Dear Readers:

Welcome to April 2014 issue of Salaam.

Thanks for your encouragement and support.

Pushpa Anbu SVD editor

Victor Edwin SJ managing editor

Editorial

Shi'a-Christian Tabletalk  

C.T.R. Hewer

My Experience in Egypt

Bimal Kerketta SJ

I Pray Every Time I bow my head

Zain Awan

Hindu, Sikh, and Christian visitors at Ajmer Dargah

Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi

Can A Muslim and a Christian pray together?

Victor Edwin SJ

Pakistan-India Friendship Forum

Joe Kalathil SJ

Back to teaching about Islam, But hopefully with a Difference!

Yoginder Sikand

Syncretic Judeo-Christian Theophanic Overtones in Sharafuddin Maneri’s Mystical Literature

Victor Lobo and Rajendra Chenni

West Bengal Madrasa Board Honors Calcutta Jesuit

Farhat Banu

Editorial

In the second week of February 2014, several organizations, including Francis Xavier Movement (Italy), Henry Martyn Institute (Hyderabad), Interfaith Coalition for Peace (New Delhi), Zakir Hussain Institute of Islamic Studies—Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi), Indialogue Foundation (New Delhi) and Islamic Studies Association (Delhi) jointly organised a seminar on Building Communities of Peace: Muslim-Christian Relations in Asia. The sessions were held at three different places: at St Xavier’s School, the India Islamic Cultural Centre and the Jamia Millia Islamia.  

In his keynote address Building Communities of Peace: C.F. Andrews and Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan, Prof. Mushirul Hasan emphasized the intellectual curiosity of these two great men that paved the way for their humanistic vision. Through their by life and work, they showed that standing with the other is the quintessential aspect of dialogue. Both Sir Sayyid and C.F. Andrews recognised that an insular attitude can raise only resistant walls, whereas intellectual curiosity can build connecting bridges. Prof. Hassan noted that there is sufficient material in our own intellectual traditions that can help us to reach out to the other to grow in mutual respect and understanding.

Prior to and following the keynote address, papers were read on Christian-Muslim Relations in the South Asian neighbourhood: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. They emphasised that through dialogue and mutual openness, Christians and Muslims can be able to understand each other’s religious faiths better and learn to respect it.  For better understanding, both Christians and Muslims should to be ready to listen to one another.  The purpose of dialogue ought to be, therefore, better understanding, peaceful co-existence and establishment of a fellowship of faith.  Through mutual respect for each other’s religious beliefs and eagerness to listen and learn from each other, we can help create a human community where all can live in peace and harmony, with freedom to practice the religion of one’s choice.

The speakers highlighted the attitude of the Pope Francis, who said, “Turning to mutual respect in interreligious relations, especially between Christians and Muslims, we are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values. Particular respect is due to religious leaders and to places of worship. How painful are attacks on one or other of these.” 

So, our future is in dialogue. We cannot afford to isolate ourselves from one another.

In the second session, held at Indian Islamic Cultural Centre, Fr Joe Kalathil SJ spoke about his initiatives for peace between India and Pakistan. The discourse on peace between these two neighbors is mainly political and diplomatic. Often, the agents of peace and mutual understanding are either ignored or seen to be unpatriotic. Following him, Rev Thomas Birla presented his understanding of the Hizmet Movement and its efforts for peace. The members of this movement are engaged in efforts to address poverty and illiteracy through education all over the world. While the first session emphasized the cognitive aspects of dialogue, the second session presented the heart of dialogue in action.

In the third session, held at  Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof Leo D Lefebure (Georgetown University, Washington DC) laid out the stimulating story of change in Catholic attitudes towards Islam that was brought about by Pope Paul VI. He told his listeners that “to appreciate the new spirit that Pope Paul brought to Christian-Muslim relations, it is necessary to have a sense of the earlier relationship”. He briefly noted some characteristics of the “old spirit” of Christian, and in particular, Catholic attitudes towards Muslims and Islam.  He said: “At a time of widespread suspicion and hostility, Louis Massignon played a decisive role in developing warm relations with Muslims and in preparing his friend and colleague, Giovanni Battista Montini, for his later papal ministry as Pope Paul VI”.   He briefly mentioned the new path in interreligious relations and religious freedom that was begun by Pope John XXIII, and then discussed Pope Paul’s involvement in the interreligious events. Following him, Prof Akhtarul Wasey, Director of the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia, New Delhi, talked briefly about “A Common Word” Initiative. He was one of the signatories of the document that was sent to Pope Benedict VI and 27 other Christian leaders, inviting them for dialogue with Muslims. He said that Christians and Muslims should work together for peace between them and in the world at large. They have the inner spiritual resources within their communities. These resources are also a common treasure between them.

