Dear Readers:

Welcome to July 2014 issue of Salaam.

Thanks for your encouragement and support.

Pushpa Anbu SVD editor

Victor Edwin SJ managing editor

Guest Editorial: Eyes to be opened and hearts to be ignited

-         Bibin Mattathil

Reading the Qur’an Contemplatively

-         Herman Roborgh SJ

Is Political Interpretations of Islam Integral to Islamic Faith

-         Farida Khannam

Situating Muslim Women

-         Parvin Sultana

Challenges to Christian-Muslim Relations

-         James Channan

The Sacredness of Creation: Muslims’ and Christians’ shared ecological responsibility

-         Christian W Troll SJ

Encounters in Delhi

-         Leo Lefebure

Dialogue with followers of other religious traditions

-         Interview with Leo Lefebure

Guest Editorial

Eyes to be opened and hearts to be ignited

Reflections on an Iftar Party

Bro Bibin Mattathil

Eye openers in life happen very rarely and this rarity demands that one has to go after those eye openers reflectively.  Our visit to the Civil Lines Mosque for an Iftar party with our Muslim brothers was one such an occasion for all the 15 of us from Vidyajyoti College of Theology. We were guided by Victor Edwin SJ who keeps up brotherly relationship with the Imam of this particular mosque. A way to shed away the prejudices about a religion is to know it correctly by way of interaction, dialogue, friendly gathering. Iftar gathering that we had, on 24^th of July, 2014, was such an occasion for all, as we all would agree.

We were received by Muslim friends cheerfully into the mosque and were lead to the first floor of the Mosque. The hospitality extended to us were so stirring for all of us and for some it was their  ‘debut’ entry in to a Mosque. There were no unusual gazes, murmurings and frowning which I thought would greet us but on the contrary their gesture of hospitality put us into a comfortable zone.

We had a small introduction, before the Iftar gathering, by Victor Edwin SJ, regarding how to go about during the gathering. After a short while, we were led to the second floor where they had prepared the very front raw for all 15 of us (special ‘guests’). Two sisters who also had accompanied us joined the wife and other women relatives of the Imam. There were many Muslim brothers form the nearby locality who had come for the Iftar. The prayerful atmosphere created before the breaking of the fast gave it a color of spiritual gathering. We observed that most of our Muslim brothers gathered for the Iftar were earnestly thanking God, through the common gesture of holding their hands open just below the chin, eyes gazing upward, and lips uttering the name of Allah. Those were the moments we felt how beautifully in each religion prayer and silence play the vital role in experiencing the closeness of God. At the appointed time the Muslim friends gathered there had dates, water, sweet sharbat, and some snacks to break their fast. We too shared the iftar meals. Then Muslims proceeded to offer Namaz, the canonical prayer.

We were also privileged to witness the evening Namaz and many of us were curious to know how they do the Namaz in the Mosque. Equality, uniformity and togetherness were very much visible in their prayer. Each movement of the Namaz was synchronized with prayer. As we came out thanking the Imam and their family members we felt a certain kind of satisfaction in our hearts, were we not going through an Emmaus experience- “eyes to be opened and hearts to be ignited”.

The Editorial Board of Salaam wishes all the blessings of Eid

Reading the Qur’an Contemplatively

By Herman Roborgh

Growing up in a Christian environment, I never came across the Qur’an in my childhood. But this changed when I went to a Muslim country as a young adult to teach English. Having moved into a Muslim environment, I began to hear the regular call to prayer and to hear the sound of the Qur’an being chanted in the mosques. I became curious to know more about its message. Whenever I read the Qur’an in English, however, I wondered how this complex text was able to touch the hearts of so many people. 

Every year, new translations of the Qur’an appear in English but none of them convey the power and the beauty of the original. Should I rely on a translation to discover the spiritual teaching of the Qur’an? Should I learn Arabic to appreciate its message? Perhaps a good commentary would help me to probe the depths of the Qur’an? But commentaries in English are hard to come by and also rather laborious to read. Another option was to find a group of friends with whom to read the text in a contemplative way. 

Our Qur’an reflection group has been meeting regularly for over one year to ponder a passage from the Qur’an in English. We use the translation by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (2005) as well as the translation by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (2011). The group consists of three Christian men and three Christian women. We select and read a passage from the Qur’an without spending very much time consulting a commentary since we know that the Qur’an is addressed to all of humanity, not just to scholars.

Briefly, the group has adopted the following method. After spending a few minutes listening to a recording of the Qur’an being chanted in Arabic, a member of the group reads the selected passage aloud in English and we listen intently to each word. Next, we spend some minutes in complete silence, allowing a word or a phrase from the passage to draw our attention. After about ten minutes, we mention aloud the word or phrase that has caught our attention. The passage is read for the second time and another period of silence follows during which each person ponders the text more deeply. Eventually, the same passage is read for a third time and an opportunity for open sharing follows. So only after spending about forty-five minutes in silent reflection do we begin to share the results of our reflection in an open exchange with one another.

Christians are familiar with this method, which is called Lectio Divina. An Arabic word for the method may be taddabur (pondering, reflecting).  But this Arabic word refers to an activity that is more rational and analytical than contemplative.  A closer parallel with lectio divina may be the Muslim practice of dhikr Allah (the constant remembrance of God).

