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Why Catholics and Muslims must keep talking

Sayyid Syeed, former secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America and a member of the Midwest Region Dialogue of Catholics and Muslims, speaks glowingly of the dialogue with Catholics that began under Pope John Paul II. "We were stretching out our hand, and from the other side a hand was even more firmly stretched toward us," he says. Despite recent setbacks, Syeed remains optimistic. "According to the Prophet Muhammad, God has said, ‘If you come one step toward me, I will come 10 steps toward you.' We have actually experienced that." 

As former executive director of the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue between Buddhist and Catholic monks and nuns, Sister Margaret Funk, O.S.B has great confidence in interfaith conversation. "When we encounter other religions and their believers, we learn to dwell harmoniously together and to maintain our distinctions without feeling insecure," she says. Her experience with Muslims has confirmed her trust in interreligious dialogue. "This conversation frankly has a common sense that will prevail. Because of that, I'm very hopeful about the future."

 

How do both Islam and Catholicism approach interreligious dialogue?
Funk: From the Catholic perspective, the purpose of dialogue is harmony and unity among human beings, as well as a shared responsibility for the next generation and for quality of life now. From a religious perspective, it is to experience God from our various points of view and to be respectful but also informative.

Vatican II opened an enormous door with Nostra Aetate, the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, which definitely had an inclusive rather than exclusive view of other religions. It says that there are many lights in other traditions. Pope John Paul II continued that openness, which allowed us to see other religions as good in and of themselves. We can now come to the table in a way that neither of us is trying to convert the other.

I have no need to accommodate all Islamic beliefs. I can just let it be. What I've tried to do is understand Islam in all its integrity, how the pieces all fit together. Still, I think the Catholic Church has a little difficulty in letting those languages be as good and truthful as ours.

The way I look at it is that we're all going up this mountain to God, and some people are coming up the other side. They have a God experience, as I do, and I need to continue with my integrity all the way up my side of the mountain to reach the fullness of my revelation. They must maintain their own integrity as well. That's the way I come to the table.

Syeed: Islam does not claim to be a new religion; it is a continuation of humanity's long experience with God. Muslims believe that God sent messengers to every people, in every age, until Jesus, whose message was not limited to one particular ethnic group. When Muhammad came, his message reached almost everywhere, whether people accepted it or not. Therefore after Muhammad there are no further prophets.

But a Muslim knows that Muhammad is the last of many prophets. Therefore it is a fulfillment of the Prophet Muhammad's mission to be aware of the role played by prophets before him, and then to compare and contrast approaches taken by different prophets at different times. That's a theological necessity.

The Qur'an also has a special affinity with Judaism and Christianity. These two religions, along with Islam, are considered "religions of the book." There are several verses in the Qur'an that require Muslims to create common space where one can invite people of other faiths, particularly Christians and Jews, because there is common ground.

In America Catholics especially have a very unique relevance for us because they were once a new religious minority that suffered discrimination. American Muslims are now a new religious minority, and the United States has had problems recognizing minorities, whether political, ethnic, racial, or religious. But Catholics and other minorities have helped America realize its original mission. This is a country where everyone, regardless of religion, race, or color, has an opportunity to contribute, and we hope to contribute as well.

The way the media tends to portray it, Muslims want everyone to be Muslim, which would be a different vision than what you're both talking about.
Syeed: If that vision were enshrined in the Qur'an, then it would be my vision as well. But the Qur'an is the only religious scripture that emphasizes again and again that diversity is an expression of divine Providence. You have verse after verse saying that God has created people in different colors, of different races, and is responsible for different languages. The Qur'an says that it is God's plan to have different religions, otherwise he would have created all of us with the same persuasion.

But it's true that today in the Muslim world things are very different, and some Muslims believe that all people must become Muslim. I would argue that those who are taking Islam in this direction are hijacking it, and the Qur'an gives me the moral strength to make that argument. The glorious moments in Islam have been moments when Islam recognized diversity.

Has the idea of interreligious dialogue been challenged within the Muslim community?
Syeed: Some Muslims have had a very bitter experience with Christians. The majority of Muslim countries were occupied by the European colonial powers. Christianity was a part of that colonial expansion, and for Muslims in those places, it symbolizes a hunger for colonialism. Therefore it is tougher for some to separate the colonial experience and the compassion of Jesus.

But in America we are in a position to reconnect ourselves with Christians. I remember in the 1970s and '80s I was going from congregation to congregation arguing that we have to deal with Christians and Jews in America with a different worldview. They are not the ones who came to our countries and occupied us. It was a tough argument. It took effort from our side to emphasize that the positive verses in the Qur'an about Christians and Jews apply here, because we are living together in one society.

Has this become more difficult since September 11 and the war in Iraq?
Syeed: When I started my career in this country as a Muslim leader, I was optimistic that whatever little I accomplished here would have a global impact because this country doesn't have a history of colonialism among Muslims. But to my dismay, this country also became a colonial ruler during the last few years, so my job has become more difficult, and your job has become more difficult. In spite of all our successes, the United States has suddenly become a country that is hated because of its foreign policies, its war in Iraq, its discrimination between Israel and Palestine.

Is dialogue with Islam more difficult for Catholics than with other religions?
Funk: We do have a barrier to overcome here because Islam is not as attractive to most Catholics as, say, Buddhism, because Buddhism doesn't seem to be threatening us. Getting to know the Muslims who are at your office or factory or school as human beings breaks down most of the fear.

I'll give you an example: I was at a Lions Club to give a talk about Islam, and at the dinner beforehand someone asked why the topic was Islam. I asked if there were any Muslims in the community, and the guy next to me said, "Not if I can help it." From there it just got worse.

But when I gave the talk, there were also testimonials from some of the people there about how they'd rather do business with a Muslim than with anybody else, because their money is good, their word is good, and they have quality products. In other words they had their own experience that broke down the ignorance and prejudice.

Are there other reasons this dialogue is particularly difficult?
Funk: Some people see Islam as a challenging way of life. Muslim religious practice is closer to mine as a monastic woman than to an ordinary Catholic's. Muslims have to pray five times a day. The diet is strict, the prayer is strict, and the culture is strict.

But it is also true that some Muslims are not assimilating into this culture well. I don't mean they should assimilate indiscriminately, but there has to be good inculturation. I think Catholics can help them assimilate into the culture with discretion.

For example, many Muslims now want to go Muslim schools, exactly as we Catholics did in the 1950s, when we used Catholic schools to keep our identity. The problem is what part of the identity you keep. What protects the vision and the integrity of the Qur'an? That's the dialogue that Muslims have to have among themselves, and it's up to us to receive their decisions with graciousness.