The seminar provided much food for thought. It underlined the salience of the need for Christians and Muslims to reach out to each other. In doing so, they can learn to find connections that have the potency to build a world of mutual understanding and peace. The seminar reminded us that both Christians and Muslims have to overcome the resistance of ignorance. We simply do not know who the other is. In other words, we do not have the objective information. In the absence of the right knowledge, we tend to believe the prejudices that are spread as truth. We often share biases and internalise them. However, when we have opportunities to learn, we recognise our naivety and learn and appreciate the other.

Peace activists often caution us about another type of ignorance: wilful ignorance. This ignorance is born of intellectual stubbornness. This ignorance acts as a cognitive barrier and resists any new knowledge. Prejudices continue to dictate the heart and mind, rejecting any new knowledge. Simply providing information is not adequate to deal with this form of ignorance. In order to bring about a real change, a collective effort should be made to execute a whole set of carefully organised programs and long exposures. A sustained effort in this line can cure blind ignorance.

Peace workers warn us of a form of ignorance which is lethal: culpable ignorance. This ignorance can be ideologically-driven one. This form of ignorance deliberately refuses to know. It avoids any challenge. It effectively shuns out any evidence against prejudice.  It dismisses alternative possibilities. It rejects any new interpretations. This ignorance effectively spreads seeds of social unrest. This shows that we need to overcome ignorance on a number of levels.

 How do we overcome this 'ignorance'? First of all, people of goodwill, irrespective of community, should come together. We turn to the past for learning for the future. Together we could look at history and identify people who labored hard to promote peace and harmony between people of different religions. There are a number of pioneers who broke new ground in building communities of peace. They opened up new ways of relating with people of other religions.  They took new initiatives to sow the seeds of peace and mutual understanding. They established centres that initiated programs for training people in interfaith education. They forged new alliances to resolve long-standing disputes.  They prepared their companions for this new journey.

The seminar enabled participants to get in touch with a number of committed intellectuals and peace activists who work for peace. The intense interest of Muslims in all the sessions was indeed an eye-opener for the Christian participants.

                                                          *

This issue of Salaam offers readers an assortment of articles with an interconnecting theme of exploring the links between Christians and Muslims: their life, prayer, and efforts for peace in the world. In the first article Shi'a-Christian Tabletalk, C.T.R. Hewer shows how important table conversations are—they make one feel comfortable with the other without the need to hide behind lengthy academic discussions. 

The second article is from Egypt. Fr Bimal Kerketta shares his ups and downs as a missionary in the heart of Islamic world. He writes: “In all ups and downs, I'm able to find signs of hope. I'm able to see more clearly than ever before the love and appreciation of people towards us, what we do, and what we stand for. Many friends, both Muslims and Christians, have been standing by our side – supporting us, defending us, and encouraging us to continue our services. These events remind us that our services are required even more than ever before”. A sense of joy and hope is palpable.

In the third article, Victor Edwin suggests that every authentic prayer binds Christians and Muslims. Such prayer guides them toward living in peace. The spiritual efforts of Muslim brothers and sisters do not leave the hearts of their Christian brothers and sisters unmoved since they stand together before one God. Christians and Muslims standing together and praying authentically according to their traditions are moving toward living together in peace. He proposes that one should not hinder a Christian who is exploring with Muslims the togetherness in prayer. And, conversely, one should not impede a Muslim who is exploring this self-same togetherness in prayer with Christians.

Zain Awan’s article emphasizes that relationship with God is at the heart of prayer.  In his article, Yoginder Sikand reflects on his work at a centre for inter-community dialogue in Hyderabad. In his article, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, an alim (classical Islamic scholar) and a Delhi-based writer, tells us about the message of universal love and brotherhood, unity, communal harmony, inclusiveness and tolerance exemplified by the glorious life and lofty teachings of Sufis, like Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz.

In his conversation with a fellow Jesuit, peace activist Joe Kalathil shares his experience of peace-building. He believes peace is indeed possible. People are peace-capable. ‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. One nation shall not raise sword against another, nor shall they train for war again’ (Isaiah 2: 3-5).

In the final article, Victor Lobo studies the letters of Makhdum Sahib Sharafudin Maneri as rendered in the beautiful translation by Paul Jackson.

I wish you a joyful Spring and Summer 2014!

Victor Edwin SJ
Guest Editor

Shi'a-Christian Tabletalk

C.T.R. Hewer

In the summer of 2012, a senior Shi'a alim contacted me with a view to working towards a new development in Shi'a-Christian dialogue.  What emerged from our conversation was a new model that we called Tabletalk.  The name derives from one limitation that we set ourselves: the dialogue should be limited to ten people, the number that could sit around one table and engage in a free-flowing conversation.  There were to be five members from each faith community, and the two convenors, the alim and me, should call together each group comprised of people who had various specialisms in the theological sciences and who share a common interest in and exposure to living as a faith community in the West.  Our field of operation was to be applied theology and the members were to have a concern for pastoral issues that touch on the dynamic of Christian-Muslim relations and the relationship of those communities to the secular multifaith society in which we live.  This can be exemplified by the membership of the Christian group: a Catholic theologian who teaches courses on Christian-Muslim relations in a university setting, an Anglican priest who specialised in early Christian doctrine and combines this with being a tutor in systematic and pastoral theology in a theological college, a Methodist minister with decades of experience of working in inner city, multifaith and multicultural settings, another Anglican priest with a specialization in political theology in a Christian-Muslim context who teaches in a theological college half-time and works as a parish priest in Muslim-majority parishes, and me with a background in Christian theology and Islamic studies and some thirty years of engagement in practical inter-faith studies and relations.  Similarly, the Muslims combined academic teaching and research with community engagement and pastoral support.

