Dioceses must promote interfaith literacy: Jesuit Islamic scholar

By Jose Kavi

New Delhi: Diocesan pastoral centers must conduct programs to educate Christians in “interfaith literacy,” asserts Jesuit Father Victor Edwin, the elected secretary of the Islamic Studies Association (ISA) that has fostered Christian-Muslim cooperation in India or more than four decades.

The 54-year-old teacher of Islam in Delhi’s Vidyajyoti College and several other Catholic theological institutes in India wants interfaith literacy to include inputs on the content of the faith of our neighbors as well as exposure programs to the faith life of our neighbors by meeting them in their places of worship or at their institutions.

He wants interreligious dialogue to take place at grassroots level. “There is no alternative to personal experience. If the heart is touched and moved, one learns to recognize the preciousness of the ‘religious other.”

Father Edwin also edits the association’s journal –Salaam.

Matters India spoke to him in the wake of recent attacks on Christians by Muslims in France and Austria.

Matters India: How has the ISA reacted to the recent happenings in France and Austria? Are you disappointed and dejected? How do such direct attacks on Christians affect the Church’s attempts to dialogue with Muslims?

Father Victor Edwin: Islamic Studies Association (ISA) strongly condemns the barbaric acts of violence in the name of religion recently in France and Austria. We are profoundly grieved at these acts of aggression that tend to destroy human fraternity and solidarity. The members of ISA express our grief to and solidarity with the families of the victims.

While denouncing the violence some individuals in the name of religion, ISA also rejects the mind-set that pounces on the deficiencies of a few members of another group, magnifies them and completely ignores the special beauty and goodness of the vast majority of its members.

We oppose the publication of the offensive cartoons of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. It hurts Muslims, Christians and all people of good will. The Catholic Church teaches us to respect Muslims, people of all faiths, including those who do not follow any faith traditions.

Pope Francis in his recent encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” affirmed that religions must be at the service of fraternity in our world. Violence has no place in religious convictions but only in its deformities. In these difficult times, following the teachings of Pope Francis, we resolve to work for peace – underpinned by truth, justice and mercy – that aims at forming a society founded on reconciliation and forgiveness. There is no room for dejection, but full of hope in challenging times.

ISA is more than 40 years old. What are its achievements over the past four decades? Has the association managed to bring Christians and Muslims in India closer? What are the challenges still remaining?

The Vatican II has made this profound affirmation about Muslims: “Together with us they adore the One and Merciful God.” This statement has weighty theological implications for the pastoral practice of the Church. For us Christians, this one God has revealed His nature as Love in Jesus Christ in a defining way and Muslims believe that this one God revealed His Will in the Holy Qur’an, in a defining way. Hence, we worship one God, albeit in different ways. We must approach one another as brothers and sisters.

Further, in Nostra Aetate, the Church declares her esteem for Muslims, since “they adore one God.” Recognising the quarrels and hostilities that Christians and Muslim had over the centuries, the Church invites Christians to “forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom”.

Inspired by the teaching of the Church, ISA understands that her mission is to serve the Church by assisting in the formation of Christian men and women, who are preparing for different ministries in the Church, helping them entering into ‘dialogue’ with people of other faiths, humbly and respectfully.

The members of ISA offer courses on Islam, Christian-Muslim dialogue and Mystical dimensions of Islam in several seminaries and ecclesiastical institutes in India for the last four decades. On a more popular level, during the bi-annual conventions, ISA has brought Muslims and Christians ‘face to face’ to speak about their faith and the challenges they face living out their faith. On those occasions, ISA has arranged ‘exposure program’ for Christians to visit Muslim institutions and religious places. The members of ISA consider that their personal vocation is to do something beautiful for God together with our Muslim brothers and sisters, without excluding anyone, in the service of our great nation.

Challenges are many. The first challenge is to confront the ‘layers upon layers’ of prejudice against Islam and Muslims that I found among fellow Christians. These prejudices have grown from certain interpretations of historical memories of certain groups or have been largely drawn uncritically from the distorted images of Islam and Muslims in the mainstream media.

These prejudices are underpinned by ignorance that is often expressed through cynical comments on Muslims, their morality and way of life. Often many Christians make comparison of the ideals of Christianity with the realities of Islamic world, and judge Muslims negatively.

Overcoming ignorance is no easy task. Some Christians display ignorance that could be termed as ‘simple ignorance.’ They are simply ignorant of the faith and praxis of the ‘religious other.’ They do not display any intentional prejudice. They acknowledge their ignorance and correct their perception on receiving right information.

The second type displays ‘blind ignorance’ born of intellectual stubbornness that effectively prevents ‘coming to know the other’. Though not necessarily malicious, this blindness draws from close-minded conservatism. Sustained educational efforts, especially personal experience of the ‘positive other’, brings about desirable changes.

The third type of ignorance, ‘culpable ignorance,’ is sustained by refusal to know, avoidance of the challenge of cognitive change, and the reinforcement of a prejudicial perspective by deliberately shunning any evidence to the contrary. This is an ideologically driven ignorance.

Pastoral centers in dioceses must consider programs to educate Christians in ‘interfaith literacy.’ Interfaith literacy must include some inputs on the content of the faith of our neighbors as well as exposure programs to the faith life of our neighbors by meeting them in their places of worship or at their institutions. I have realized meeting Muslims and having conversation with them is the real game changer. I am convinced that there is no alternative to personal experience. If the heart is touched and moved, one learns to recognize the preciousness of the ‘religious other’.

What is the relation between Muslims and Christians in India? Are they suspicious of each other?

