FAQs ABOUT INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad said, “The remedy for ignorance is asking questions.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 336)
The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society, and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness can foster development in society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their understanding of issues. Awareness of one’s ignorance is half of the knowledge as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey.
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions on how inter-religious dialogue can help to form harmonious relations between people in multi-religious societies.
Q. Is Religion Necessary in Today’s World?
A. Authentic religiousness is more than necessary for this world. One major reason for strife in the world is that people have become very materialistic. Religion should aim to make people spiritual instead of materialistic. To create a peaceful society, people need to become more spiritual.
Religion is meant to be a spiritual discipline. The sole objective of religion should be to develop a person spiritually so that he can live with a positive mindset that is duty-conscious rather than rights-conscious. Such a person is free from greed and hate and is capable of assessing things objectively. He possesses a predictable character. This kind of personality is the greatest need of the present age.
Q. Is Religion Responsible for the World’s Chaos?
A. The source of chaos in the world is the misuse of their free will by human beings. God bestowed free will upon humanity to put us to the test in this world. Misusing God-given free will creates all kinds of problems in society. Evil is not a part of creation. It is a result of man’s misuse of free will.
Q. Will the World Be More Peaceful Without Religion?
A. Religions and cultures are a must for the society. However, it must be understood that the values required for a peaceful society do not come about independently. For many people, they come from religion. For millions of people, religion is a principal source of these values.
It is a mistake to believe that the world would be a more peaceful place if there were just one culture or just one language. This will never happen because people will likely still misuse their God-given free will, even if there is just one culture or language.
Q. Does Religion Produce Hardliners?
A. Hardliners are not products of authentic religiousness but, rather, of erroneous interpretations of religion. If religion is thought of simply in terms of external forms, it often makes a person a hardliner. However, if religion is understood in terms of its essence and spiritual aspect, it can help people become universal, broadminded, kind-hearted, compassionate, and tolerant—and that should be the purpose of following
a religion.
I believe that religion in itself is not a problem. The problem is the erroneous interpretations of religion by some people and elements. Hence, the exploitation and erroneous interpretation of religion, rather than religion itself, must be overcome.
Q. If All Religions Claim to be Right, How Can their Adherents be Peaceful?
A. Once, when discussing this point with me, a religious scholar said, “We have been attempting to bring about interreligious harmony for the last one hundred years, but the results have been quite dismal. It would seem that there are insurmountable obstacles in the way.”
I replied that the goal we want to attain is certainly a proper one; it is simply that the strategy employed is impracticable.
Harmony between adherents of different religions is, without a doubt, a desirable objective. In my view, the only way to achieve this is to encourage people to respect other people’s beliefs and be humanitarian at all times in their dealings with them. It should never be thought that the goal of harmony between adherents of different religions is unattainable simply because people’s religious beliefs differ. It is possible to promote harmony between the followers of other faiths or belief systems if we adopt a realistic approach and accept ideological differences as a fact of life. Having accepted these differences, adherents of religion should follow a tolerance policy and respect each other.
In my opinion, this is the way to achieve the peaceful coexistence of adherents of different religions.
Q. Should People Condemn People of Other Faiths?
A. Condemnation is not the right approach. The right method is to share your opinion through discussion and dialogue, speaking with genuine goodwill for others. Speaking without wishing well for them leads to strife and has no positive outcome.
Q. Why are there so Few Interfaith Efforts by Muslims?
A. Many Muslims are concerned only with Muslim community-related issues rather than inter-religious issues. One reason for this is that after the fall of the Muslim empires in different parts of the world, large sections of Muslims started a campaign to regain what they regarded as their past political glory. This thinking has become so pervasive that even many supposedly well-educated Muslims are not an exception to this kind of mentality. It is this mentality that is mainly the reason for the present scenario.
Q. What is the Real Message of the Quran, Torah, and New Testament?
A. The common message of these three religious scriptures is monotheism or the concept of the Oneness of God. There is a verse in the Quran (2:62) that states: “The believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabaeans, all those who believe in God and the Last Day and do good deeds, will be rewarded by their Lord; they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.”