Three modalities of operation are worthy of note.  The members of Tabletalk were asked to give a commitment to meet each year for five years to give continuity of membership and avoid having constantly to go over the first steps in understanding and to allow relationships of trust to build up.  There were to be no formal papers read at our meetings but rather an extended briefing paper should be prepared by both groups and circulated to all members well in advance.  The meetings, over two full days, comprised four four-hour sessions, each devoted to a particular aspect of our chosen theme and each introduced by a ten-minute impulse by a member from each group; thereafter, the discussion was to flow freely based on the preparation that each member had done on the topics before coming to the meeting.  Our conversations were recorded (with access limited to the two convenors and the recordings ultimately destroyed) and a Report on the topic was to be produced and agreed by all members based on these recordings, briefing papers, impulse notes and any other material thought appropriate by the members as a whole.  The purpose of this Report was to enable other Christians and Muslims to explore the topic based on our work so as to inform their thoughts and conversations with a view to facilitating their own dialogue.  The Report should not be thought of as a document giving answers but rather identifying and unpacking key questions.

The first meeting of Tabletalk took place in February 2013 on the general theme of Freedom of speech and its limitations.  Each of the four working sessions began with a reading from the Qur'an and the New Testament apposite to the particular topic under discussion and a time of silent and vocalised prayer led by a member from each group.  Appropriate spaces were left in the programme for both groups to engage in their canonical prayers; the Christians joining the Muslims for one canonical prayer each day and holding the other as a Christian prayer-service to which the Muslims were invited.

In addition to the closed working sessions, three evening programmes were included in the overall meeting.  On the first, the two groups met for general introductions and conversation about their particular areas of work.  On the second, an open dinner was held with wider invitations and conversations were initiated on a theological topic for general discussion: in 2013, this topic was The quality of mercy in the Qur'an and the New Testament.  On the third evening, the Islamic centre in which we met held their weekly Thought Forum in which a topic is aired in an across-the-room discussion; the members of Tabletalk attended and shared their thoughts on the Tabletalk theme with the attendees, who numbered about sixty mainly Muslim women and men.

General assessments of our first meeting were overwhelmingly positive.  Members felt that there was nowhere to hide in meetings, neither behind lengthy academic papers nor in the anonymity of a large gathering.  Discussion flowed around the table without the need of direction from someone presiding.  In the Christian group, in addition to their theological training, three members had read philosophy and one each law and literature; in the Muslim group likewise there was additional expertise in philosophy, sociology, politics and mysticism; this made for a high level of shared intellectual ground, which pushed the dialogue forward.  The presence of a couple of people who had studied both traditions meant that any potential confusion over terminology or underlying concepts could be noted and clarified.  Three of the ten members were women, who combined their academic input with some of the most far-reaching pastoral exposure and thus grounded the discussions with their own authority.  Although Britain was the locus of the meeting, members brought with them experience from many countries, including: Canada, France, India, Iran, Morocco, Tanzania, Tunisia, the USA, and Zambia.  

MY EXPERIENCE IN EGYPT

Bimal Kerketta SJ

I landed in Egypt in August 02, 2002. Everything was new. I had to start from zero. Within a few days, I began an intensive classical Arabic language course in a language institute. The course was for the beginners and to my surprise, alphabets were not introduced to us. We had to look into it by ourselves. We were led to formulation of words without having any earlier background. The paradox was, I had to learn classical Arabic, but I was talking in colloquial Arabic, and on top of that the Community language was French. This was the first time I was listening French and Arabic simultaneously. A daunting task!

Learning the Arabic language is a long process. It has one of the richest vocabulary and a rather intricate grammar. It is a flowery, almost poetic language, able to present things in a creative way. Besides, there is Egyptian Arabic, Lebanese Arabic and Syrian Arabic………Being familiar with these has been very helpful as these countries are a part of the Near East Jesuit Society Province.

Egyptians are proud of their language. They are ever ready to help and encourage a non-Egyptian in learning their language. Facing these challenges with patience and persistence has been rewarding. Somehow, mere physical appearance and accent of my Arabic language make many of them judge, saying that I'm from Sudan. The word "Sudan" doesn't refer to colour alone but to one who is less equal in Egypt. I can understand how difficult it is for a real Sudanese who is mocked, ridiculed and looked down in the streets of Egypt just because he/she is a black! Hence, my response has always been, "I wish, I were a Sudanese to feel equal with black people."