In order to read the Qur’an contemplatively, it is important to free oneself from myths and false concepts about the text. For instance, the word ‘God’ could be an obstacle for believers living in the secular world because the word has taken on negative connotations that distract from its true meaning. For example, God is commonly known in modern society as the punisher, the controller, the patriarch, the despot, etc. Society tends to forget that the language we use for God is allegorical and often anthropomorphic as well. God is not really ‘watching’ us from afar or ‘punishing’ us for our wrongdoing. Instead of oppressing people, God is actually providing new opportunities for frail and misguided human beings.

 

Reading the Qur’an contemplatively enables us to move beyond superficial stereotypes about words and concepts in the text. Contemplation will lead us to see that God is not just another being who is external and distant from human beings but that God is the very ground of our existence. As the Qur’an says: 

 

God – there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being!  (Surah Al-‘Imran [3], verse 2) 

 

In another place, the Qur’an says: 

 

Now, verily, it is We who have created man, and We know what his innermost self whispers within him: for We are closer to him than his neck-vein. (Surah Qaf [50], verse 16)

Contemplating verses like this shows us a God who is not oppressive and punishing but concerned for our well-being. 

He it is who shapes you in the wombs as He wills.  There is no deity save Him, the Almighty, the Truly Wise. 

(Surah Al-‘Imran, [3], verse 6) 

Contemplating the Qur’an also uncovers a multitude of connections with the Bible. Just one example will suffice: 

It was you who created my inmost self and put me together in my mother’s womb; for all these mysteries I thank you: for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of your works. (Ps.139.13-14)

All these verses suggest that we cannot make sense of our human lives by trying to understand ourselves as separate from God, who reveals himself through everything within us and around us. As the Bible says: ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts, 17.28). Human beings tend to think of God in a dualistic way as if God were living in a separate realm. To consider God as an object will lead us further away from the truth for we cannot objectify God in the way we normally objectify things around us. As Fazlur Rahman says in Major Themes of the Qur’an: ‘God is not an item among other items of the universe, or just an existent among other existents’. (Rahman, 1980, p. 4)

The Qur’an itself implies that ‘God-consciousness’ is not consciousness of an object among other objects for nothing is comparable to God (Q. 112.4). The Qur’an affirms that God’s ‘throne extends over the heavens and the earth’ (Q. 2.255), but Muslim theologians have not understood such language in a literal way. God is not sitting up there in the sky watching over us. A contemplative reading of the Qur’an will gradually dispel these false images of God. A hadith (Islamic tradition) known to all Muslims invites us to worship God as if we were able to see him.

Al-ihsan . . . is that you worship God as if you could see Him and if you see Him not, (know that) He sees you.

Seeing God does not mean that we are able to see God in the way we can see an object. A contemplative reading of this text will enable us to go beyond the literal meaning of words about God seeing us and invite us into God’s presence. In other words, by engaging in contemplation, a believer moves beyond trying to see God by means of external vision and enters into the vision of the heart through faith. A contemplative reading invites us into a deepening intimacy with God.

Yet sometimes even now, as I select the passage that our Qur’an reflection group will ponder at its next meeting, I wonder whether the passage will reveal its profound wisdom and enable us to go beyond the superficial meaning of the text. The language and content of the Qur’an can seem so alien to readers with a modern, rational mindset. For example, I am bewildered by passages like this:

God is severe in punishing.  (Surah Al-‘Imran [3], verse 11)

God promises the Fire of Hell as a permanent home for the hypocrites, both men and women, and the disbelievers: this is enough for them. God rejects them and a lasting punishment awaits them. (Surah Al-Tawbah [9], verse 68) 

Similar expressions appear on many pages of the Qur’an and tempt me to leap to conclusions about the meaning of a verse even before I have devoted much time to a contemplative reading of it. My rational mind will take control and will attempt to figure out logical and conceptual difficulties in the language. However, I now know from experience that to read the Qur’an with a rational, critical frame of mind will leave the reader unmoved and dissatisfied. A contemplative reading of the Qur’an, on the contrary, can open up completely new dimensions.

In short, I would summarize the method of reading the Qur’an contemplatively as follows:

·         Form a small group of women and men, not just of men.

·         For a few minutes, listen to the Qur’an chanted in the Arabic language.

·         Read the English translation of a selected passage several times in a group, with a period of silence between each reading.

·         Listen to the words contemplatively, with the heart, rather than deriving the meaning from scholarly commentaries.

·         Allow the text to speak to one’s own situation instead of trying to imagine the circumstances in which the text was revealed.

·         Search for the meaning of the passage as a group by listening intently to what other members of the group have to say.

Is Political interpretation of Islam integral to Islamic faith?

Farida Khannam

Islamists argue that the political interpretation of Islam was integral to the Islamic faith. Islamists like Syed Abul Ala Maududi and Syed Qutub argued that those who did not throw themselves into the struggle to establish an Islamic state – the demand of Islam itself- would be held accountable to God. They maintained that their argument is founded on the Quran and Hadith. As a practicing Muslim and a scholar in Islamic studies, I find the arguments of Islamists hallow and baseless. I would stress the Islamist stand is founded on the misinterpretation of the sacred scriptures.

