3rd World Scout Inter-religious Symposium Report by World Organization of the Scout Movement

3rd World Scout Inter-religious Symposium rEPort

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© World Scout Bureau Education, Research and Development October 2011 World Scout Bureau Rue du Pré-Jérôme 5 PO Box 91 CH – 1211 Geneva 4 Plainpalais Switzerland Tel.: (+ 41 22) 705 10 10 Fax: (+ 41 22) 705 10 20 worldbureau@scout.org scout.org Reproduction is authorized to National Scout Organizations and Associations which are members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. Credit for the source must be given.

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3rd World Scout Inter-religious Symposium rEPort

“The presence in our Movement of many religions is definitely a characteristic of extraordinary importance, which must be fully exploited also for peace promotion and construction.” (Resolution 24/05) “The World Scout Movement is a privileged context to meet and reflect on educational aspects related to faiths and beliefs and to the development of the spiritual dimension.”(Resolution 30/08)

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Contents Introduction

Wednesday 21st October 2009

Thursday 22nd October 2009

Friday 23rd October 2009

Saturday 24th October 2009

Sunday 25th October 2009

Acknowledgements & References

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Introduction The 3rd World Scout Inter-religious Symposium was organised at Hotel Africana, Kampala (Uganda) from the 21st to 25th October 2009. There were over 80 participants from 30 countries belonging to 12 different faiths and beliefs: namely Baha’i, Buddhist, Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox, Protestant, Hindu, Islam, Jewish, Native African, Sikh and Won-Buddhist.

The Symposium was jointly hosted by the Uganda Scouts Association (USA) and the International Union of Muslim Scouts (IUMS) and was organised by members of the World Scout Interreligious Forum (WSIF) supported by the World Scout Bureau (WSB). The theme of the Symposium was ‘Solidarity, Reflection and Celebration’ and the flow of programme was planned according to the themes.

• Building Solidarity • Reflecting on the experience of being in Uganda and on our religious traditions

An innovative approach for inter-religious dialogue using the Scout Method was successfully piloted during the event. All participants were engaged in an active learning process and the Symposium programme commenced with a shared experience for participants who were grouped in small teams of mixed faiths. They visited community development projects some of which were run by Scouts in Uganda. On return from the visits, they reflected on the experience in religious groups and shared these reflections with everyone in the wider group. This helped participants reflect on the human response to serious issues concerning the world today, at a personal level and through listening to the reflections of others (in their respective faiths), which provided a rich learning experience. Participants discovered many common elements between their own faith and that of others through this process. Finally the participants came together and joined the celebrations organised by various faiths and beliefs.

• Celebrating being brothers and sisters

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The opening and closing ceremonies were very well covered by the Ugandan media, helping the cause of uplifting the image and profile of Scouting in the country. The highlight of achievements for Ugandan Scouts was the successful re-establishment of relationships with the government, which was underlined by the presence of the nation’s President H. E. Museveni and other Ministers at the closing ceremony. In the closing speech, the President made several commitments from the Government to support Scouting in Uganda.

Worldwide, engaging in peaceful interreligious dialogue has probably never been as important as it has become today. The learning from this event will be used to guide activities with a spiritual and religious dimension at future Scout events at the world level. It is also hoped that NSOs use this method to engage their Scouts in inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue to help build peace in their societies.

Apart from all the achievements, Ugandan Scouting also benefited through developing their capacities to organise an international Scout event.

The event had a special emphasis on the involvement of young people in inter-religious dialogue and encouraged NSOs to send participants below the age of 30. This ensured that there was a good balance of experience and youth amongst the participants.

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There were many challenges in the organising of the event but the hosts backed the organisers (WSIF and the WSB) to ensure that the event was successful despite having to shift the venue at the last minute.

It is believed that through building positive encounters between young people belonging to various faiths and religions, Scouting will certainly contribute to the creation of a better world.

The joint hosts IUMS deserve a special mention for encouraging a strong participation from National Scout Organizations (NSOs) from the Arab Scout Region representing the Muslim faith.