Muslims are about 90% of the total population of Egypt. The other 10% are Christians, the majority of them being Coptic Orthodox. Cairo is called the city of minarets. On July 21, 2010, a daily Arabic newspaper called 'Al Ahram', in its weekly edition stated that in Cairo alone, there are more than 45,000 mosques and in the whole of Egypt, more than 70,000 mosques. After the Arab revolution, this number has rapidly increased. What strikes me most is how people, almost the whole country, pause to pray five times a day, after which they continue their works and duties. Initially, it seemed like a needless disruption of work. But I soon realized how much work and prayer are a part of one harmonious reality for the people here.

When in contact, many Egyptians are inquisitive and like to know all about you and your country. Once the ice is broken, which is very soon, conversation can go on and on. Yet, an Indian, who is not a Muslim but a Catholic priest, is beyond comprehension for many. My work has been mainly of service to one and all. I enjoy working among all. Through my work in the school and Jesuit Social Centre, I'm able to meet people from all walks of lives. Since I'm considered a black, I'm a wonder to many. There are questions every day, often the repeated ones. At times Egyptians wonder how one can leave one’s motherland and would work among them.

Over the years, occasional violence against Christians has surfaced but the most recent attacks on August 14, 2013 were the worst in years. I would call it a BLACK DAY for Christians in Egypt. Early morning, a minutely planned attack began by Islamists groups on Government establishments, police stations, Christian churches, their houses, shops, all properties and establishments, etc, all over Egypt. It is said that all over Egypt 58 churches were damaged, looted or torched down completely. In El Minia Governorate where I'm posted for the last three years, saw the highest number of churches and Christian properties destroyed.

In all ups and downs, I'm able to find signs of hope. I'm able to see more clearly than ever before the love and appreciation of people towards us, what we do, and what we stand for. Many friends, both Muslims and Christians, have been standing by our side – supporting us, defending us, and encouraging us to continue our services. These events remind us that our services are required even more than ever before.

Let the prayers of all Muslims and Christians people be heard by Allah, the most High and Almighty.

I PRAY EVERYTIME I BOW MY HEAD

Zain Awan

I am often asked by some of my friends and more often by those whom I meet for first time, with discomfiture, curiosity and astonishment, "So do you proffer Namaz five times a day?"

My answer initially would come out with some inhibitions as I would be too hesitant to say, "No, I don't." But over a period of time, things have changed, my thoughts and perceptions have changed, or rather, I would say, have evolved.

I strongly believe that my relationship with my God is very personal and one should not interfere between ‘us’, imposing certain restrictions, as Islam is not about strict conditions but gives its believers a certain degree of flexibility and a leverage wherever needed. The very bedrock of this flexibility is the understanding that comes from my relationship with my God.

I may not necessarily proffer Namaz regularly but that doesn’t make me a lesser Muslim or less God-fearing. I know of certain people in my community who recite five prayers a day. But their deeds should better remain behind a curtain. Unfortunately, quite a few of them are self-proclaimed representatives of the community.

The problem is, we have come across such people in our day-to-day lives and have to deal with them.

Here, I would like to cite an incident that happened to me some weeks ago. My driver called in sick in the morning, leaving me with the option of taking an auto-rickshaw to work. As I haled a three-wheeler, a burly man with a skull cap and a long partly grey, half black beard, applied sudden brakes to ask where I wanted to go.

The moment I told him about my destination, pronto came an over-charged reply, quite literally. This person asked for almost 100 Rs extra from me. Running late for work, worrying about the traffic snarl-ups on a 16-km patch, I asked him sternly to ply by meter and sat in his vehicle at his mercy.

Ten-minutes into the journey, he suddenly halted at a roadside, saying that he cannot go further due to a snag in his vehicle. After I had alighted, he started his auto-rickshaw and vanished from there. I was more shocked than angry. How could someone from a community, that lays huge emphasis on ‘amaal’ (deeds), trouble someone, stranding him mid-way? He might be following his religion his way but it left me wondering if the intensity of his worship and connection with the God could not make him an understanding human being.  

In a Muslim area of Delhi, there is a three-story mosque. Shops and other mosques, side by side, in a true Islamic spirit of work and worship, lead up to the towering walls of  this particular mosque, from where more than a dozen loud speakers call out for prayers five times a day. While the melody of Azaan can make even a dying person stand on his feet, the call of prayer from this mosque gets deafening at times.

The devout in the neighbourhood are too scared of the idea of objecting to so many loudspeakers. I respect that spirit. But is that right? Is shrieking on dozens of loudspeakers real Islam? I decided to check. And I wasn’t surprised when I was told by a mufti that a battery of loudspeakers is not needed if there are other mosques around as well. Digging deeper, I got to know that the caretaker of this mosque has some work of manufacturing the loudspeakers and audio system and hence, a business from the coffers of the mosque. Is masquerading your profit in the garb of a need to have high-decibel speakers tantamount to a real call of prayer? And mind you! You can not object as it’s a ‘religious’ matter! God, definitely, doesn’t say that one should not care for the sick while calling out for prayers in high pitch.