Christian-Muslim relations in India have a long and complex history that touches upon commercial relations to religious relations. At times the relationship between them was harmonious and at some other times turbulent. The relationship was also often encumbered by the polemics of the past. However, this scene is changing with a new spirit in Christian-Muslim relations in the 20th century onwards, especially after the Vatican Council as shown in the activities of ISA.

As a Christian I have been meeting Muslims in their homes, mosques, madrasas, and Sufi shrines. They are always kind, generous and hospitable. Only once in my 25 years of such engagement with Muslims I experienced an unpleasant event in a Muslim institution.

In my conversations, I have observed that Islam presents a definite teaching on the nature of Christianity as part of its doctrine. They believe that God’s revelation given to Jesus in the ‘gospel’ has been corrupted in Christianity. They also hold that Christian faith mysteries such as the Trinity, divinity of Christ, incarnation and redemption are not only deviations from the preaching of Christ but also betrayal of simplicity of faith in one God. Muslims feel Christians should rid themselves of their mistaken, twisted understanding of Christian message and return to the pure Gospel received from God and preached by Christ.

They are sincere in communicating their understanding of Christianity to their Christian friends. However, in such conversations, the problematic is that while sharing the same religious matrix as children of Abraham, Muslims contest the Christian faith tradition through the Qur’anic lens. Similarly, on the Christian side we notice quite often an unwillingness to open one’s heart and mind to the millennial conversation (that goes on between Semitic religious such as Jewish faith, Christianity and Islam), but often rely on media and hearsay in forming opinion about Muslims. As estranged neighbors, both claim that their faith is superior to the faith of the other.

Christians and Muslims must get rid of such mindset and enter into mutually fruitful conversation that leads to the recognition of their shared responsibility towards healing the wounded humanity and the mother earth.Muslim and Christians must listen to one another which will guide them to speak to one another as brothers and sisters not speak at one another as enemies.

The Catholic Church, especially the Syro-Malabar Church, has been accusing Muslims of indulging in “love jihad” where Muslim men trap Christian girls with offer of friendship and love and then force them to convert to Islam? Even the Hindu radical groups have made this allegation. What has been your experience? Have you come across such cases? If not, has ISA done anything to make the Church change its views?

I think we must be careful not to twist the meaning of the word ‘jihad’. Jihad is to strive in the path of God. It is to bend one’s will to the will of God. Muslim scholars explain that the greater jihad is launched against one’s own lust and greed that takes one away from God. It is a spiritual effort to live in peace with God and one’s neighbor.

There are individuals and groups indulge in violence and call it Jihad. They do get theological support from sources within Islam. This is dangerous and it is pointed out by many Christian scholars who have studied Islam in depth. However, this theological support does not go uncontested by many Islamic scholars. Hence, Christians must resist the temptation of judging Islam as medieval religion revealing more fault lines in its failure to face modernity.

I do have heard of some cases of Christian girls contracting marriage with Muslim boys whom they met online. Though we respect their decision about their life, we must alert them to the dangers of making life-decisions ‘online.’ Christian parents must remain a good model for their children in discerning God’s ways in their personal and family lives.

It is difficult to easily subscribe to the accusation that Muslim men engage in trapping Christian girls for marriage and then convert them into Islam as an undercurrent ‘Love Jihad’ plan. That needs to be checked and proved beyond doubt with clear instances. On another count, I am for both Muslim and Christian youth to fully understand their religious and cultural insights and practices.

While respecting the religions of each other, certain practices may invite tension and trouble and that needs to be fully understood by the boys and girls of both religions. Any misunderstanding might lead to tensions and pressures in their married life, in terms of baptism of the children born to them, easy way of announcing and getting divorced, the practice of worship pattern and performing rituals etc. Parents and religious leaders should play an advisory role to make the youth understand that quick and immature decisions lead to tensions not only in their own personal lives but also between the two religions.

Moreover, we must remember that the Catholic Church urges her children to engage with people of other faiths as co-pilgrims in the spirit of the teachings of the Vatican II. It is possible that some members of the churches and even some church leaders in India have not fully imbued the spirit of Vatican II. They neglect the teaching of the Council and the successive popes. We must remember how the saintly Pope John Paul II was greatly appreciated by Muslims around the world as he reached out to them in the spirit of Nostra Aetate and built lasting friendships with them. Pope Francis in his pastoral outreach is building bridges between Christians and Muslims through fruitful dialogue. We must not resist the Spirit that blows where it wills.

Muslims were conspicuous with their absence during the recent “Stand with Stan” campaign. Similarly, the Church was absent when Muslims were attacked in northeast Delhi in February. Why doesn’t the Church openly support Muslim causes?

The arrest of Father Stan was not a community issue but an issue of what Indian is all about. There is no need to bring the name of a community in discussing it. All concerned citizens stand in solidarity with Fr. Stan and all other human right defenders who are jailed for their commitment to Nation building. Along with a number of concerned individuals and groups Christians too reached out to out to the riot affected people bringing solace to them in their hour of trial. Thus, the Catholic Church stood in solidarity with people who are affected. The Delhi archbishop visited the riot affected areas and initiated relief work to all who were affected. The CRI, Delhi unit was actively involved in helping people who were affected. Many Christians attended civil society meetings and protested against CAA in a democratic way. The Church in and through the efforts of these individuals and groups certainly stands in solidarity with Dalits, Tribals and minorities.

What about the allegations that Muslims corner more than 80 percent of government welfare projects for religious minority groups in India? It seems the minority in India means Muslims. Is it because Muslim vote bank is much larger?

The government has a number of welfare schemes for minorities. Among Religious Minorities, Muslims count for majority and obviously they could have been major beneficiaries of these welfare projects. Others, especially the Church and its Institutions, need to explore and help their communities to know the availability of such welfare schemes and also to access them.