According to this verse, only true faith and righteous actions are rewarded with salvation. This rule applies consistently to every community. Therefore, God elevates to a high rank only those who have sought to mould their lives according to His Divine scheme.
Q. Is Islam a Religion of Peace, or Does it Sanction Violence?
A. Islam is a religion of peace in the complete sense of the word. In my opinion, there is only one reason why Islam is being perceived as a religion of violence in the 21st century, and that is the self-styled concept of jihad among a section of present-day Muslims. All other issues of intolerance, extremism, and violence have branched out from their misconceptions about jihad.
Trying to establish the rules of Shariah by force or through coercion is also an offshoot of this wrong concept of jihad. This concept is rooted in the political interpretation of Islam, which has no basis at all in Islam. It is a misinterpretation of Islam’s sources. It is a case of political extremism. The Quran instructs the believers not to be extremists in religion: “Commit no excesses in your religion.” (4:171)
The teachings of Islam are a subject of self-following, while the political interpretation of Islam has wrongly projected them as a subject of implementation on others by force. Muslim extremism emanating from the political interpretation of Islam has no sanction in Islamic scriptures. It is a gross error of interpretation.
Through my writings, I have shown the errors of the political misinterpretation of Islam. Once people understand that Islam does not sanction this interpretation and the violence it leads to, they generally stop supporting this ideology. As a result of such awakening, thousands of people have left extremism and have started peaceful work for constructive goals, such as in the fields of education and calling people to God.
A most essential point for Muslims today is understanding the importance of peace. The present age is an age of peace. In present times, one can achieve everything one seeks using peaceful methods. This is a basic issue that needs to be understood.
Muslims must also disown the terrorism done in the name of Islam and present the true, peaceful picture of Islam before fellow Muslims and others.
Q. Does the Quran Teach Muslims to Be Violent?
A. Some people use certain verses in the Quran to project the claim that Islam is a religion of war and violence. However, this is false and misleading. The fact is that these verses relate, in a restricted sense, to those who unilaterally attacked Muslims. They do not convey a general commandment of Islam.
The Quran was revealed from time to time, according to the circumstances, over 23 years. If this is divided into years of war and peace, the period of peace amounts to 20 years, while that of war amounts only to 3 years. Therefore, the revelations during the 20 peaceful years were the peaceful teachings of Islam, which are contained in verses regarding the realisation of God, worship, morality, justice, etc.
This division of commandments into different categories is natural and is found in several other religious books.
When the Prophet of Islam emigrated from Makkah to Madinah, the unbelieving tribes were aggressive toward him. However, the Prophet averted their attacks by the exercise of patience and the strategy of avoidance. However, on certain occasions, no other option existed save that of retaliation. Therefore, he had to do battle on such occasions. It was these circumstances which occasioned certain revelations relating to war. These commandments, being specific to certain circumstances, had no general application. They were not meant to be valid for all time to come. That is why the permanent status of the Prophet has been termed a “mercy for all humankind” (Quran, 21:107).
Q. What Does the Quran Say About Killing Human Beings?
A. The Quran states: “If someone kills another person unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption on the earth, it is as if he had murdered all mankind.” (5:32)
Considering murder as a horrendous act, Islam states that killing a single person without proven justification is equal to killing all human beings. Killing one human being is just as awful as killing all human beings. Such a killing breaks all traditions of respect for life.
The above Quranic verse shows the great importance of peace and security in Islam. If someone is unjustly killed, it should be treated as a matter of the greatest urgency, as if all of humanity were under attack.
Q. What is Islam’s Stance on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings?
A. According to the teachings of Islam, Muslims are not permitted to commit suicide bombings. It is forbidden in Islam. Strapping explosives on oneself and hurling oneself upon others to destroy them and kill oneself deliberately is un-Islamic. Such an action represents a misinterpretation of the term shahadat. According to Islamic teachings, one cannot intentionally court a martyr’s death. The fact is that suicide is forbidden (haraam) in Islam. Under no circumstances whatsoever is committing suicide lawful, according to Islam. It is not permitted to the point where, if someone is dying and, certainly, he will not survive, even in his final moments, Islam does not allow him to take his own life.
