Call to promote interfaith dialogue

Interfaith relations and supporting faith minorities in the Gulf, North Africa, Middle East and Pakistan was the focus of the Christians Aware Conference near Northampton.

“Ears to Hear – Listening to Minorities” was the theme of this year’s conference, which appealed to participants to promote interfaith dialogue, support minorities and build bridges of trust.

Canon Andy Thompson, an Anglican minister with extensive experience in North Africa and the Middle East gave the opening talk on “Christian Minorities living in the Gulf region”. He highlighted the work of the Al Amana Centre in Oman, one of the few Christian-led organizations in the Muslim-majority world working toward sustainable peace and security for minorities. Thompson spoke of its work to build sustainable peace between faith communities and reflected on the quiet, patient, and positive impact of interfaith engagement in the region.

One interfaith dialogue practice involves people from different faith traditions gathering in small groups to read from their holy scriptures and learn mutual respect. Thompson also spoke of the Marrakesh Declaration of 2016, a Muslim call for protection of religious minorities in predominantly Muslim-majority communities.

Canon Thompson who is now a vicar in the Anglican Diocese of London handed out fliers for the Hillingdon Interfaith Community and the Hillingdon Faith Roadshow which promotes understanding and respect between faiths in West London. Offered to schools, it explores the rich diversity of faiths in the London Borough of Hillingdon through sacred objects, banners, and community voices.

Clare Amos spoke about Christian minorities living in the Middle East and highlighted the release last December of the second Kairos Palestine document “A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide.”

This was supported by the patriarchs and heads of Churches in Palestine, said Amos, an expert on the region. She also highlighted the work of Sabeel Jerusalem, an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians.

Group work at the Christians Aware conference. © Christians Aware.

The final session involved group work on “Listening to the Poor” in the context of Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’ which appealed for people to “hear the cry of Earth and the cry of the poor”.

Vulnerable groups identified in group work included migrants and refugees in the US and UK, civilian victims of conflict in Myanmar and Sudan, and indigenous communities lobbying COP30 in Brazil.

Issues identified as limiting support for minorities included racism, fear of losing our own comfort in a more equal world, and despair over the scale of injustice and the power of elites. However, signs of hope were also identified, including small community actions to support minorities, such as the monthly ecumenical vigil at the Home Office in London to support refugees.

Bishop Mano Rumalshah, former Anglican Bishop of Peshawar Diocese in Pakistan also reported on listening to minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community. He said Christians Aware had “given me hope over the years” that Christians in UK are listening to the experience of Pakistan’s Christian minority.

Christians Aware is a Leicester-based ecumenical educational and religious charity which stimulates work between Christians and other faiths on justice, peace and ecology issues.

www.christiansaware.org.uk

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