This report is an attempt to summarise some of the experiences and learning resulting from the 3rd World Scout Inter-religious Symposium so that it is available for NSOs to use in their programme delivery, especially in the area of spiritual and religious development.

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Wednesday 21st October 2009 Opening Ceremony, Reception & Introduction to the theme

The theme was introduced by short inputs from three keynote speakers: the Minister of Youth and Sport of Senegal who delivered a speech on behalf of President Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal and Chairman of the Organisation of The Islamic Conference, Professor Badru Kateregga, Vice-Chancellor of Kampala University, and Mr Christos Papageorgiou, President of the International Link of Greek Orthodox Scouts (DESMOS).1

Opening Message from the President of Senegal The President expressed his thanks for the invitation to formally open the Symposium and his regret at not being present in person. He noted the importance of the Symposium in the light of violent clashes caused by religious misunderstanding and intolerance and wished it every success.

Revealed religions enjoin peaceful cohabitation, understanding and acceptance of the religious beliefs of others. Knowledge of other religions engenders understanding and understanding encourages tolerance of those who think differently. From this we can see the importance of Inter-religious dialogue for the third millennium.

Even though inter-religious conflict has been fuelled by fundamentalism, such blindness and religious ostracism have not been taught by the three main revealed religions. All religious faiths possess a common denominator – a commitment to helping the poor, fighting hunger, protecting the blind, the orphan and the feeble-minded. The fight against human poverty and hunger must be underpinned by tolerance, which needs to pervade the spirit and heart of humankind. The work of dialogue should continue until religions vie with each other in compassion and sharing.

The full text of President Abdoulaye Wade and Christos Papageorgiou addresses are available on the website. Prof Kateregga is the co-author of “A Muslim and Christian in Dialogue.”

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“Solidarity, Reflection and Celebration.” – Christos Papageorgiou (DESMOS) Reflection and celebration are not simply good in themselves, but also an important means to solidarity. Reflection and celebration are both integral parts of human nature, and of the life of a Scout. Reflection enables us to transcend our present reality. Celebration is present in every culture and is a sharing of memory, hope and happiness.

“Exploring Dialogue” – Prof. Badru Kateregga, Dialogue is grounded in the manifest fact that we hold so much in common as human beings: we all suffer, all need good government, are all born of woman and fear disease. Dialogue aims to deepen this basic fact into the recognition of each other as brother and sister. Through Dialogue (“two-talking”) we learn, change and grow. We become more sensitive to each other and responsible for one another. It deepens our spirituality and leads to great freedom. Dialogue seeks to overcome the sense that “mine is better than yours”. It seeks to replace mere tolerance with acceptance of difference and that the difference is a cause of rejoicing. Some practical pointers for effective dialogue were also offered: be humble; have no hidden agenda; there are no junior partners; ensure there is an objective need; set a goal for the dialogue; chose a theme ahead of time; those engaged must be knowledgeable and accepted by their communities.

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It may seem that reflection is centred on the individual and celebration of the community, but in reality reflection enables us to find the proper way to live with others. There are two popular misconceptions of solidarity: as toleration of others within our group or as the integration of different groups into one group. True solidarity however, springs from the recognition that everyone is different, yet all people can be valued as brothers and sisters, despite their irreconcilable differences. Through reflection and celebration, the Scout is prepared for a life of solidarity with fellow Scouts from different backgrounds. And as Scouting is present in, and represents, such diversity in an increasingly globalised world, it is well placed to serve as an instrument of solidarity between all peoples in our world.

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Thursday 22nd October 2009

Participants were divided into 7 small teams of 10 -12 members and consisting of 5-6 pairs each belonging to a different faiths. The organisers of the Symposium had worked with the hosts at project sites in advance to facilitate maximum interaction between the visitors and the beneficiaries of the projects. It was therefore assured that there were sufficient opportunities for the Symposium participants to interact and learn about the problems and realities in the projects. In most cases, the participants also saw the brighter side of life that the projects were striving to provide for the needy.