Maulana Maududi has written a number of books to support the political interpretation of Islam. Like Maududi, Syed Qutub also sought to read politics into the Quran. But his arguments are based on a misinterpretation of the Quranic verses. Here I would like to cite one example to substantiate this point. The following verse of the Quran exhorts Muslims to follow the divine religion without any deviation: “Remain steadfast in religion.”(42:13)        

This verse clearly means that one should strive one’s utmost to lead one’s life in accordance with God’s commandments and guidance. But Maududi takes this verse to mean that Muslims must enforce the commands of religion on others, principally through the dictates of the Islamic state. This is a totally far-fetched and baseless argument: Indeed all his arguments are based on such fallacious interpretations of Quranic tenets.

This notion of an Islamic system or State is underpinned by an erroneous political interpretation of Islam. However in neither the Quran nor in the Hadith is there any support for such a notion. Indeed, what Islam aims at is creating true and spiritually-oriented individuals. It seeks to mould human minds and hearts, who are worthy of being lodged in Paradise.

It is true, of course, that if a sufficient number of people become truly God-oriented and a God-oriented society, eventually, a God-oriented system and State could very well come into being. Yet, such a system or State apparatus is not the immediate focus of Islam. Besides, political power is given by God to whoever He wills. It is not something to be hankered after or fought for.

According to Islam, the ideal political State can never be realized on earth. This is because God, as a means of testing the worth of human beings, has given them the freedom to choose between good and evil. Moreover, Islam’s concept of politics, according to the Quran is described in this verse: ‘God has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely grant them power in the land.’ (24:55)

This divine pledge of granting power to the true believers notwithstanding, the policy and system through which this power is exercised can never be ideal. Although the importance of a good political system must not be underrated, it is not the major focus of Islam. It is the reform of individuals rather than of systems and politics, that is the real target of Islam. The reform of the system or polity can be said to be secondary or relative, for it can only happen if individuals are first suitably reformed. Only then can a government that is based on Islamic values of justice and goodness come into being.

The political interpretation of Islam or of any religion – is bound to generate conflict and, ultimately, violence. If the seizing of power is the target, even in the name of religion, there has to be a confrontation with existing systems, the rulers of which are bound to be unwilling. Inevitably, violence and bloodshed will ensue on a massive scale. Many Muslim countries, such as Egypt today, have been witness to such carnage, where self-styled Islamist groups fired by zeal to establish what they call the ‘Islamic state’ or ‘Islamic system’, have come into conflict with existing rulers. Their credo is a sure-fire formula for unending warfare.

If almost all Muslim countries are dictatorships, it is because the rising tide of political extremism in the name of Islam – where rulers are regarded as un-Islamic or not sufficiently Islamic – has caused rulers to crush opposition, dismantle democratic structures and deny their subjects even basic freedom. Hence the apparently endless violence in many Muslim lands.

All things considered, the political interpretation of Islam has proved to be a tragic blunder, even for Muslims themselves. It has caused them to forget that it is love and compassion for others and a profound concern for the welfare of all that must guide the true Muslims, especially in as they invite others to tread the path of God. Political Islamists, on the contrary, regard others as rivals to be fought against, defeated and, if not destroyed, at least subjugated. While Islamic dawah calls upon Muslims to work for peace, love, dialogue and good relationships, the political version of Islam preaches hatred, violence and perpetual confrontation.

The political interpretation of Islam spells doom for the nurture of true spirituality, which is based on love for God and all His creatures and benevolence towards not only Muslims but also to people of other faiths. The erroneous interpretation of Islam, a wholly unacceptable and illegitimate political innovation, has, in recent years, gained cheap popularity because it blames others for all the problems besetting Muslims, and in the process absolves Muslims themselves of the need for introspection. Obviously, this attitude cannot, in any way, be conducive to self-reform, humility and genuine spiritual consciousness.

In short, the political interpretation of Islam has no sanction in Islam itself. It has brought nothing but ruin upon the Muslims themselves. And I would go so far as to assert that it has brought about the worst strife that Muslims have witnessed in the last 1400 years.

Situating Muslim Women

Parvin Sultana

The question of women and Islam has attracted a lot of interest in academics. Concerns like how one understands the situation of women in a patriarchal religion like Islam have taken centre place in many debates. But sadly the experience of Muslim women is often seen the same as with Muslim men or other women. Either gender over determines or community over determines the Muslim women’s question. Whatever work is done on Muslim women, religion is seen as dominating every aspect. While studying Muslim women, undue emphasis is given to Muslim personal law. There is also a tendency to homogenise the category of Muslim women. This tends to lead to cultural reductionism. What complicates a study of Muslim women is also the absence of disaggregated community based data. The need to talk about Muslim women when one talks of marginalised communities, rises from the fact that Muslim women is a doubly marginalised community—being women and being Muslims. I divided this article in two parts: in the first part I talk about the condition of Muslim women in contemporary times with the help of the findings of a field survey and in the second part I look at debates and contentions regarding position of women as understood in the popular discourse and discussions on the religion of Islam. The paper concludes with a comment on the current situation of Muslim women in Assam.

The situation of Muslim Women                                                                                 

 A survey undertaken by scholars Zoya Hasan and Ritu Menon for their book Unequal Citizens is the first of its kind and tried to fill up the gap regarding data on Muslim women. This survey took a comparative look at the socio-economic condition of Muslim women with their Hindu counterparts.

