One of the most popular rivalries in history and literature is the rivalry between Christians and Muslims. It is so popular it is considered to be stereotypical by some people. The best example for this is the Crusades (718-1285) that happened in medieval times, though all historians are still clueless as to who is the real victor. In terms of literature, various authors under the Christian faith (Catholics, to be exact) typically portray their brethren as the usual protagonists, while their Muslim counterparts go the other way around.
Even in our society, many people, especially here in the Philippines, think of Muslims as terrorists, among various terms. While in the Middle East, some people claim that Arabs think of people of other religions as inferior, that is why whenever someone goes to any Middle Eastern country (usually Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Lebanon, Bahrain and Qatar), they must be converted to Islam first in order to prevent discrimination. Such is the case of my best friend when he worked in Saudi Arabia for four years, and of my own sister, who is currently working in Kuwait since 2014.
However, there are some instances that Christians and Muslims work together as one. And since it is currently Ramadan season as per Islamic calendar, I will be very happy to share two unique and inspiring stories that will prove that Christianity and Islam can co-exist.
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| The desecrated statue of Jesus Christ in front of St. Catherine of Siena Church. Courtesy: @Misener680NEWS |
On May 2015, the St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada was desecrated by unknown assailants. One of the most blasphemous acts done by these cutthroats is the desecration of the statue of Jesus Christ in front of the church. Its sacred heart and face was blackened with paint, while its fingers were mangled so bad the wires inside had come out.
This was not the first case of vandalism in the church. As per Catholic Register, some random douchebag had previously broken inside the church earlier this year, and ripped off some pages from the Sacramentary (the Missal commonly used in celebrating Mass). Much earlier than that, several unidentified scums-of-the-earth had defaced both the church and a nearby Catholic school with spray paint.
These incidents had come to the attention of Dr. Hamid Slimi, the Imam of Sayeda Khadija Centre, which is located near the church. The Imam visited Fr. Camillo Lando, the church's parish priest, several weeks ago to personally see the damage.
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| Inside the Sayeda Khadija Centre. Courtesy: Dr. Hamid Slimi (facebook.com/DrHamidSlimi) |
“It was just nasty to see this,” Slimi told BuzzFeed Canada. “I said we have to do something, what can we offer you?”
Fr. Lando stated that they simply require funds for damage repairs. Upon hearing this, Dr. Slimi mentioned this unfortunate situation to everyone who attended the Friday worship services in their mosque.
In a single day, Dr. Slimi managed to raise CA$5,000. And last week, he delivered the donation to the church premises.
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| Dr. Hamid Slimi handing over the CA$5,000 donation to Fr. Camillo Lando, along with other church members. |
“I want to tell [the church’s] congregation that there are people who feel their pain,” said Dr. Slimi.
Fr. Lando, upon receiving the donation, presented it to his congregation at the Sunday mass.
“I will tell my congregation that it was really a beautiful and generous gesture on their part,” Fr. Lando told the Toronto Star. “And also it’s an act of confidence and understanding. We are walking together in this community. We keep our faith, and we have to honour and respect people of other faiths.”
Because of what he had done, Dr. Slimi has recently received various calls and e-mails from people in the United States and Europe, who were all inspired by the generosity of the Muslim community in Mississauga. But according to Dr. Slimi, helping others is simply a part of his faith.
“We don’t believe in discrimination when it comes to charity, you give charity to whoever needs it,” he said. “Our understanding of worship is service to humanity.”
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Another story of co-existence between these two religions that must also be worthwhile mentioning is the selfless act of an Episcopalian church in Scotland, wherein they opened their doors of their congregation to the Muslim community there, simply because their mosque was too small.
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| Sheikh Ahmed Megharbi, along with Rev. Isaac Poobalan, posed behind the altar of St John’s Episcopal Church. |
The Syed Shah Mustafa Jame Masjid was indeed too small to fit everyone in. That is why on March 2013, Rev. Isaac Poobalan, church minister of St. John's Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, Scotland, has handed over part of the church hall to them, led by Sheikh (Chief Imam) Ahmed Megharbi, after he once saw the worshippers praying outside the mosque. Due to this act, they had become the first Christian church in the United Kingdom, to share its premises with the Muslims.
Ever since they have welcomed the Muslims inside, St. John’s Episcopal Church now houses hundreds of Muslims praying five times a day in their building, and the imam has led prayers in the main chapel.
According to Rev. Poobalan, he would not be true to his faith if he did not offer to help. He said:
Praying is never wrong. My job is to encourage people to pray.
The mosque was so full at times, there would be people outside in the wind and rain praying. I knew I couldn’t just let this happen - because I would be abandoning what the Bible teaches us about how we should treat our neighbours.
When I spoke to people at the church about the situation, someone actually said to me this was not our problem, but I had seen it with my own eyes, so it was a problem. They were out there praying and the snow came on for the first time in winter, it was really hard to watch. When they were doing the prayer they had their hands and feet exposed and they were sitting on on the pavement, which is very rough. You could even see them breathing because it was so cold and I think when I saw that, the visual impact was such that I just couldn't walk past.
It felt wrong, mainly because the church is next door, it's a big building and it remains empty on a Friday lunchtime which is when they need the place most as that's when they are at their busiest. We had something we could offer and they were just standing out in the cold and I said to my congregation, "We need to do something".
Rev. Poobalan wanted this to happen in order to help build bridges between Christians and Muslims, especially after some initial resistance from his congregation about it.