Building Solidarity

The groups visited: © WSB Inc. / Björn Wiklander, Svenska Scoutrådet

1 Zollikon Vocational Training Centre. A Scout project established in 1998 providing vocational training for orphans and vulnerable children. 2 Empowering African Young People’s Initiative (EAYPI). A Scout peer education project encouraging abstinence and “being faithful” in the prevention of HIV/ AIDS. 3 Bakatevemba Home for the Elderly. A home for the elderly, disabled, refugees and internally displaced people run by Catholic sisters.

5 TASO, The AIDS Support Organization. 6 Naguru Remand Home. A government-run remand home for teenagers. 7 Katalemwa Cheshire Home. A home providing rehabilitation services for children who are physically challenged and in most cases receiving orthopaedic treatment.

4 Katwe Street Kids project. An Extension Scouting Programme by Uganda Scouts to benefit the growing number of street children, especially in the streets of Kampala.

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Participant reflections: © WSB Inc. / Björn Wiklander, Svenska Scoutrådet

The participants noted in particular: • The joy and hope of children and adults, even in difficult circumstances. • The importance of hope… • The evidence of self-reliance. • The significant contribution that Scouting in Uganda makes to the lives of children there. (Bettering the lives of disadvantaged). • Scouting providing education for the disadvantaged. • The way in which people of different religious backgrounds live and work together.

Namugongo Martyr’s Shrine: Located 12km from Kampala city center on Jinja Road, Namugongo, was the place of execution by the Kings of Buganda in the pre-colonial era. Today this place is remembered more for the execution by burning to death of the Uganda Christian Martyrs on the 3rd of June in 1886. Many young Scouts welcomed the participants of the WSIS to the site where a memorial shrine depicts the burning incident. Following a briefing on the significance of the Martyr’s shrine and a description of the incidents in 1886, the participants sat down to have a working session at the serene location. A Basilica Church is built at the Martyr’s Shrine area and participants also visited the Church before ending their visit to Namugongo.

• The commitment of adults and staff working with young people. • Scouting as contributor to the common good (HIV/AIDS education). • The possibilities for extending Scouting to new groups of disadvantaged children and young people. • The role of religious belief / faith as basis for helping others.

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Friday 23rd October 2009

Participants were asked to meet in single or faith groups and asked to reflect on the things from their tradition (sayings, stories, practices) that help them to think about and understand what they saw on the study visits. The larger groups were divided and a few individuals were invited to work together. Each group prepared a flip chart poster to summarise their reflections. After a break participants were invited to visit a couple of other groups’ posters, where an explanation was given and there was an opportunity to ask questions and develop points further.

The day began with a brief Christian meditation. MUSLIM:

BUDDHIST:

Islam means peace, love, equality, kindness for all (without borders)

• Always - avoid bad, be good

Our faith teaches us: • Pay Zakat – Kindness, Money

• Do Saddakha – voluntary financial help for everybody

• Practice to improve the mind • Not to kill • Do not steal • Do not do misconduct

• Do not indulge in exploiting others

• Do not be a liar

• Treat your neighbor like your own people, regardless of race, creed or religion

• Avoid toxications

• Give to people if you want to give to God – encourage people to help and give for others in need

BANTU-BA KATONDA: • We are the People of God

SIKH: • Remember the supreme • Live an honest life and share with others in the world

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BAHA’I:

CATHOLIC:

PROTESTANT:

• Work is worship

• “whatsoever you do the least of these you do to me…”

• The parable of the mustard seed: “A small seed can produce a great harvest”

• Mankind is one family

• “Blessed are those who are hungry for justice”

HINDU: • For the magnanimous hearts, the whole world is but one family • All beings are part of God (concept of Brahman, the universal all pervading life force)

WON-BUDDHIST: • (Reflecting on the visit to the National Martyr’s shrine) • The killers did not know the “Mind-Seal of Buddhas and saints”, it is Peace and Harmony

• Those who have God, have everything (S. Therese of Avila) • We have hope, because God is faithful to his promises

• Jesus said “Suffer the little children to come to me for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” • Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor” • Love your neighbour as yourself

• Solidarity needs to be created fostered

• Jesus went to the outcasts in society

• Faith is shown in action

• “Use your talents”

• Religions bring something not otherwise present

• “Let your light shine”

• Peace in the world comes through development

• The human race is like a rainbow, each religion is like a different colour of a rainbow: Each very different from the other, but together so beautiful.