For me, prayer is something that should not only be done for a specific number of times, but it is more about a number of times and cherishing a connection with the Almighty.

My day starts early and the first thing I do is greet God, while am still in bed and pray for the day to bode well- for me and for everyone. Work is important and starts the moment I have greeted God. I treat it like worship.

I think it is important to mention here that in a place like India, where there is a diversity of religions, ‘acceptance’ of other beliefs is essential. And I am very thankful for the kind of upbringing I have had for inculcating in me not only just this acceptance but also respecting others, considering them an integral part of mankind.

The right-wing might forbid the believers of Islam to visit any place of worship other than a mosque but that doesn’t deter me from lighting a candle in a church, praying in a Gurudwara, tying a thread at shrines or visiting a temple because for me a good aura, a clean milieu are equivalent to a place of sanctity and worship.

Deep within my heart, somewhere I am very thankful to God that I was born in India and got this diverse mix of friends, with whom I could comfortably go to various places of worship without any restriction imposed by my family. And I think this maturity in my family came from the fact that we have been brought up in India, where you cannot isolate your religion and follow it.

I do respect the fact that one should reach out to God on specific days and times as might be prescribed in religions and scriptures. But I also think that God is too Supreme a being to be compartmantalised and be remembered only at specific points of time. Should you feel the need to connect to your Creator now, do that! And He has too big a heart to not accommodate you just because you are not in a particular attire and it’s not a specific day and time.

Hindu, Sikh and Christian Visitors at Ajmer Dargah

Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi

In Islam, the prime objective of visiting a grave is to do Tafakkur (spiritual contemplation) thinking of the death of the person in the grave and praying for the atonement of his sins, if any. However, if the person in the grave is someone who attained close relationship with God by virtue of his righteousness such as prophets (Ambiya), their companions (Sahaba) and other beloved friends of God (Auliya), a great deal of bliss and benefits are expected from visiting their shrines.

      

The friends of God or Auliya-e-Keram are also known as Sufi saints. It is a common knowledge that Sufi orders have deep roots in the Indian sub-continent. A great number of Sufi Salasil (orders) mainly Chishtiyya, Naqshbandiyya, Quadriya and Suhrawardiyya emerged in India as harbingers of peace, love, social amity, communal harmony and interfaith synergy. Among them, the Chishti order has been the most influential and predominant and is still more popular in big cities as well as small villages of the Indian states. Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, widely known as Hazrat Gharib Nawaz, was the pioneer of this order in India. Born in 536 A.H./1141 CE (in Sistan, a region of East Persia) Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti came to India in 1193 A.D. Soon after he travelled to India, reportedly after he saw a dream in which the Prophet Muhammad PBUH recommended him to do so, he chose Ajmer (Rajasthan) as his permanent abode. Since then, Ajmer has been a famed Indian city and a great place of spiritual attraction, pilgrimage and tourism. 

In Ajmer, Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti formed his Khanqah (Sufi seminary) to reach out to the larger communities of the country, regardless of faith and creed, and offered selfless welfare services to them. Thus, he attracted a huge following from among non-Muslim residents of the city who, impressed by the nobility of his spirit, held him in high esteem. Epitomising the old-age harmonious Sufi traditions, he embraced the concept of Sulh-e-Kul (peace for all) to foster mutual love and compassion between Muslims and non-Muslims of India. It shows that Islam spread in India with these humanitarian efforts of holy Sufi saints, not with the present day extremist ideology of religious coercion and forced conversion propounded by Wahabis and other fanatic strains of Islamism.  Of all Sufi orders which flourished in India, the Chisti cult gained much momentum establishing its centers all across the country and attracting an unprecedented number of non-Muslim devotees particularly from among Hindus and Sikhs. For many of them, the shrine of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti is an abode of spiritual solace as well as a destination of interfaith harmony.

All this was just hearsay to me until I myself visited the Dargah-e-Khwaja (Khawaja ‘shrine) recently on an especial occasion celebrated in every Islamic month of Muharram. On reaching there, I was overwhelmed by inner peace and spiritual solace and pleasantly surprised to see devotees from all faiths flock to the shrine and roam altogether in and around the city of Ajmer. Along with Muslims, a large crowd of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Jains were walking shoulder to shoulder to get blessings from the tomb of the Sufi saint and enter the Jannati Darwaza (heavenly door) which was opened for the devotees on the occasion. This beautiful scene at Ajmer that goes on daily from early morning till late night is a sheer delight for everyone who hopes to see India’s dream of interfaith harmony come true. The most impacting sight for me was that there were some Sufi lovers who were constantly on the lookout for any poor left hungry or any needy depressed for want of money. More importantly, they believed their Namaz (Islamic prayer) would not be acceptable to God unless they satiate the hunger and other needs of the poor in their neighbourhood. A great number of people particularly from Muslim, Hindu and Sikh faiths were seen generously contributing to the arrangement of Langar, a Sufi tradition to give food and money to the poor on a daily basis.

