LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

Religion is an issue of conviction. When I say that I believe in a particular religion, it means that I take this religion as the Truth, with a capital ‘T’. Without doing this, I cannot have a firm conviction in my mind. If religion fails to give me this conviction, it has little or no use, for the basic purpose of religion is to give us conviction regarding the purpose of life and the scheme of existence.

I can say that I have great conviction in Islam. I have discovered Islam as my faith. I believe in it with all conviction. However, I can say that I have never developed hate for anyone because of this belief. I love every human being and every religion. This is a fact. Those who know me can affirm that I do not have an iota of hatred for anyone. On the contrary, I respect every religion from my heart.

I can say that the same thing is possible for every other human, too. This is because a human being has an enormous capacity. Man can live with many different identities, feelings, and emotions, which is quite possible for the human mind.

So, there is no reason to believe that if someone is of the view that a particular religion is a truth, he is bound to fail to respect other religions. It believes that a certain religion is true and, at the same time, respecting other religions is very much possible. It is not a matter of mere lip service.

As far as establishing harmony between different religious groups and communities is concerned, the best formula is peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect. Moreover, as far as interfaith dialogue is concerned, we should regard it as a process of mutual learning. It is my finding, my experience, and my discovery. For me, this formula is integral to my way of life. By nature, I am a seeker. I always try to learn from others. My spirit of seeking has no end. I learn from secular people and also from people of other religions. There is no difficulty for me in doing this. On the contrary, it has enriched my life.