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The National Mosque, Jumaa Prayer and Fort Lugat

Kampala University School of Nursing.

The National Mosque of Uganda is located on the Old Kampala Hill and is one of the biggest Mosques in Africa. Although the Mosque is not open to visitors and tourists, the hosts had organised for all participants of the WSIS to observe the Friday Juma prayer from the top Balcony. The Imam (priest) leading the Mosque made an announcement during his address to the community about the 3rd WSIS highlighting its obajectives and the variety of participants coming from different countries and faiths around the world. Prior to the prayer, all participants were invited for a brief session with the Chief Imam of Uganda and other Muslim spiritual leaders from the country. This exchange and experience to visit the Mosque was highly valued by participants, especially the non-Muslims. Participants were also taken for a visit to the neighbouring Fort Lugat.

The Symposium moved on to Kampala University for lunch. Participants were warmly greeted on arrival with traditional Ugandan music and dance and were able to participate in the launch of the National Union of Uganda Muslim Scouts and of a strong Rover Scout Crew formed from students of the University.

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On return to the Hotel Africana, participants met again in their study visits groups to continue discussions from the morning. In particular the invitation was made to ask questions of each other and further the sharing that had begun in the morning.

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Saturday 24th October 2009

The day began with a Meditation led by the Won-Buddhist group. After this participants departed for a brief visit to the Tomb of the Kings of Buganda before going on to Kaazi National Scout Camp Site on the shores of Lake Victoria. As the President would be attending the Closing Ceremony it was necessary to be at Kaazi in good time. The final working session was held at the camp site, the results of which are summarised below. Participants formed into small groups and were invited to reflect on each of the following questions and to share their reflections with each other as far as they were comfortable. Self-selected groups were chosen to encourage a deeper level of reflection and sharing. Each participant was asked to write their responses on post-it notes. These could be attached to a larger sheet so that people could see all the responses. A selection has been transcribed to give a flavour of the reflection.

What insights have I gained? © WSB Inc. / Björn Wiklander, Svenska Scoutrådet

Here are some of the insights gained by participants • Differences are often more cultural than religious. E.g. between Catholics of other areas as against Catholics and Jews.

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• There are more than two sides to the coin. We now have the curiosity to learn more about other faiths.

• We hope to be more tolerant, speak more kindly, act with compassion as a result of these experiences.

• The poverty opens my eyes for my easy and so well prepared middle class life at home. There are worlds between us.

• We need to understand each other and to share a common language, if we want to go further.

• There are great religious diasporas that exists in Uganda and how they work in symbiosis.

• Scouting can change lives, even give life. This is especially true when leaders are people of faith and share their religion while respecting that of others.

• In my opinion, the most impressive aspect of this symposium was the devotion shown by the Ugandans in organizing the meeting. They made me think that a different world is possible.

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• The fraternity of people. • If a person truly loves God, s/he will be motivated to serve humanity as a way of expressing this love. • The living conditions of the people in Uganda. • Melting the ice between us and between different religions and the willingness of everyone to spread the peace.

• Identifying the basic principle of the idea of Scouting and what it means. • Support integration and social networking and mixing with others.

• The idea of meeting with each other and get to know their cultures. • Convergence of ideas and knowledge of friends and assimilation and adaptation with the other two and the dissemination of ideas and Scout world and a sense that the world is a small forum to achieve in practice what we see on television and the Internet. • A view to the situation of people in need of assistance and compassion towards them.