          Muslims in India have often felt to be structurally and systemically alienated from the mainstream. The Sachar Committee Report brings forth the hard hitting fact about the situation of Muslims in India. The Report goes on to say that Muslims are doing worse than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. And the absence of any affirmative action to redress this has worsened the scenario. The survey mentioned above tries to take in a complete scenario of various aspects of a Muslim woman’s life. Muslims are conspicuously absent from formal jobs. Muslim women are unlikely to finish minimum eight years of schooling. It seems financial constraint of Muslims works mainly against education of girls than boys. The case of early marriage of Muslim girls also leads to higher drop outs.

The socio-economic status of a family is closely linked with the level of education. Although gender disprivilege is there even when there is a level of socio-economic upliftment, in case of constraint it is always the women who bear the brunt. Muslims, who also insist on maintaining some kind of segregation amongst the sexes, take their girl child out of school in case of unavailability of sex segregated schools. While Muslims are working more in informal sector, Muslim women opt for home based jobs which will let them carry on housekeeping alongside. Demands of the private domain restrict their mobility. Marriage, motherhood and housework are perceived as women’s primary occupation pointing to the entrenched presence of a sexual division of labour.

To understand the situation of Muslim women, one has to take into consideration the intersection of gender, class and community. This intersectionality perpetuates a structural disempowerment of Muslim women. And this disempowerment is mediated by poverty, communal politics, patriarchy and personal law. There is also a tendency to find out a direct co-relation between Islam and Muslim women. This renders the differences within the category of Muslim women invisible.

Such homogenisation has often led to very problematic portrayal of women belonging to Muslim world. They were often thought of as subjects without agency. In western perception they are “women who are victims of a supposedly exploitative religion needing to be saved”. The veil which is a part of attire and which has more to do with culture than religion, came to be seen as a marker of Islam and hence denigrated in many places. Hijab was seen as completely exploitative and assumed to be imposed. Time and again in western countries this led to taking contentious stand on the issue of visibility of Hijab in public sphere. Turkey banning headscarf in school and France banning veils in public spaces are sad instances in the history of secularism. Lila Abu Lughod in an article talks about how Afghan women were portrayed as the ideal victim of Patriarchy waiting to be saved by American army men. And this aimed to justify one of USA’s most brutal military interventions in Afghanistan whose collateral damage, in terms of civilian casualties, should cause shame to humankind. Such homogenisation renders historical contingency to the margins. While describing a woman, overemphasis is on religio-cultural explanation. As pointed out by Gayatri Spivak, the discourse is still colonial: white men saving brown women from brown men.

One cannot deny that during Taliban regime in Afghanistan the traditional dress of Pashtun women were imposed on non-Pashtuns also. And Americans portrayed their intervention in Afghanistan in the name of restoring democracy as liberation for women. But ironically during post-Taliban regime, women did not throw off their veils. Veils for many are liberating in public spaces. Burqa and different forms of veil evolved over a period of time as markers of modesty and emerged not merely as an imposition. The perspective of the other also needs to be accommodated. And respecting differences does not make one a cultural relativist. Missionary work and colonial feminism are things of the past. A foundational pillar of feminism is giving back women their voices and making space for their varied and unique experiences. 

To understand the condition of Muslim women one has to see how the religion of Islam evolved. Within a larger context of patriarchy, religion is an end product of patriarchy and hence permeated by its values. The assertion of fundamental and reactionary elements undermined the beautiful tradition of Ijtihad or creative interpretation in Islam. Scholars like Asghar Ali Engineer lament the absence of interpretation of the Holy Book to fit into the present context. While core values and principles of a religion should not be changed, the laws based on these values have to undergo change over a period of time. There is a need to counter such innovations which have been aimed to fit conveniently to a patriarchal society and instead bring forth the strong notions of equality, justice, value of education, compassion etc. which are foundational values of Islam.

There is also a need to contextualise the rise of Islam in different parts of the world. Islam’s birth place may be the Arab world but Islam cannot be reduced to what is practised in Saudi Arab countries. Islam evolved differently in South Asia. Due to the presence of a number of religions in South Asia there was enriching cultural intermingling between these faiths. The history of Islam in South Asia brings forth interesting elements. Iltutmish, the Emperor from the Slave Dynasty found his daughter Razia Sultana more capable as a heir than his sons. She discarded veil and was an able administrator. During Akbar’s reign purdah was not used by working class women. It was only post partition that there was a resurgence in religiosity.

With the rise of communal politics, the right wing came to portray Muslim women as victims of polygamous males and extremely regressive legal code. Communal violence against Muslims during riots is not always perpetrated by men. Women have also worked alongside. Many Muslims who wanted reform in personal laws were overlooked. They were only criticised for not supporting Uniform Civil Code. But in a situation where majoritarian politics is in place, uniform civil code may fail to accommodate the concerns of minority communities completely. Government’s non intervention in personal law shows a lack of commitment to improve the condition of women.

Muslim Women and Islam

Coming to how Islam portrays women, due to the absence of women taking active part as interpreters in the discourse on religion, their views have been completely left out. Controversial verses like the one on polygamy which slowly came to be codified in Muslim personal law failed to point out the extreme difficulty of its practise and hence an expressed preference for monogamy.

