IN THIS ISSUE

Reports from :

Albania, Guyana, Germany, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, U.S.A.

N.82001

“Catholics meet Muslims in Patna”, Paul Jackson, S.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

“Assistancy Advisory Committee”, Francis X. Clooney, S.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

“EJIF Summer program 2000 in Albania”, Darko Perkovic, S.J. . . . . . . . . . . . 11

“Religious Dimensions in the Dialogue”, Chandra Muzaffar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

“Address of Fr. General to the Consultation”, Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J. . . 17

“Dialogue in Guyana for Justice and Peace”, Joshi Praadep, S.J. . . . . . . . . . . . 19

“View from Nigeria. Prayer that Unites”, Peter Schineller, S.J. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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CATHOLICS MEETMUSLIMS IN PATNA

Paul Jackson, S.J.

BackgroundIn March, 1979, a group ofCatholics, together with a fewProtestants, met in Agra at theinvitation of Archbishop DominicAthaide. It was a nationalconsultation called by theEcumenical Commission of theCatholic Bishops Conference ofIndia to discuss the Relations of theCatholic Church to Muslims in India.As a result of this consultation theIslamic Studies Association (ISA)came into being. It was an excitingmoment for those of us who werecommitted to reaching out toMuslims here in India. There wasan expectation of great things tocome.

It was clearly realized that the majorobstacle to be overcome was thecombination of ignorance andprejudice so widely found amongCatholics in India. It was decidedthat the initial thrust of theAssociation would be to providecourses on Islam in seminaries andhouses of formation. It was quicklydiscovered that no suitable bookexisted to serve as a text book forthe courses in seminaries. It is truethat there is no dearth of generalbooks on Islam, but many of themdo not even mention India, whilethe others pay scant attention to

India. Hence the Associationplanned and collaborativelyproduced The Muslims of India:Beliefs and Practices, edited byPaul Jackson, S.J. It was wellreceived and a second edition iscurrently being prepared. Twoseminars resulted in the productionof another useful, though smallerwork, Questions Muslims Ask. TheAssociation’s “Quarterly to PromoteUnderstanding”, Salaam, iscurrently in its twenty-secondvolume. Modest as it is, itnevertheless is a unique voice ofthe Catholic Church in the area ofChristian-Muslim relations in India.Another work undertaken by theAssociation is to organizeConventions every two years on theoccasion of the General BodyMeeting of the Association.

Conventions have previously beenheld in Patna, Lucknow, Mumbai(Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta),Chennai (Madras) and Delhi. Theseconventions have providedCatholics and Muslims withopportunities to get to know oneanother better. In this connectionthe following flier was produced:

ISLAMIC STUDIESASSOCIATION

10TH NATIONAL CONVENTION

THEME: AN EXPERIENCE OFMUSLIM LIFE

What are the sources of yourexperience of Muslim life? Do yourely wholly on what is portrayed inthe media? Do you know only aboutpeople like Osama bin Laden and

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the Taliban, people far removedfrom your own experience?

Would you like to get an insight intoMuslim life as it is actually lived andexperienced by real Muslims in awide variety of occupations andsettings? Would you like to hearthem tell their own stories, and thenhave an opportunity to mix withthem and talk to them over morningtea, lunch and afternoon tea?

The Islamic Studies Association(ISA), a National CatholicAssociation founded in Agra inMarch, 1979, is providing you withsuch an opportunity on Saturday,24th February, 2001, in NavjyotiNiketan, Patna. Do come and profitfrom this unique opportunity! Themeeting will be from 9 a.m. till 5.30p.m. The language will be English,with scope for Hindi wherenecessary. A contribution of Rs. 20would be appreciated. Have youever visited a madrasa, the Imarat-IShari`a in Phulwari Sharif, aDargah, a Khanqah, or the KhudaBakhsh Library? Have you ever satdown with Muslims in suchinstitutions, or in a largely Muslimmohalla, and talked to them in suchsettings? This is the programmeorganized for Sunday, 25th

February, beginning from Navjyotiat 8.30 a.m. and ending there at5.30 p.m. The language will bemainly Hindi, with English wherenecessary. A contribution of Rs. 20would be appreciated.

In order to help the Muslimspeakers focus on their ownpersonal experience, rather than tell

us about Islam, the invitation letterto them was quite detailed. The keyparagraph was as follows:

Everything hinges on the theme ofthe Convention: An Experience ofMuslim Life. The key word isexperience. The theme will comealive in so far as your paper is areal sharing of your own life. TheConvention is not about theory, butabout actual personal experience.This means that, through yoursharing, you should come across tothe participants as a person, aunique being. In simple language,you are being provided with anopportunity to tell your story.