• This forum is useful in communicating with those who disagree with them in their religious perspective, to develop a culture of listening, understanding and dialogue and focus on the participants and neutralize the differences and work together on common issues.

How have I changed? Here are inputs on how the participants have changed as a result of this experience.

• I realise that I am more open to inter-religious cooperation and dialogue in Scouting and elsewhere. • The change I feel is about knowledge, personal knowledge, because I feel enriched by interacting with others and different people. • I want to spend more money for projects in Africa and asking people to do so. It can be one cappuccino less; it can be one argument about unimportant things less. We are all connected in our global village. God bless Africa! • I recognise the imperative to pray and do spiritual actions and practical ones.

• I will reflect about the religious dimension of Scouting (since mine is a secular Association) and witness what I lived during this Symposium (to be honest, I never had problems in accepting other religions…)

• I can now accept people for who they are and not what I/we want.

• I am aware of the differences in to be together to pray and not to pray and not to pray together. That is different and good.

• That the change in the way of thinking and modern look comes through direct contact with others where the friction through the exchange of ideas and talk and respond to the views of others and the exchange of science and knowledge and consequently take and give ideas of science and hence a change in thinking and talking.

• I have developed a deeper appreciation and acceptance of people in general. Things that frustrated me, just accepted they are this not because of purpose lost, but all the factors that come up through friction and cooperation.

• I recognise the importance of talking with the other, do not assume that it is wrong, but we get to talk to the common borders.

• I have an appreciation of the essence of Scouting family despite religious backgrounds – tolerance to the various faiths especially the practical exposure to the traditions. Theory seen in practice!

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What have I learned about dialogue?

• It is important to work as a team. • The format of dialogue facilitates meaningful dialogue.

Here is a list of what the participants learned about dialogue as a result of their experience

• Both parts have to be present to recognize the other. • We don’t need a common language.

• Having Scouting in common gives us a good foundation for dialogue.

• Listening, chatting, hospitality are all important parts of dialogue.

• We feel safe in dialogue since we know no one will attack us for our views or questions.

• Dialogue needs lunch and water: without these there is no dialogue.

• Dialogue enables participants to understand the views of others and internalize them. Views, customs, practices, beliefs, etc. , become demystified. • Dialogue should allow each participant to be himself/herself. Honesty should prevail.

• Dialogue is part of education. • Dialogue is to accept the other understand each other - to know each other. • Dialogue is the way to share ideas of others and respect. The solution is to not to prejudge what others think and understand the principles which they believe.

• Dialogue teaches us to understand each other and improve listening and speaking within the specific subject matter and depth of thought. • That we recognize the other as it is not as we want or we perceive and know ourselves as we really do not also like to see us.

What can I / we do to spread solidarity. The suggestions to spread solidarity were as follows:

• Create projects that can bring together Scouts all over the world. • Enable/empower Scouts/ Rovers/youth to participate in an international, inter-religious dialogue at their level to address religious issues (a physical meeting). • Encourage smaller groups (2-3 countries, or even zones) to begin these inter-religious dialogues. • Come together often and focus on all these subjects - Learn how people live, culture, living conditions - Charity work, social responsibility

• Identify the way the ideas of others change some of the convictions as a result of access to other views, and as a result of recognition of the fact of thinking of others and their views reflected on your business in this regard.

• Identify in the Scouting principle of respect for each other and accept it as it is, do not use the style of exclusion, psychological readiness for rapprochement with the other, spreading the culture of dialogue with the children and train them.

• Spread the culture of dialogue and hear the opinion of others and respect their ideas.

• The best we can do for solidarity, interaction and celebration for peace is to organize our conferences well and an active and useful and manage properly.

• Convey what I saw, to my country through grass-roots organizations and civil society organizations. • Contribute to the actors to benefit from the experiences of peoples, traditions, and make possible assistance to raise the standard of living and civilization.

- Live as good models - Accepting one another - Respecting each other - Show forgiveness

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Sunday 25th October 2009

Closing Ceremony with H.E. The President, Yoweri K Museveni A large number of young people had also gathered at Kaazi Scout Camp for the closing ceremony, and were prepared to greet their President and Patron with music and a full guard of honour. They were clearly pleased to be able to gather with him for the first time in recent years.