There is a need for more women scholars to interpret Islam. Islamic Jurists while interpreting Hadith have often led social ethos supersede divine intent. While the Quran gave equal rights to both men and women unambiguously, in its practice women are made to be subservient to men. However women scholars like Fatima Mernissi from Morocco, Amina Wadud from USA, Laleh Bakhtiyar from Iran who gave a feminist perspective of Quran, talk of a very inclusive Islam.

Few contentious issues which raised questions about the relevance of Quran should be looked into to understand the limits of conservative interpretation. In case of family planning and use of contraceptives, Quran is claimed to be silent hence giving a free hand to Mullahs to decline their use. Rather by quoting selectively from Quran that one should not kill one’s children and Allah’s Ummah should be the biggest, they discourage the use of contraception, impacting adversely the health of Muslim women and the socio-economic status of the community. But Quran rightly speaks of not killing children who are already born. This should not include children who have not even been conceived. More important should be to give a just and fair life to one’s children by giving them proper education.

While in popular discourse, Muslim fundamentalists are always in the limelight, Muslim theologians who led movements for gender equity are not very much known. One can mention Maulvi Mumtaz Ali who was a contemporary of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and talked of equality between men and women in the late 19^th century. His book Huquq un-Niswan talks of women’s rights in Islam.

Another issue of contention is the verse on polygamy. Why it is allowed in Islam needs to be seen within the right context. It was permitted after the Battle of Uhud to safeguard widows and orphans left alone because of the battle and look after their property. Underlining this is the compulsion to do justice to wives and treat then with parity, which when rendered difficult, monogamy should be preferred. Ulemas and Jurists while codifying this so called right of men to have four wives, ignored both the condition of war as well as justice. Ulemas said that polygamy was permitted to check prostitution but a reading of Quran does not indicate so. Such a problematic assumption would point to the belief that libido of men have social as well as religious sanction.

Arabs used hadith to mediate their patriarchal values. Many practices which belonged to a pre-Islamic period became a part of the Shariah. While consent of women was so central to marriage, the Ulemas said that even a woman’s silence during marriage should be taken as her consent. Hence while Quran and Islam as propagated by the Prophet gave a lot of rights to women, later interpretations have whittled down many of these.

Hijab which was mentioned in Quran eight times and that too in very different contexts from its present use, have been misused and misunderstood. Hijab meant separation or a means to provide privacy. It also asked women not to showcase their expensive clothes and jewellery in public. It was mainly to stop rich and neo-rich from showing their embellishments in a disparity ridden society. The verse which is most popularly associated to veil or Hijab i.e. verse 33:53, was used specifically for Prophet’s wives and not for all women. It is by virtue of the regressive elements that Hijab which has taken stricter forms like the Abaya in Saudi Arab, Chador in Iran, Burqa in Indian continent came to be used as instruments of control.

Thus one response of western governments, which saw Hijab as an imposed bondage, have banned its use in public. But this has the opposite effect. Such an act of othering the attire of Muslim women has culturally alienated them. As a response while some Muslim women wholeheartedly accepted western culture and assimilated to European society, others clung more to their traditions because they felt their identity was threatened. Media plays its own role by portraying Muslim women as submissive victims of patriarchy. Islam’s provision for women is understood solely in terms of Taliban’s version of modesty of women. Kuwaiti women elected to Parliament filed a case for their right to enter Parliament without using Hijab and won. Amina Wadud led a mixed prayer congregation and read the khutba for Friday prayer. Media is not so vocal on these. They always portray a very submissive image of Muslim women who needs western saviours.

Religion which is practised is more cultural than scriptural. Arab adat or customs were incorporated in Shariah. Hadith is interpretation of jurists based on social structure and social ethos. Jurists like Ibn Hazm from Spain who lived in the 14^th century was very critical of taqlid or mechanical following and made a case of creative interpretation.

Muslim Women in Assam:

Religion must not lose its emancipatory potential. Muslims comprise around 30% of population in Assam. However their overall socio-political condition is pitiable. As a result Muslim women in Assam are also lagging behind. In case of Assam, the victimisation is at multiple levels. The hinterland of Assam or the Char areas are mostly inhabitated by Muslims. Being physically left out from the mainstream, it is the Muslim women who bear the brunt. Absence of schools and poor communication take its toll on the education of these women. Apart from this, identity related conflicts leading to displacement also jeopardise the lives of Muslim women and children. The absence of Muslim women from the socio-political scenario of the state has been conspicuous. 

Although fundamentalist elements have time and again imposed fatwas like declaring women’s income from govt jobs as haram and demanding extreme seclusion of women, there is a shimmer of hope because day by day more and more Muslims are challenging such regressive fatwas. They no longer unquestionably accept whatever the Ulemas say. Ulemas demanding segregation between men and women clearly point out to an utter disregard to a woman’s character. Women are seen as essentially lustful beings incapable of restraining themselves. The responsibility of restrain is also essentially on women. But as the holy book says it should be on both men and women to interact in a dignified way. And the religion be practised in an egalitarian way which was envisaged by the Prophet when he propagated it. Hence a fight for an egalitarian society must be launched at two levels- within the boundary of religion as well as in the society outside where minorities have been at the receiving end of various injustice.