Q. How Can Muslims Overcome Islamophobia?
A. I do not believe that ‘Islamophobia’ actually exists. The irony is that other communities have not coined this term—Muslims themselves have so named it. Thus, ‘Islamophobia’ is an allegation, not a real phenomenon.
The facts in this matter are contrary to what Muslims generally think. The resentment many non-Muslims have is against certain attitudes and behaviours of Muslims. If Muslims introspect and rectify themselves, they would no longer remain a problem community for anyone. No longer would others have a negative view of them.
What is needed is for Muslims to reform themselves, and then everything, including other peoples’ negative perceptions about Muslims and Islam, will be settled. It is a two-point formula: first, Muslims must admit that the phenomenon is ‘Muslim-phobia’ and not ‘Islamophobia.’ Second, they must reform themselves—their attitude and their behaviour. Right-thinking Muslims must educate other Muslims in this regard.
Q. Is Islam Intolerant of Other Religions?
A. Islam is not intolerant of other religions. However, many Muslims behave intolerantly, which tarnishes Islam’s image. Tolerance and mutual respect are central tenets of Islam, as stated in the Quranic formula, ‘Follow one and respect all humans.’ (109:6) Islam teaches its adherents to respect others in the same way they wish to be respected, be tolerant, and engage in dialogue with people of other faiths.
Q. Can Muslims Wish Non-Muslims on their Festivals?
A. Absolutely! Opportunities for engaging in interaction should never be lost. Greeting others is a part of social ethics.
Q. How Should Muslims Treat Non-Muslims?
A. Today, we live in a world of equal citizenship. Any categorisation of and discrimination against citizens of a country based on their religion or community is wrong. A person should be regarded as either an immigrant to a country or a citizen of that country, without their religion making a difference to their status. This is the universal norm, and Muslim-majority countries should adopt this principle. They should not differentiate among people based on religion and community. Such a thing would be unacceptable to the modern mind.
Q. Does Islam Deny Religious Freedom to Others?
A. Religious freedom is a basic human right. The Quran states: “There shall be no coercion in matters of religion.” (2:256) The Quran also states: “You have your religion, and I have mine.” (109:6). The principle we obtain from the above verses can be termed as religious freedom.
With the advent of Islam in the seventh century CE, it was declared for the benefit of humanity that all greatness was God’s exclusive prerogative and that, in God’s eyes, all human beings were equal. Therefore, the Prophet sought to transform society with the idea of human equality.
One must consider all human beings as equal, as equally deserving of respect, and as worthy of religious freedom.
Q. How Can People Live in Harmony in Pluralistic Societies?
A. Global societies are plural, being multi-religious, multi-ethnic, and multicultural. What the world needs today—perhaps more than anything else—is an acceptable formula for creating harmony in plural societies. In my opinion, harmony between adherents of different religions is necessary for creating harmony in today’s globalized societies.
There are more than a dozen major religions in the world. How can there be harmony in the multi-religious societies of the world? According to my study, the only way for this is to engender a feeling of religious tolerance and full respect for other people’s religious convictions. Everyone should be entitled to follow what they think is best for their inner solace and follow it as necessary. However, this should not prejudice their opinions regarding other people’s beliefs. On the contrary, there should be mutual respect for one another.
Following the formula of ‘live and let live,’ the adherents of different faiths need to interact closely, learn from each other, and benefit from the good each has to offer. Further, learning the art of difference management, they must inculcate the spirit of patience, tolerance, and wishing well for others. This can lay the foundation for peace and harmony in society globally.
Q. Can Differences be Eliminated?
A. Living in a closely interconnected ‘global village,’ we find ourselves living in a world of multi-religious, multicultural, multi-ethnic societies. Differences naturally exist between people in such pluralistic societies. Some people confront others in efforts to remove these differences, not realising that some differences just cannot be removed. The fact is that nature abhors uniformity and revels in diversity. This means that ‘difference’ is a part of nature. Differences exist in every aspect of life, including in the sphere of religion. For peace to prevail in such societies, we need to learn the ‘art of difference management’ rather than the ‘art of difference elimination.’