Mss Harvinder Kaur reflects on her deep association with the shrine

Since I came across people from different faiths at the shrine, I took it as a grand opportunity to know about the visitors’ perspectives on interfaith harmony with special reference to the Indian scenario. Speaking in Punjabi-accented English, a frequent lady visitor of the shrine and a principal of a convent English school at her town in Ludhiana, Punjab, Mss Harvinder Kaur reflects on her deep association with the shrine. She says, “I have been an avid devotee of Hazrat Khwaja right from my childhood days, and was extremely delighted when I first visited the shrine 20 years ago. Since then, I regularly take 2-3 trips to Ajmer every year, especially when I feel inner spark to get the blessing of Khwaja’s Darshan or Ziyarat (visit to the shrine).”

Her story of falling in spiritual love with Khwaja Gharib Nawaz is quite different from many others. During her childhood days, she narrates; she was often blessed with the Ziyarat (sight) of Khwaja in her dreams and, therefore, she would feel like visiting his shrine while waking up. “After I had the blessing of his Ziyarat, I greatly wondered, being a Sikh, if I should offer pilgrimage to the shrine of a Muslim Sufi saint.  She said, “I was particularly worried about the people of my community who did not seem comfortable with this idea. Nevertheless, inspired by my exuberantly increasing love for the saint, one day I set out for Ajmer and fulfilled my long-cherished wish”, she added.

Initially, Kaur had to fight stiff opposition from both her family and community to the extent that she was socially boycotted and denied from preaching the Sufi doctrines she believed in. However, she avers, “Sufis’ message of human affinity and brotherhood is infinite and boundless and, therefore, it spread in my family as well as locality soon after my Sikh husband helped me disseminate it by organizing Urs (spiritual programs on the Sufi teachings). Thank God, our Urs gradually became a big spiritual event in our locality with a huge following. Now, not only all my family members but also a lot many of my community brethren and sisters regularly attend the Urs of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz and the Fatiha ceremony of Ghaus ul Azam Abdul Quadir Jilani (Gyarahween Shareef) held annually at our town.”  Last but not the least, she says in well-spirited words: “I can say with full conviction that all these Sufis are just agents and intercessors to help us draw closer to the one and only God.”

Getting to see a regular Hindu visitor, Mr. Vikas Khanna, a Delhi-based telecom software engineer, was a great surprise to me. He drove his car all the way from Gurgaon (a metro city adjacent to Delhi) to Ajmer only for the attainment of the shrine’s blessings. Accompanied by his wife, he was clad in Kurta pyjama with a skull cap (a cultural Muslim dress in India) wearing a Tika (a Hindu religious mark worn on the forehead). He does frequent tours to Ajmer shrine to build his cultural bonds with Muslims, he says. To his view, visiting Sufi shrines should not be associated with a particular religion; rather it should be treated as an uplifting experience of cultural and social affinity. “Although I don’t understand the meaning of even a single Quranic verse being recited in Namaz (Islamic prayers), but listening to an Imam reciting the Quran melodiously at the shrine’s mosque is a very soothing and soul-searching exercise which I do whenever I turn up here”, he says.

 Protestant Christian research scholar  Mr. Jacob

Luckily, I came across a Protestant Christian research scholar  Mr. Jacob accompanied by Mr. Ajmal Chishti, a well-known Khadim (custodian) at the Dargah, who hails from Germany and is presently living in Mumbai for the accomplishment of his research related to the historic past of India. Deeply influenced by the Sufis’ approach of God-consciousness, he is an avid reader of Sufi prose and poems. Considering himself as an Indian national, as he has been living in India for one and half year, he takes great pride in associating with the old-age Sufi spiritual heritage of the country. He says, “Although my country, Germany, embraces people from all faiths as well as their different places of worship, I have never come across such a great example of religious inclusiveness, social integration and tolerance as seen in the Sufi shrines of India.”

Talking about the history of social integration in his own country, Germany, he says, “A hundred years ago, it was almost impossible to see marriages happen between Catholics and Protestants, but social values have changed a great deal in Germany and now even I have a sister married to a Muslim guy from Iran.”  A great number of Muslims in Germany, he elaborates, emigrated mainly from Turkey and Iran in the 70s and 80s and continue to live in complete peace and harmony with their non-Muslim counterparts. Citing an example of Turkish-origin German Muslims’ efforts to foster social integration and religious harmony, he said that “recently over a thousand mosques welcomed a hundred thousand non-Muslim visitors, mostly Christians, in an annual event celebrating the social integration of Germany's four million Muslims”.

We do see Islamophobia growing in Germany after 9/ 11, Jacob admits, but fears are of Islamists’ extremism and fundamentalism not of the true version of Islam. “Unfortunately, the second- and third-generations of Muslims in Germany are likely to fall prey to the orthodox Islam that poses great threat to the norms of German inclusive culture and its Grundgesetz (basic law for the Federal Republic of Germany)”, he warns.