 References:

1.      Hasan, Zoya and Menon, Ritu (2004), Unequal Citizens: A Study of Muslim Women in India, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

2.      Sardar, Ziauddin (2011), Reading the Quran, Hachette India, India.

3.      Engineer, Asghar Ali (2012), Islam: Restructuring Theology, Vitasta Publishing, New Delhi.

4.      Lughod, Lila Abu (2002), “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and its Others”, American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol 104, No 3, pp 783-790.

5.      Kazi, Seema (1999), Muslim Women in India, Minority Rights Group International Report.

6.      Engineer, Asghar Ali (1994), “Status of Muslim Women”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 29, No 6. 

Challenges to Christian Muslim Relations in Pakistan

Fr James Channan OP

Pakistan  is confronted with many challenges and crises. On the one hand, there are people who are determined to promote peace, justice, human rights, reconciliation, healing, interreligious dialogue and equality for all with discrimination towards none. On the other hand, there are people and forces that are contrary to peace. They keep on promoting terrorism, extremism, fanaticism, violence, injustice, and conflicts of all sorts based on religious, ethnic, political, geographical and linguistic affiliations. We are living in very challenging times.

Historical background of Christianity in Pakistan

Since the creation of Pakistan, Christians have remained a tiny minority of 3.5 million (2%), with Muslims forming an overwhelming majority of 180 million (96%). There are 7 Catholic Dioceses and 8 Church of Pakistan (Protestant) Dioceses.

The character of Pakistan underwent a radical change with the military coup of General Muhammad Zia al-Haq in July 1977. He led Pakistan to become a strict ‚‘Islamic‘ state through a change in the Constitution. Pakistani minorities were removed from the main political stream through the apartheid system of ‘Separate Electorates’. The Separate Electorates system made Christians and all other minorities into second class citizens. Zia al-Haq was the person responsible for creating hatred and violence in the name of religion. He suppressed our basic human rights and our dignity and violated our religious freedom. He supported militancy in the country, providing weapons to militant groups. Through the efforts of minorities and constant criticism and condemnation of the system, it was finally abolished by another military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, in 2002.

There are 4 main challenges we are confronted with. They are:

1. Different Interpretations of Islam: That is, conflicting views between different versions of Islam, which are also linked to cultural values and social norms. These impinge on  understandings of the role of minorities in an Islamic state, the implementation of  Sharia, Jihad, the  role of women in society, and so on. 

2.  Misuse of religion in conflicts: This means the use of Islam by politicians and governments for political ends, like misinterpreting the concept of Jihad – an idea that the Americans, Pakistanis and others invoked to launch the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan. The Pakistani army invoked the same idea in its political objectives in Indian Kashmir, thereby inviting and inciting the people to violence and the exclusion of others. This also is at the root of Indo-Pakistan tensions.

3.  Misplaced perceptions of non-Muslims: This includes rigid, clichéd views of people from the West and followers of other faiths, such as the stereotyping of Hindus, Jews, and Christians. Another related dimension of this phenomenon is the sense of superiority among Muslims, who, because of training and teachings, consider Christians, Hindus and other non-Muslims to be lesser Pakistanis. I would also like to add the biased syllabus which is taught to children in the schools. It presents a very negative picture of Christians and Hindus. There are misrepresentations of their religious beliefs. As a result they are looked down upon.

4.  Crisis of identity: This means that people are not really sure how to prioritize their identity, i.e., whether they are Pakistanis first, Punjabis first, Balochis first, Muslims or Christians first. They have failed to live as one nation and are still divided along ethnic lines. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda-inspired ideology has added another dimension to this conflict.

Some successes in meeting these challenges

Our Christian community is very vocal, and it raises its voice against the injustice and discrimination done to it, as well as to other religious minorities that are victimized because of gender and caste. We have been playing and continue to play a very prominent role in the field of education through our schools and colleges. Christians are running two types of schools—English- medium and Urdu-medium. The English Medium schools are mainly for economically well-off Muslims and Christians. It is a great service and witness by Christians. Several heads of States and Prime Ministers, such as Ms. Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz and Yousaf Raza Gillani, and Presidents such as General Pervez Musharraf and Asif Ali Zardari have been educated in our Christian schools and colleges. Several other top officials are the former students of Christian educational institutions.

The Christian community is a pioneer in promoting Christian-Muslim dialogue. This has been going on since the birth of Pakistan in 1947 at different levels and in different forms, such as dialogue of life, dialogue of words, dialogue of deeds, dialogue of religious experience and dialogue among intellectuals. An official dialogue commission known as “National Commission for Christian Muslim Dialogue” (Rabita Commission) was established in 1985 by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, with Bishop John Joseph as its first Chairperson and myself as Executive Secretary. Such dialogue commissions were also established at the diocesan level as well.

Some Dialogue Initiatives

Christian Study Center, Rawalpindi

This center was established around 1967 by the Protestant Churches, with the exclusive aim of promoting Christian-Muslim dialogue. The CSC is ecumenical in nature. It organizes seminars, workshops and conferences on peace building, education, human rights and Christian-Muslim dialogue. It also publishes a magazine called “Al-Mushir” (The Councilor), with articles on peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims. The CSC has been carrying on this work very successfully.

