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by Naveen Qayyum (*)
What does it mean to be a religious minority with a different faith to that of the majority of people around you? What is the importance of interreligious dialogue in situations of vulnerability? Is interreligious dialogue an adequate response to a critical moment in the world?
These questions were explored in conversation with two participants from very different origins during the "critical moment" conference hosted by the World Council of Churches in Geneva from 7-9 June 2005. Bishop Samuel Azariah is a Christian leader from the Protestant Church of Pakistan, where Christians are a minority among Muslims, and Dr Orhan Cicek is a Muslim scholar of Turkish origin living in Australia, where Muslims are a minority among Christians.
<span style="font-weight: bold; "» Redefining identity in dialogue
"Pakistani Christians are placed in a unique socio-political situation," says Bishop Samuel, who heads a church which has experienced several violent attacks in recent years and senses its own vulnerability in an acute way. "We are often misunderstood due to our colonial origin, and we are considered as 'representatives' of the West. As a religious minority, we did experience a backlash as a reaction to the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine."
Bishop Samuel adds, on a more optimistic note, that "today, the Christian community is trying to redefine itself in the dialogue, but suspicion still creeps in during the process. At the same time, I feel that we have travelled a long way in the journey of interreligious dialogue, which was not a very bright possibility few years ago."
Dr Orhan Cicek recognizes that in a diverse and multicultural society like Australia, legislation guarantees freedom of speech and faith. But he agrees that religious minorities face other kinds of difficulties.
"Even if we do not feel alienated as Muslims in a predominantly Christian context, we need to be more organized for our views and thoughts to be more acceptable," Cicek explains. "It is a big challenge to get adopted into the mainstream society and to maintain our cultural identities intact at the same time. The dilemma of post-modern countries is that, despite the promotion of multiculturalism, some groups in society remain isolated."
Cicek emphasizes how the actions of a few can negatively impact an entire community. "The isolation and sense of insecurity among the Muslim minority is related to those few leaders and politicians who associate Islam and terrorism in a way which I completely reject," he says. "For me and for many, there cannot be any connection between religion and violence. However, due to a certain political agenda, these terms are misused, and they feed on ignorance."
Cicek values the efforts of organizations and institutions which promote multicultural and interfaith dialogue, as their efforts can also influence the attitudes of politicians and authorities.
<span style="font-weight: bold; "» Stretching our limits and boundaries
How do minorities cope with dialogue? Bishop Samuel recognizes that the Christian minority in Pakistan does not easily engage with other communities, for complex reasons. "Only a small fraction of individuals participate in dialogue with the Muslim majority in an equal relationship and with confidence. Therefore, the dialogue does not seep through to the grassroot level, and the common Christian remains in the same insecurity and fear," he explains.
The Geneva "critical moment" conference recognized that religious minorities frequently share this sense of fear, not only because of external threats, but also because of defensiveness within their communities. The participants urged that "those who live in cultural and religious contexts where inter-religious dialogue is not perceived as a threat to the strength and identity of religious communities should be more sensitive when engaged in international dialogue, of what may be at stake for other participants."
In answer to the same question, Orhan Cicek agrees that there is often a lack of confidence and capacity to understand themselves and their own histories among religious minorities. To be able to overcome this difficulty, he says, "we need to have a knowledge of ourselves in our own regional, local as well as global context. We need to find the ways in which we can stretch our limits and boundaries to be able to reach out to the wider community and other cultures."
Cicek points out that many churches in Australia try to promote intercultural and interreligious relationships, but that Muslims and other minorities do not take up this offer, feeling restricted by their lack of confidence and culture. One important area of work, he suggests, is to lessen the resistance to interreligious dialogue through building trust, and a sense of shared vulnerability.
For Bishop Samuel, interreligious dialogue today stands at a crossroads, and becomes ever more crucial in an increasingly violent, intolerant and globalized world. Stressing that we need to "increase our capacity to listen and reduce our preaching," he adds that "we all need to recognize that the power of God is at work in all our communities."
(*) Ms Naveen Qayyum is a member of the Church of Pakistan and a youth intern in the WCC Public Information Team.
This feature is part of a series highlighting issues and experience of interreligious dialogue, and is published by the WCC in the context of the conference on a "critical moment in interreligious dialogue" hosted by the WCC, 7-9 June 2005, in Geneva. Further information, news, documents and photos are available on: