoor’s book launch entitled ‘Love, The Heart of Islamic Spirituality’. This was followed by another thought provoking talk by the respected Giovanna Porrino on ‘The “I see that because Loppiano is a place Core of Christian Spirituality’, which where people try to be pious and do was very well received. After prayers everything for the sake of God, it is a and lunch there was a very informative place that can have a great capacity session by Rita Mousallem and Roberto for receiving all kinds of blessings from Catalano on the topic of ‘Dialogue and God.” beyond’. A historical flashback was given Following on from Dr Shomali’s speech, on how the Focolare have united with a great sense of solidarity was felt by one many groups and sects over the years, and all. This was expressed eloquently whereby examples were given from the and movingly through the words of outreach work undertook by the late a Christian member of the audience, Chiara Lubich in this respect.

Chanelle from the Philippines, who Participants then listened to a decided to wear the hijab headscarf for presentation by Dr Shahnaaz Alidina on the night and had the following to say: the topic of Charity and Sara Maria on the topic of the Economy of Communion. To “I purposely wore this hijab for the round off the day, residents of Loppiano night not to put on any show but as a and students and staff of Sophia as well symbol of my unity with all my Muslim as our group were invited to an exclusive friends especially for the Philippines… session by Dr Mohamad Ali Shomali on One thing that struck me the most in

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this experience is the commonality of wearing hijab and Mary. The image of Mary and the image of all my Muslim friends are always in my heart.”

going in the opposite direction. If you are moving towards the truth, towards light, towards understanding, towards love, towards God, you are a believer.

You should always try to improve yourself; you should never be satisfied with what you have. At every moment you should be responding to God to the best of your knowledge and best of understanding. But the main thing is: are you submissive to God or not? What you do as a sign of submission is not as important as submission itself. Maybe a submissive person to God makes a mistake and his mistake can be forgiven.

But if you are not submissive to God and do something, even if it is good, it’s not enough.”

We had the pleasure of meeting Genverde just before we left Loppiano.

We were very grateful of their hospitality in receiving us and it was inspiring once the Quranic understanding of religion again to learn about their struggle to or din, and how we can truly measure spread light throughout their travels. religiosity, with reference to the following Genverde’s words, whether it be in Quranic verses: 4:125, 9:33, 98:5, 3:19, sessions such as these or in their song 3:85, and 2:62. He mentioned: lyrics, leaves no doubt that they are keen to build a better united world “Everything is a test to show our love for and counter some of the darkness and God and commitment to Him, because struggles that have been encroaching on everything is a matter of truth and falsehood… If I do all the acts of worship many young people. and give lectures and fail to admit the The closing ceremony at Sophia truth between me and someone else, I Professor’s Piero’s response included the was conducted tremendously well as am not a servant of God. Our relation following: participants received their certificates with God cannot be directed only to a for the Week of Unity course and shared small place like in a mosque or church, “Especially in the last century, we their reflections on the week. or just our community. In everything understood that Christianity is… that we do, with everyone with whom what you call islam, submission to Carrying on with this spirit of ‘finding we deal, our truthfulness is tested. Am God. It is this experience that Jesus God’, we began our commute towards I able to see beauty in other people or passes onto us of being face-toTrento. With the friendly chatter on the not? This is a test of my truthfulness. If face with God… In this unity-I don’t bus, it wasn’t long before we noticed a I cannot see God at work outside my say dialogue-this is coming to life.” beautiful accommodation set up for community, I am not a truthful person. us at the Centro Mariapoli towards the I’m not a good servant of God because That brings us to 8th December and top of the mountains with breathtaking I can only see God working for me and the day of departure. Some brothers decided to sit on top of the mountain scenery. my people.” in the morning and reflect on the 7th December allowed us to have a tour of “What we understand from the Qur’an majesty of God’s creation while reciting Trent following in the footsteps of Chiara in my humble capacity is that we have invocations as taught by the Holy Lubich. We visited places such as Piazza two general ways of life, two general Prophet Muhammad(s) and his family, Dei Cappucini as well as witnessing the paths, or two general religions so to peace be upon them all. It was an church where Chiara was baptised. Back speak. Either you are taking the path emotional goodbye to friends that had at the Mariapoli later in the day, a panel which takes you from darkness to become family over the past 8 days and addressed the audience on the topic light-from ignorance to understanding, we pray that our paths reunite again in of ‘Religions in Dialogue in a Changing from falsehood to the truth-or you are the not so distant future, ameen. Europe’. Among the panelists to enlighten us were Dr Shomali, Dr Heydarpoor, Professor Piero Coda, Rita, Roberto and Vincenzo.

The session was conducted excellently by Paolo Frizzi.

Thereafter the Wings of Unity core group meeting took place between Dr Shomali, Professor Coda and a few others. Here, Dr Shomali shared reflections on

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Available from the bookshop of the Islamic Centre of England