Dominican Peace Center, Lahore

This center is another very important institution which is playing a significant role in spite of all the difficulties we are confronted with. A couple of Dominican friars are active in Christian-Muslim dialogue, and they are well known both nationally and internationally for promoting peace and interfaith dialogue. The climax of this Dominican apostolate was manifested in the building of a ‘Peace Center’ in Lahore, which was inaugurated and blessed on the 28^th of November, 2010 by His Eminence, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican.

On that grace-filled occasion, many notable Christian personalities were in attendance: the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Adolfo Titu Yllana, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Pakistan, Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha, President, Catholic Bishops Conference Pakistan, Bishop Andrew Francis, Chairman, National Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism, Bishop Rufin Anthony, Bishop of Islamabad/Rawalpindi Diocese, Bishop Alexander John Malik from the Church of Pakistan (Protestant) and Fr Abid Habib, OFM Cap. President of the Major Religious Superiors Leadership Conference. From the Muslim side, there was Maulana Adbul Khabir Azad, Grand Imam of the second largest mosque in Pakistan, Badshahi Mosque in Lahore (this mosque is so large that 100,000 people can offer prayers at a time), along with several other dignitaries. It was a manifestation of how important this apostolate is and how people of good will, both Christians and Muslims, are taking the challenge of Christian Muslim dialogue very seriously.

From the beginning, it was my dream to build such a center, and it gave me immense joy to see this dream become a reality. With myself as Director, we regularly organize meetings, seminars and conferences. The Center has already earned a good reputation at both the national and international levels. In this Peace Center, we organize and celebrate International Days, such as the International Day of Peace, International Women’s Day, the International Day of Rural Women, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, World Interfaith Harmony Week, and International Labor Day. Festivals of Christians and Muslims, such as Christmas and Eid al-Fitr, are jointly celebrated. We publish a quarterly magazine called Umang. The launching ceremony for new publications is also arranged here. This includes three of my books: the English “Christian Muslim Dialogue in Pakistan”, and two Urdu books entitled “Pakistan Main Masihi Muslim Mukalama” (Christian Muslim Dialogue in Pakistan) and “Muhabat Ka Rasta” (Path of Love).

We have also established a library which offers a good range of books on different topics, both Christian and Islamic. The ‘Nostra Aetate Foundation’ from the Vatican has sent books to the Center on Christian teachings on mysticism and commentaries and encyclicals. We hope to further enhance the activities of our Peace Center with programs to promote peace, dialogue and harmony. We plan to further build our library into a good resource for all who want to do research on peace, capacity building, peace education, peace building and Catholic social teachings.

United Religions Initiative (URI)

The URI is another organization working to promote interfaith dialogue, harmony, justice and peace. URI is an international organization operating in 82 countries. There are 43 URI CCs (Cooperation Circles) in Pakistan. They try their best to build a culture of peace, healing and reconciliation. URI is a registered NGO with the UN, and its representative there, Ms. Monica Willard, is the UN President of the Religious NGOs. The Regional Office of the URI is at located at the Peace Center in Lahore. “The purpose of the United Religions Initiative is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.”

To further enhance this important work of Christian-Muslim dialogue, two Muslim scholars - Mr. Sohail Ahmed Raza, Director of Interfaith Relations at Minhaj al-Quran International and Dr. Muhammad Zaman, Professor at Forman Christian College (Chartered University) in Lahore, were sent to Rome after receiving a Vatican scholarship from the Nostra Aetate Foundation to study Christianity at various universities, such as at Pontifical Gregoriana University, St Thomas Aquinas University (Angelicum) and the Pontifical Institute of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language (PISAI). Mr. Sohail successfully completed his studies this year in June and came back as a transformed person. He is contributing immensely in promoting Christian-Muslim dialogue. Prof. Muhammad Zaman is studying in Rome right now and will complete his studies in June and return to Pakistan.

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The Church of Pakistan Bishops (Protestant) are also vigorously promoting justice, peace, religious freedom and dialogue among religions. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Alexander John Malik, Bishop of Lahore diocese, and The Rt. Rev. Samuel Robert Azriah, Bishop of the Raiwind diocese and Moderator of the Church of Pakistan, have established interreligious dialogue along with justice and peace committees. They are ardent promoters of ecumenical dialogue. The Catholic Church and other Churches also observe the Week of Christian Unity from 18 to 25 January every year. Several seminars, conferences and prayer services are conducted to observe this week of Christian unity in a befitting manner.

It is worth mentioning that our Muslim brothers and sisters are also very much in favor of dialogue among religions and cultures. Several dialogue organizations have been established by Muslims, such as Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Hafiz Zubair Ahmed Zaheer, Maulana Javed Akbar Saqi, Allama Zubair Abid, Hafiz  Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Asharafi, Pir Shafat Rasool Noori, and Mualana Hafeez Jalandhry. This is a good omen. These religious leaders have organized and participated in many interfaith conferences, both in Pakistan and around the world. They are ardent promoters of human rights, religious freedom, interfaith dialogue and respect for all. Very often they appear on TV to ease tensions which arise among Christians and Muslims, and between Hindus and Muslims.

