05325
June 17, 2005

‘We are often misunderstood’

Interfaith dialogue crucial, especially to minorities, Pakistani bishop says    

by Naveen Qayyum
Ecumenical News International      

GENEVA — Interfaith dialogue is ever more crucial, especially for religious minorities, in an increasingly violent, intolerant and globalized world, said Bishop Samuel Azariah of Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country where Christians account for less than 3 per cent of the population.       

     “As a religious minority, we did experience a backlash as a reaction to the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine,” said Azariah, who heads the Church of Pakistan. “We are often misunderstood due to our colonial origin, and we are considered as ‘representatives’ of the West.”

     Pakistani Christians have experienced several violent attacks in recent years.

     Azariah, in Geneva for a June 7-9 interfaith gathering hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC), said, “The Christian community is trying to redefine itself in the dialogue, but suspicion still creeps in during the process.”   

     He said it is not easy for Pakistan’s Christian minority to engage with other communities.  

     “Only a small fraction of individuals participate in dialogue with the Muslim majority in an equal relationship and with confidence,” he said. “Therefore the dialogue does not seep through to the grassroots level, and the common Christian remains in the same insecurity and fear.”    

     He added: “I feel that we have traveled a long way in the journey of inter-religious dialogue, which was not a very bright possibility a few years ago.”    

     Another participant at the WCC event, Orhan Cicek, a Muslim scholar of Turkish origin who now lives in Australia, agreed that religious minorities often lack confidence.     

     “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,” he said.   

     Australian legislation guarantees freedom of speech and of faith, Cicek noted, but religious minorities face other problems.   

     “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,” he said. “It is a big challenge to get adopted into the mainstream society and to maintain our cultural identities intact at the same time.” 

     The actions of a few people can hurt an entire community, Cicek warned. “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 said. “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.” 

     Many churches in Australia are trying to promote intercultural and inter-religious contacts, Cicek said, but Muslims and other minorities often do not take up the offer, for cultural reasons.

     That underlines the importance of building trust, he said.     

     Bishop Samuel, speaking for the Christian community in Pakistan, said: “We all need to recognize that the power of God is at work in all our communities.” 

Naveen Qayyum is a journalist and a member of the Church of Pakistan working for the WCC as a public-information intern. This is an edited extract of a feature distributed by the council.