Adding his observations to this serious point raised by the German scholar, Mr. Ajmal Chishti, a Khadim (custodian) at the Dargah remarked, “This orthodox and extremist interpretation of Islam is completely alien to the traditional Sufi Islam. Sufism, particularly Chishti order, embraces the spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness in both its precepts and practices”. “This is precisely why Sufis, especially Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz succeeded in the wide dissemination of true Islam, especially in South Asia, making it the second biggest religion in the world,” he added.

Indeed, it is a pressing need of the time to revive and rejuvenate the message of universal love and brotherhood, national unity, communal harmony, inclusiveness and tolerance exemplified by the glorious life and lofty teachings of Sufi saints like the chief of the Indian Sufis, Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz

Can a Muslim and a Christian Pray Together?

Victor Edwin SJ

Introduction

This is an important question that one has to deal with in his or her mission of Christian/Muslim relations. In the pluralistic world, one cannot completely avoid any level of participation in the worship of the Other. The immediate danger that many Catholic theologians apprehend in such participation is the danger of syncretism. This question becomes theologically nuanced when it has to deal with Christians and Muslims praying together. This article suggests that it is not only possible that Christians and Muslims can pray to one God together, but also, that the aforesaid praying together is essential and should be encouraged.

Christians and Muslims Believe in one God

Christians and Muslims should recognize that, first of all, they worship but one God. They address their prayers to one God in whom both Christians and Muslims place their faith and commit themselves to bend their own wills to the will of the one and the only God. Pope Paul VI affirmed that Muslims are true adorers of the one one God when he wrote: "Then to adorers of God[,] according to the conception of monotheism, the Muslim religion[,] especially, [is] deserving of our admiration for all that is true and good in its . . . [its] worship of God" (Ecclesiam Suam 106).

The recognition of differences is an expression of mutual respect.

Nevertheless, one should not forget the considerable differences between the Christian and Muslim confession of God's unity. The unity of God as a common element between Christians and Muslims needs to be approached carefully for, when Christians talk about God, they talk about one who, "is known and worshiped as Father, Son and Spirit." Muslims do not accept this Trinitarian understanding of God. Accordingly, the fundamental differences in their understanding of the Godhead should be recognized for the recognition of differences is an expression of mutual respect.

Christians and Muslims Pray to the Living God

If one relativizes differences, then the significance of the concept of difference will be undervalued. However, differences do not do away with the meaning that one can experience in depth in the encountering of one another. Christians should be aware that Muslim prayer is directed towards the living God, and that the Islamic faith has raised, over the centuries, true worshipers of the one God. Christians must also realize that the God of Muslims is not an idol, not a creature, not a lofty idea, but the God in whom Christians also believe.

We Stand Before one God

The faith of Christians and Muslims in one God, and prayer to that one God, allow for an encounter in faith, standing before God in a real way. This standing together helps Christians and Muslims in that it is God who is binding them together, and the encounter between them is God's gift. This encounter helps Christians and Muslims to live their profound differences in mutual respect. When Christians and Muslims seek to live their relationship with God in such a conscientious way, they are together with their differences, and, thus, they become brothers and sisters. Pope John Paul II stresses this in his address to Muslims in the Philippines when he told them: "I deliberately added you as brothers . . . [for] that is certainly what we are, . . . members of the same family, whose efforts, whether people realize it or not, tend toward God and the truth that comes from him. But we are especially brothers in God, who created us and whom we are trying to reach, in our own ways, through faith, prayer and worship, through the keeping of his law and through submission to his designs."

 Conclusion

Every authentic prayer binds Christians and Muslims. Such prayer guides them toward living in peace. The spiritual efforts of Muslim brothers and sisters do not leave the hearts of their Christian brothers and sisters unmoved since they stand together before one God. Furthermore, every authentic prayer is under the influence of the Spirit of God who constantly intercedes for humanity (Romans 8:26-27). Christians and Muslims standing together and praying authentically according to their traditions are moving toward living together in peace. One should not hinder a Christian who is exploring with Muslims the togetherness in prayer. And, conversely, one should not impede a Muslim who is exploring this self-same togetherness in prayer with Christians.

(The author acknowledges several fruitful discussions that he has had with Professor Christian W. Troll, S.J., a renowned Catholic theologian with regard to matters of Islam and Christian/Muslim relations.)

Pakistan India Friendship Forum

Joe Kalathil SJ

I went to Lahore, Pakistan, in November, 2012. The purpose of my visit was to establish people to people contact between Indians and Pakistanis. The first step was to help both the people of India and Pakistan to abandon the ‘inimical attitude’ they have for one another and start thinking of building bridges not walls between them. This people to people contact was initiated through the senior school students. I took with me 35 letters from 35 Indian students, addressed to ‘unknown friends of Pakistan. In Pakistan I spoke to the students of five schools in Lahore and brought back 92 letters for their Indian friends! A beautiful miracle! Not only students, the teachers also joined in this movement. Some of the trade union activists from Lahore also extended their co-operation for this movement. The positive response I received from the people of Pakistan to this plan was much beyond my expectations.

Again this year I went to Pakistan on 18th of October and returned on 12th of November, 2013.  The response this year was far better than last year’s response. Many more people and organizations showed keen interest in being part of this peace promotion. During the stay of 25 days in Lahore, I visited 8 schools and addressed over 2500 senior students about the urgent need of having and promoting ‘peace’. Practically all the students showed much enthusiasm to become agents of peace by promoting peace at home, in the schools, with friends and in the surroundings. This year I received 250 letters to be delivered to the Indian students who they would like to be their friends. Many also expressed their desire to visit India. Many of them have expressed in their letters their great appreciation for India.

I participated in a number of meetings organised by peace lovers. One of such meetings was that of over 60 ‘non-violent communicators’ who expressed their support to Pakistan – India Friendship Forum. The Magis Group (A Catholic Youth Group directed by Jesuits) of over 40 young men and women and to around twenty seminarians to whom I spoke about the Pakistan – India Friendship Forum too are keen to find ways to live in peace with one another. They showed much interest in this movement and asked in what way they could help this movement. They assured me of their prayers for the success of this movement. Over 12 Christian Agents of Peace (CAP) came together to reflect on the need of promoting peace and harmony. Many of them expressed that the need of strengthening good friendly relationship with India. They also formed a committee to strengthen this work.

Since my visa was for ‘Lahore only’ I did not go out of Lahore though people in Gujjranwala wanted me to visit them. Gujjranwala is city about 60 kilometres away from Lahore. Around twenty-five Christian Agents of peace from Gujjranwala came over to Loyola Hall, Lahore for a meeting with me. Most of them are young people well educated and also studying in the colleges. It was very encouraging to see that they were all very
much interested to take this movement ahead to strengthen the relationship between India and Pakistan. They promised that they would work for promoting peace and will also initiate this movement in Gujjranwala also.

In another meeting for lawyers, they in one voice said that attack on a minority Christian, Hindu and Sikh community will not be of any benefit to Pakistan. Peace is the only way for the development and welfare of the people in Pakistan. They also expressed in various ways that building peace and friendship with India will help Pakistan to make good progress. They promised to do everything possible within their limit to establish and promote peace.

Sr Sabina Rifat runs a women’s empowerment programme in Lahore where 30 young unemployed women were given training in stitching and embroidery in one of the slums of Lahore. It was very encouraging to visit them and to speak to them about the need of promoting peace and harmony. Some of the young educated Muslim women take very active participation in this programme. The commitment of Sr.Sabina Rifat is very exemplary and commendable. I went to Joseph’s colony with Sr Sabina.  Joseph’s Colony is situated in the steel hub of the industrial belt on the other end of Lahore. One has to go through the old city of Lahore to reach Joseph’s Colony. Roads were congested and crowded. Nearly 178 Christian homes were all burnt completely. People lost all their belongings. The assailants threw chemicals on the roof and the walls of the buildings and set them all on fire. Though the reason for such a destructive deed was blasphemy, behind it all seems to be greediness of the industrialists to scare the residents of the colony and chase them out so that they could acquire the land, over 25 acres of very precious land! However, though the people lost everything, they refused to leave and vacate the place. As soon as the fire was put off, they came back and occupied the houses. Apparently the small Catholic Church situated in the colony was repaired well and the Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan inaugurated it, placing a big marble stone on the wall declaring that it was rehabilitated by the CM. The colony consisted of Catholics who form the majority and a few families of Seventh Day Adventists.

Sr.Arsene Yacub took me to the office of Pak-India Peace Forum. They have been working on this for the past 20 years. This year they are having celebrations of 20 years service of Peace between India and Pakistan. They too were very happy to welcome me.

The Dominican Fathers have a ‘peace centre’ rather well established in Lahore. Fr.James Channan, the Director of the Centre took me there to show me the Centre. I also spoke to the community about the work of Pakistan and India Friendship Forum. They too are doing dialogue and peace building in Lahore in a higher circle.

There are several groups who are interested in building peace between India and Pakistan. Many of them are actively involved in this work; many others would welcome such a movement and support it directly or at least indirectly through prayer and so on, though they may not play a very active role for fear of the extremists. They all say that they all want peace and peace and friendship between India and Pakistan to be established. One of the concrete plans which have been proposed was to organize two human chains: One from Pakistan and the other from India and both come together at the international border to form one human chain on the International Day of Peace, on 21st September, 2014. The Lawyers of Lahore have promised their full support and co-operation to make this a great success. In general my visit to Pakistan was very fruitful and fulfilling. I believe peace is possible. People are peace-capable. ‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. One nation shall not raise sword against another, nor shall they train for war again’ (Isaiah 2: 3-5).