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How can we begin building peace in an era of religious extremism and acts of terror? Start by reaching out in your own neighborhood, suggests Rev. Arshad Gill, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan.
Nearly two months after the tragic bombing in the eastern Pakistan city of Lahore, Gill noted that bringing people of different faiths together is both important and commendable. But he believes it must start from the grassroots.
“I don’t want to criticize but I’m telling you what the reality is in Pakistan. I know that the word ‘interfaith’ is very important to the whole society here. We need ‘interfaith’ but only when we start from the grassroots can you create peace among the majorities and minorities.”
“The whole country seems to be working on ‘interfaith.’ And this is good,” he said. “But for people who are living in rural areas where there is no access to education, it’s very important that we start there.”
Acts of terror are a grotesque growth from roots of injustice and hatred from one group toward another, he said: “Not only are we as Christian minorities facing terrorism, we are also facing discrimination,” said Gill. “We face discrimination in every aspect of life.”
Pakistan's Christian minority makes up around 2 percent of the nation's 190 million people. About 75 percent of people in Pakistan are Sunni Muslim, and 20 percent are Shia Muslim.
It is difficult to build relationships between these groups when people feel angry and insecure, Gill pointed out.
“Christians and Muslims are angry - angry with the government because the government does not provide enough security. Both Christians and Muslims were injured in the bomb blasting.”
Sixty-nine people died and more than 341 others were injured in the blast.
‘The fruit of the tree will be great’
Thousands of miles away from Pakistan, in London, Rev. Rana Khan’s urgent call for local dialogue is strikingly similar to Gill’s. Khan was born into the Anglican faith and brought up in Pakistan, where he was educated in a primary school attached to a mosque.
For many years, Khan has been involved with justice and peace activities, and he has come to believe that peace will be achieved only if dialogue is firmly rooted at the local level.
“If we develop relationships at the local level, the fruit of the tree will be great,” he said. “Local-level dialogue is just like roots, and deep roots provide nourishment.”
His regard for local dialogue is so high that he believes, if we put a priority on cultivating strong local roots, we can prevent acts of terror from ever happening: “Terrorism, extremism, hate, intolerance - they will not be able to grow. It will not be easy for perpetrators to be successful.”Continuing with the analogy of a tree, highly publicized efforts are often seen on CNN and BBC, he noted, but these activities can create a shade, or a sense of temporary comfort that is not real. “Roots never create a shade,” he said. “You can’t fit under the shade of roots.”
Large organizations and national governments need to support such local dialogue, he urged, along with national and international-level activities.
In addition, when acts of terror happen, one way people of faith can immediately respond is by involving God. “God is almighty,” said Khan. “Yes, oppression is happening in the world. God can intervene. But inviting God to intervene is not just words - it’s something that must come from the depths of our hearts.”
Just outside of Washington, DC (USA), Shahan Rizvi also mulls over relationships between Muslims, Christians and other faith groups. Howard County Muslim Council president, Rizvi said the council was formed following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Then, and now still, Muslims in the United States face discrimination within their communities because of the false perception that they are religious extremists. “A lot of hateful rhetoric begins when you don’t know someone from your own community,” he said.
For the past 15 years, the council has intentionally engaged in the local community: providing scholarships, coordinating food drives, visiting hospitals, hosting dialogues with all faith groups.
“As we talk, the more things we have in common. Family issues are just as prevalent in the Jewish and Christian communities as they are in our Muslim community.”
Currently the United States is living in an era of divisive politics, racially-charged violence and, what might be regarded, pessimistically, as a new wave of hatred.
Rizvi acknowledges the hate, but refuses to give up.
“Hate has been around for a long time here,” he said. “People here still call some schools where there are more African-American kids ‘the jungle.’ They’ve done that for years. Now there’s a new derogatory phrase people use to describe where the Muslim kids hang out: ‘the no-fly zone.’ ”
Will nurturing local roots of peace overcome the hate? Rizvi, like Arshad Gill and Rana Khan, believes that is where hope is centred.
“We will step up our outreach effort and we will change the perception all around. Muslims are good people - and they are just like everybody else.”
Lahore bombing shows vulnerability of Pakistanis (WCC press release of 31 March 2016)
WCC strongly condemns terror attack in Pakistan (WCC press release of 28 March 2016)
Church of Pakistan hosts Muslims, Christians (WCC press release of 23 March 2016)