In his address, President Yoweri Museveni described the Scout Movement in Uganda as “unarmed soldiers in the war against poverty and other ills in society.” He commended them for keeping the sprit of BadenPowell alive by producing tolerant and disciplined leaders for tomorrow: “Scouting has always been the springpoint for most of the enlightened, tolerant and able leaders in the world today.” He commended the Scouts for their support for government programmes especially in the fight against AIDS, global warming, Education For All, and the fight against communicable diseases and poverty, and called on the youth to be careful about lifestyles that may lead them to contract HIV/ AIDS.

“I believe that the wars all over the world including drastic climatic changes and the financial crises are challenges that can best be managed and solved if we work together in unity without any discriminations,” The President also pledged government support in extending Scouting to young people in all the schools of Uganda, and to assist the Uganda Scouts Association in securing the lease on their National Offices. Best of all – certainly as far as the young people present were concerned – was his positive response to a request for a “Patron’s Day” each year to meet with Scouts in Uganda.

Dr. Zuhair Ghunaim, (Secretary General of the International Union of Muslim Scouts), Prof Badru Kateregga (Co-chair of the symposium organising committee) and Prof Maggie Kigozi (Chief Scout of Uganda) also addressed the closing ceremony, praising the success of the symposium and thanking the government for their support. Finally, the President commissioned Prof Maggie Kigozi as the new Chief Scout of the Uganda Scouts Association and declared the 3rd World Scout Inter-religious Symposium closed.

Quoting his Senegalese counterpart, Abdulaye Wade whose speech was read at the opening session, he noted that many wars in the world are mainly due to intolerance of other religions yet all religious books teach about compassion, tolerance and dignity for all people.

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Evaluation comments Key successes:

Key areas for improvement:

• The variety of religions, faiths and countries represented enriched the conversations and exchanges.

• Better balance between the Symposium working programme and formal events. (The planned programme timings were somewhat overtaken by extensive protocol in various venues and occasions, resulting in considerable reduction in time for moments of reflection, sharing and debates among the participants.)

• Sincerity and openness of participants in exploring the various religious tenets and traditions that were represented. • Hosts were welcoming and worked hard to deliver the event despite external constraints and a lack of financial support or external funding from donors. • Government support, including visa waivers, security and traffic management.

• Varied programme, i.e. we did not have to sit down all the time listening to someone speaking. • Visits to community service/ development initiatives influenced or supported by Scouting, connecting the social and religious in a Scouting perspective. These also helped the participants to understand some of the problems in the country and how they were being addressed. • Visits to places of religious significance and taking part in different religious ceremonies. • Colourful Opening and Closing ceremonies. • Good Networking between various groups.

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H.E. The President, Yoweri K Museveni

• Arrangements for prompt payment and collection of fees and for timely registration of participants.

• New approach to Inter-religious Symposium programme.

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• Translation services. This was particularly an issue when a number of small groups were running in parallel, each with 3 or more languages.

• Clarity of responsibility for the Symposium of various stakeholders: hosts, WSIF, WSB etc. • Consideration of evening and social programme on site to encourage better interaction between participants. • The theme of the Symposium could be more clearly explored. • All participants coming to such events should be prepared to handle inter-cultural and interreligious aspects, or at least should come with a commitment to learn about them during the Symposium. • Carefully chosen and trustworthy agents and options for tourism after the event.

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Acknowledgements & References Thank you to all who made the Symposium possible.

Prof Badru Kateregga and the Organising Committee.

The President, Government and Public Authorities of Uganda.

International Union of Muslim Scouts and members of the World Scout Inter-religious Forum.

Prof Maggie Kigozi, Chief Scout of Uganda and the officers and staff of the Uganda Scouts Association.

Support Scout projects in Africa

Our hosts at the projects and places we visited and those who shared their lives with us.