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The Christian community is playing an important role in politics, although further improvements could be hoped for. I would like to mention our pride and hero Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti. He was an international personality, a well recognized and respected political leader, a human rights activist, and a promoter of justice, equality, peace, religious freedom, interfaith dialogue and ecumenism. As Federal Minister of Religious Minorities, he was able to convince the government to approve 4 seats for minorities in the Senate, declare the 11^th of August as Minorities Day, and establish a 5 % minority quota in the federal services. He also played a leading role in abolishing the apartheid system of Separate Electorates. He was vocal in criticizing the misuse of the controversial blasphemy laws. He was assassinated by militants on the 2^nd of March, 2011 in Islamabad. I am sure his sacrifice will always be remembered with much admiration. I hope and pray that one day he will be declared a saint and a martyr by the Catholic Church.

Mr. Akram Masih Gill has served as State Minister in the Ministry of National Harmony. The Ministry’s purpose is to promote harmony, peace and dialogue among people of different religions and especially among Christians and Muslims. Mr. Paul Bhatti has served as the Advisor to the Prime Minister for this National Harmony Ministry. He is also making efforts on behalf of peace and interfaith dialogue.

The Ministry of National Harmony organized several conferences under the leadership of Akram Masih Gill and Paul Bhatti. One of the most significant of these was the National Conference on the theme of “Living Together with Diversity: Inter-faith and Inter-Cultural Dialogue” (20^th of February, 2013) in which His Excellency, Raja Pervaiz Asharaf, Prime Minister of Pakistan, was the Chief Guest. I was honored to speak on behalf of Christians at this conference, where I highlighted and emphasized the need for interfaith harmony, justice, equal rights for all and human dignity. After two days, National Harmony ran another National Conference on the 22^nd of February on the same topic, and His Excellency, Asif Alif Zardari, the President of Pakistan was the Chief Guest. After these conferences, the ‘Islamabad Declaration’ was issued.

As Chief Guest, Prime Minister Ashraf highly appreciated the efforts in organizing this conference. He said that interfaith harmony and peace are imperative needs in Pakistan. All religions preach a message of peace, love and respect for the rights of the other. No religion preaches the killing of others. This message was also preached by the mystics, and the people liked that very much. There is only a small number of people who have rejected this message of love, peace and harmony. No religion gives me the right to force upon others my will, and to do what I want. The Prime Minister said we must follow our own religions, and we must not force our religious philosophy on others. Let us respect each other’s religions. This is the need of our time. If we do not do it today, then when will we do it? We want to live in peace and reach out for dialogue with our neighbors. Let us take this message to every home, that our religions do not teach us to hate one another. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and all other religions teach and preach a message of love. We must learn to live in peace with the rest of the world. There should never be wars among religions or wars among civilizations.

In his inaugural speech, Dr. Paul Bhatti said that we are all one as a nation and we totally reject all forms of intolerance, hatred and violence done in the name of religion. Our country has become a symbol of terrorism in the world. All of us must work to promote interfaith dialogue and harmony. Mr. Akram Masih Gill, State Minister, emphasized that our government has established this ministry to create a culture of peace.

I was also invited to give a speech on behalf of the Christian community in Pakistan. I emphasized that dialogue among religions is our greatest need in these times. Religious leaders have an important role to play in promoting interreligious dialogue and peace. We must use every forum for this purpose and, in particular, religious leaders must promote this message in places of worship, such as mosques, churches and temples.

During the round table discussion after the break, the following points emerged as very strong recommendations from the “Pakistan Interfaith and Harmony Conference” to the Government of Pakistan. This conference came up with the “Islamabad Declaration”, based on the sharing and suggestions of several Muslim, Christian and Hindu leaders, which included the following:

1.  Establish an Interfaith Dialogue Council in which prominent personalities of all religions will be represented.

2.  Special chapters must be part of the education curricula in the schools, covering interreligious dialogue and fundamental teachings on peace, love, tolerance and reconciliation with other religions (e.g. Christianity, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and others).

3.  The government must take appropriate measures to prevent the misuse of blasphemy laws. More than 1.200 persons (men, women and children) have been accused and booked under these laws (295 B and 295 C) to settle personal scores or land disputes.

4.  The electronic and print media need to give more coverage to interfaith dialogue and peace programs in the country.

5.  The root causes of terrorism, violence and intolerance must be tackled to make Pakistan an abode of peace and harmony.

6.  The government of Pakistan must take steps to take the message of interfaith harmony and peace to the grassroots level, forming dialogue groups at district and local levels.

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There are many challenges that we are faced with. Such is the situation in which we have to play an important role for the betterment of society, and such is our role as a minority. That in itself is a thing of beauty – we are called to be the “salt of the earth and light of the world.” (cf. Matt.5.13-14). We must never lose our salt and light. We no doubt will have to present the face of the suffering Christ. Our Church is a suffering Church in Pakistan. Persecution of Christians is not something new for us. Christianity has been facing such persecution right from its birth. But suffering is not the end. Our model is Jesus Christ, who suffered, died and rose on the third day. Our sufferings are the same. They do not lead to disappointment or defeat. They lead us to victory. What is required from us is to remain faithful and bear these hardships with courage, determination and commitment. Christ is our model.

May Peace Prevail On Earth!

May Peace Prevail in Pakistan!