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| A view from the side of St. John's Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, Scotland, where part of the church hall that was handed over to Syed Shah Mustafa Jame Masjid is visible in front (in white paint). |
He explained to DailyMail:
It's a move that is so basic and fundamental. It has nothing to do with religion - it's all based on human need. The religious divide shouldn't divide us as people. But I anticipated there would be some opposition as it's strange and new and there was some natural anxiety in the beginning. But once people realised that there is more commonality between us. I certainly hope, wish and pray that this will help relations between the two religions.
When I spoke to the imam there was some hesitation on their part too, because this has never been done before. But they took us up on the offer and it has been a positive relationship.
Being surrounded by Islam while growing up in India, the 50-year old Episcopalian priest helped break down the divide for worshippers of two religions praying together in the same town.
"What happens here is special and there should be no problem repeating this across the country," Sheikh Megharbi commented. "The relationship is friendly and respectful.
St John's is a part of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which, in turn, a part of the Anglican Communion, and is distinct from the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, the Right Rev. Dr. Robert Gillies, said that this relationship could be the start of a change in dynamics between the two faiths.
"It would be good to think we can change the world," Dr. Gillies said. "Most of us most of the time feel we can’t so don’t bother. But sometimes, someone has a vision we can do something of global significance on a local scale. This is what is happening between St John’s and the mosque in its grounds. Everyone can do something locally and if more were to do so then something big might just begin to happen globally."
Because of this remarkable event, the Dr. Gillies felt that the eyes of the world were now focused on the two faiths represented in the building on the city’s Crown Terrace. As many of us are already aware, though all Christian churches regards Jesus as the son of God, the Muslim faith views him as a key prophet, and was known as Isa.
According to Dr. Gillies, even with differences like these, there can be a mutual respect. And I certainly agree with him. Despite different views and beliefs between these two faiths, still the common denominator is God. Whether He is called God the Father, Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, even I Am Who I Am, God is still one and the same in the eyes of every Christian denomination, in every Muslim sect, and even in all kinds of Jewish congregations (despite the Orthodox Jews not believing in Jesus).
The relationship between Syed Shah Mustafa Jame Masjid and St John’s Episcopal Church has developed over the past few years. On Christmas Eve of 2010 both churches opened their doors for prayers, food and socializing.
The following year, both had teamed up to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA. Verses were read from both the Bible and the Qur'an to commemorate those who died.
Though this move may have been the first in the United Kingdom, as both church leaders in Aberdeen had believed, there are actually similar cases prior to this that happened in some parts of the United States. In 2011, for example, two churches in Florida had opened their doors to Muslim groups, but both congregations were heavily criticized.
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I myself claim many Muslim friends, and I actually find it interesting to converse with them regarding our respective beliefs. I must say I do not have any problems with them whatsoever. I really do, because I keep an open mind for new ideas that, although these may or may not serve beneficial to my own philosophy, yet I gladly accept them with all my heart because of my mutual respect with Islam.
Everybody knows that not all Muslims were terrorists, so why should they be branded as such? Why do some people have to discriminate or hate them when they actually do nothing?
Why there are some people who hide in fear whenever they see a Muslim? Were they afraid of getting abducted, cut off their fingers or chop off their heads?
Were they traumatized by numerous accounts of some domestic helpers who worked for some Arab masters who mistreated them, with some even trying to rape them (remember Sarah Balabagan)?
Was it because they find their slapstick comedy offensive? Or was just sick of their "foul" smell?
Was it because of the stories you hear from some men who claimed they were screwed by some Arab men in their butts, thinking them as women at the same time, simply because they have no body hair?
Or was it because of the egotistical minds of some, claiming the Muslims were inferior, showing them in a negative light, akin to Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. It should be interesting to know that in Cordoba, Spain, where Muslims had ruled in the 9th century, there were some Christian martys who were executed not only because they maintained the Christian faith, but also they openly defied Islam, even denouncing Muhammad (May Allah grant peace and honor upon him and his family) as a false prophet, which, in my opinion, unnecessary.
Based on the past experiences of my best friend in Saudi Arabia, the current experiences of my sister in Kuwait, as well as my own personal experience with some Muslims (notably one of the drivers at the airport terminal who brings us employees to our company office inside the airport), I find that they were actually no different compared to us Christians. They can be easily approached; the driver even greeting me "Salam Alaikum" whenever he sees me. Overseas, both my friend's and my sister's employers finds us as hardworking people, and were impressed with our performance, which, in the case of my best friend, goes to the point that his employer even allows him and his colleagues to loiter outside the office as long as the job is already done, despite their shift has not yet been over. With the avoidance in blasphemy and apostasy being Lesson # 1, Lesson # 2 perhaps would be the prevention of offering any pork dish to them. Though very obvious and elementary, yet both of these pointers are still important when it comes to socializing with Muslims.
In my own perspective, the solution is very simple in order for two faiths to co-exist. We should just eliminate the religious divide between us. Cast off all the hate, pride, animosity, discrimination and superiority between each other.
Because after all, both of us were worshipping the same God... the same omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, almighty God... the same compassionate and merciful Allah (may he be glorified and exalted).
I am sure, with both faiths standing side by side in front of the same Supreme Being, this world will truly be a better place for all people who follow the path of peace.
Walking the path of heaven... the One who rules over everything.
I, the Pooch, have spoken.
Sources:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/laurenstrapagiel/an-ontario-mosque-raised-thousands-to-help-a-catholic-church#.bn1WqA1xo
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2295149/Christians-roll-welcome-Muslims-having-pray-wind-rain-mosque-small.html
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