Q. Can Interfaith Dialogue Help to Manage Differences?
A. In the realm of religion today, differences can best be managed through meaningful and positive dialogue between people of different faiths, as this book has sought to show. Such dialogue can serve many important purposes, such as peace-building, conflict-resolution, and, most importantly, helping people grow intellectually and spiritually through learning from others’ insights and experiences. Meaningful inter-religious dialogue is necessary today to promote peace and harmony in our closely interconnected, multi-religious global society.
Q. How Does Tolerance Help to Maintain Positive Inter-Religious Relations?
A. A harmonious society is formed by tolerating various viewpoints rather than by bulldozing. The right way to engender tolerance in a society is to bring about the kind of intellectual awakening among people in general that will make them realise that whatever the circumstances, they need to live in this world through an adjustment with and respect for others, including those whose religious beliefs and practices are different from theirs. In this world, the recipe for a peaceful life is to keep all differences on a strictly intellectual plane so that they may not lead to conflict in practical life.
Q. How can trust between people of different faiths be built?
A. Trust does not happen simply by saying, ‘Please trust each other. For this, people need to remove the negativity that they may have for others from their hearts. Once these negative emotions are removed, feelings of trust will blossom.
Q. How Can Communal Harmony Be Achieved?
A. Communal harmony is undoubtedly an important need of the time. However, communal harmony is not achieved through communal unification. It can only be achieved through communal adjustment. Diversity is a law of nature that exists throughout the universe. The rest of the universe accepts diversity. The same is required in human society. We have to accept the diversity of cultures and temperaments within human beings. Efforts to eliminate diversity and differences will indeed prove unsuccessful. I want to conclude that the only way forward to attain harmony in the multi-religious societies of today is through adjustment despite disagreements.
Q. Can You Share Some Experiences of Interfaith Dialogue?
A. Over the years, I have participated in many such initiatives in different countries. The gist of my experience has been that while religious uniformity is not possible, what is indeed possible is a formula for harmony between people from different religious backgrounds. Moreover, this formula, according to my experience, is only one: it is based on mutual respect and mutual learning.
Q. What is Your View of Interfaith Dialogue in India?
A. In my view, India stands as a beacon of hope for Interfaith dialogue. India is a multicultural society in which everyone is entitled to follow and preach their own personal and religious thoughts. We only have to learn to live with tolerance, avoidance, and mutual respect with others. We must learn to engage positively with others at a personal, community, and religious level. By following this way, the glimmer of hope will become a fountain of hope.
Q. What Can People of Different Faiths Learn from Each Other?
A. Life is all about mutual learning. All of us should interact and learn from one another. Learning is a process and is not restricted only to some specific issues. One should imbibe the spirit of learning and learn from one and all. By being different, each person has experiences to share and learnings to offer to others. We can learn from every one, no matter their religion or belief system.
Learning is a continuous process. Learning has no limits. Even if you think you have found the truth with the capital T, you can still learn from others without losing your conviction.
About myself, I can say that although I am convinced about my convictions when I listen to other people expressing their points of view, I do so with an objective mind and seek to learn from them. This nature of mine has greatly benefited me in gaining wisdom and developing intellectually.
Q. Should Interfaith Efforts Be Judged on
Immediate Results?
A. We should not judge efforts to promote inter-religious dialogue only by the immediate results of formally arranged inter-religious dialogue events. The truth is that inter-religious dialogue is not limited to specific meetings involving ‘experts’ in the field of religion. Inter-religious dialogue has assumed the form of a vast historical process—spontaneous and ongoing. The time has now come when it has become a part of a global movement.
If the course of events is any indication, God willing, a day will dawn when the world is no more ridden with religious and other such disputes, and the global human family can live together in peace and harmony. Inter-religious dialogue is likely to play a key role in ushering in such a day.
Q. What is the Benefit of Sustained Interfaith Dialogue?
A. Sustained inter-religious efforts can create a platform for uniting peace-loving people across the globe from different religious backgrounds to work for the common good, celebrate our common humanity, and, most importantly, grow as human beings.