Finally, the programme printed anddistributed to Catholic Institutionsas well as to the Muslim speakers aweek before the Conventionexplained its focus thus:

In a Nutshell

The Islamic Studies Association(ISA), a Catholic Association inIndia, normally holds conventions indifferent parts of the country everytwo years. These conventions takeup different themes. The presenttheme, An Experience of MuslimLife, is meant to provide anopportunity for the Catholiccommunity in Patna to get to knowsomething about how life isexperienced by Muslims living here.As the recent example of SalimAnsari, the miner trapped in totaldarkness on a small ledge of coaland surrounded by brackish waterfor 138 hours, so graphically shows,

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many Muslims have a deep, livingfaith in God.

This type of faith is manifestedmore by the way a person livesthan by what he or she says.

We hope to catch a glimpse of thisfaith as we listen to the lifeexperience of the Muslim friendswho are with us today.

The Convention Itself

About 130 people gathered atNavjyoti Niketan, Patna, on 24th

February for the first day of theConvention.

After an introductory prayer serviceBenedict J. Osta, S.J., Archbishopof Patna, welcomed the participantsand situated the Convention in thep r e s e n t c o n t e x t o f t h econtemporary scene in India.

Paul Jackson, President of ISA,gave a brief outline of theAssociation, mentioning “thedifficulties involved in actuallyfinding Catholics who are willing tocommit themselves to somesustained effort to reach out toMuslims in collaboration with theirfellow-Catholics.” S. S. Mashhadi,our first Muslim speaker, gave usan insight into how a committedMuslim can play a significant roleas a government administrator.

We then had a break for morningtea and interaction.

In the second session, Muhammed

K. K., Superintending Archaeologistfor Bihar, described his work ofpreserving Christian churches inGoa and how he uncovered the siteof the Ibadat Khana, where theJesuit fathers, on their arrival atAkbar’s court in Fatehpur Sikri in1580, joined in the religiousdiscussions being held there. Healso uncovered the site of theirsmall chapel and residence.

Zakia Mashhadi gave us a livelyinsight into the life of an educatedmiddle-class Muslim woman inNorth India. Her family was a blendof liberal and conservative ideas.She herself became a teacher,writer and translator.

Dr Razi Ahmad, Director of GandhiSangrahalaya, shared hisexperience and insights as aGandhian activist and socialscientist.

The last speaker was Dr Isri Arshadfrom Bihar Sharif. He began life in apoor, low-caste Hindu family, andhad a painful experience of castediscrimination as a young boy inBihar Sharif. He determined toshrine through diligent applicationto his studies, and shine he did.Attracted by Islam's egalitarianismhe became a Muslim. He hasdistinguished himself as a surgeon,community leader and friend of thepoor.

The lunch break provided avaluable opportunity for interaction.When we gathered again our firstspeaker was Dr. A. A. Hai, eminentsurgeon and community welfare

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worker, who shared the inspirationhe receives from his faith in God.Ishrat Hussain, a social worker inHoly Family Hospital, Patna, comesfrom a very liberal family belongingto the minority Bohra community. Inher youth was a champion athlete,holding an all-India record. She wasallowed to attend training campswhere most of the athletes weremale, but said she never had anyproblems. Sr. Manju, H.C., wholives with a Muslim family in amixed village in Uttar Pradesh,described the lot of Muslim womenin her village. Wife beating iscommon, but there is only one caseof divorce and no case of polygamyin the hundred or so Muslimfamilies. Dr. Akhtar Hussain Aftabgave a rousing call to foster thehuman face of all religions, andImtiaz Ahmad, Patna’s mosteminent historian of MediaevalIndia, explained what it is like for aMuslim to fast. He also made somecomments on the present situationas a professional historian. We thenhad our afternoon-tea break.

The final session was thrown opento the participants to express theirreaction to the day’s programme.Prominent among those to speakwere John Baptist Thakur, Bishopof Muzaffarpur; Fr. R. H. Lesser,the noted writer; various priests,sisters and young people information, as well as JamiMashhadi, a young Muslimengineering student. Theircomments were all positive. Thiswas very heartening for theorganizers.

The following day, 25th February, 36people climbed on board a bus andwent to Phulwari Sharif, a largelyMuslim settlement near Patna. Theoldest tomb there is dated 1385.The first place we visited was theFiqh Academy. This is where youngMuslims who have completed thefull course of training in a madrasa,or seminary, come for two years tolearn how to become lawyers andjudges in the field of MuslimPersonal Law, which is still beingobserved in India. Junaid Alam, thehead of the Institution and chiefteacher, gave a very lucid accountof the studies undertaken there andanswered questions to thesatisfaction of our group. Thesisters present, however, thought itwas discriminatory that no womenstudents were to be found there.

We then went to the Imarat-iShari`a, the actual institute wherelegal opinions and judgements aregiven. The students go there forpractical training. We were shownthe various departments and alsovisited the young boys who arelearning the Quran by heart. First ofall they are taught how to read theArabic alphabet, then they beginmemorizing the whole Quran. Thisprocess normally takes about fouryears. What amazed the visitorswas the fact that the boys do notunderstand what they havememorized. Most will then go on tostudy Arabic, but some will remaincontent with knowing the Quran byheart. This entitles them to becalled a Hafiz Sahib, a title ofrespect in the Muslim community.We were offered tea before we paid

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a quick visit to the small hospitalbeing run on the premises. We didnot have time to see the technicalinstitute.

We then marched through thebutchers’ quarter where the initialattempt to sell us meat gave way toastonishment at seeing the groupwalking along the narrow lane.

Our next stop was the Sangi Masjid(Stone Mosque) built by MirAtaullah Ja`fari, Governor of Biharunder the Mughal Emperor,Humayun, in 1549. A crowd of localpeople gathered as we went intothe mosque. I explained the mainfeatures of the mosque and thenthe imam, the prayer leader,appeared on the scene. I requestedhim to show us where he stood andwhat he did when he was leadingthe prayer service. He very kindlyobliged us with a cycle of prayer.We all watched and listenedrespectfully. It was a beautifulmoment of communion in prayer.

Our next stop was to the tomb ofMujibullah Qadri, a Sufi saint whohad died in 1777. We then had abrief look at the Khanqah, thebuildings which constitute the livingquarters of the descendants of thesaint. We did not have time to meetRizwan Ahmad Qadri, the currentShah Sahib, or head of theinstitution. We returned to NavjyotiNiketan for lunch.

After lunch we went to the KhudaBakhsh Oriental Public Librarywhere Atiqur Rahman, the man incharge of the manuscripts,

explained the history of the libraryand showed us, with great devotion,some of the manuscripts kept in thelibrary. The beautiful miniaturepaintings and border-work, as wellas exquisite calligraphy, weregreatly admired by all. We evensaw a portrait of Mir AtaullahJa`fari, the man who had built theSangi Masjid we had seen in themorning.

Our final call was to the flat of theMashhadi family were we were ableto interact with the family membersas well as with half a dozen youngMuslim engineering students overan enjoyable afternoon-tea. It was avery relaxed and enjoyable affairwhere people felt free to askquestions. It was a fitting conclusionto a successfu l two-dayConvention.

Comments

It might be instructive to share theexperience of organizing aConvention along these lines on thePatna scene. The first point tonotice is that the Archbishop ofPatna, when requested to give theOpening Address, immediatelyconsented to do so and wrote it inhis diary. This was very heartening.So too was the response of WilliamD’Souza, the Jesuit Provincial. Hepromised to spend the whole ofSaturday at the Convention. Healso agreed to conduct theChristian portion of the introductoryprayer service.

The introductory flier quoted at the

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beginning was produced inDecember and circulated in thatmonth as well as in January. It wasnot sent by mail. It was personallyhanded over to a prominent personin a Catholic institution with anexplanation about what wasinvolved. On the average this tookabout an hour and included a cup oftea. It was interesting to notice thedifferent reactions. On the whole,the more open the group, thegreater the interest shown. Someschools, for example, made animmediate commitment to sendsome teachers, while othersshowed little interest. This isu n d e r s t a n d a b l e . C a t h o l i cinstitutions in Patna are working atfull stretch to meet the demandsmade on them. That is why theironly real knowledge of Muslims iscommonly what they derive fromthe media. They all know about theactivities of the Taliban inAfghanistan, but possibly do nothave a personal relationship with asingle Muslim in Patna. TheConvention was an opportunity toform a mental framework related toreal Muslims in Patna. Sadly, manyfailed to avail themselves of thisopportunity. On the other hand, itwas greatly encouraging to seeJohn Baptist Thakur, Bishop ofMuzaffarpur, come for the whole ofSaturday along with a number of hispriests.

On the Muslim side, it wasinteresting to notice how, in spite ofthe clear instruction to give anexperience-based presentation,reinforced by the short explanationin the programme, which all

received ahead of time, a numberstarted off with one or the otheraspect of Quranic teaching. Thiswas, in itself, an experience ofMuslim life!

Three of the Muslim speakers didnot turn up. I learnt about one ofthem two days previously, but hadno intimation about the other two.One was sick, and the other alsoclaimed to be sick, but he hadwritten out his presentation in Urduand I think he found it difficult togive it in English. In the event all theparticipants – with one exception –would have followed what he had tosay.

Nevertheless the programme wasnot adversely affected, but ratherenhanced by their absence, for onegentleman had prepared a talkwhich he would not otherwise havebeen able to present, and we hadenough time for each speaker totalk and then answer questions. Ifall had come we would have beenrushed for time. We also had moretime to allow people to give theirreactions to the programme. Thisproved to be a boon, for theirinterventions clearly showed howsuccessful the day had been intouching hearts and minds.

When the programme was ready,three days were spent distributingcopies to both Catholics andMuslims. It was the final reminder.

The combination of a day ofexperience-based input fromMuslims, followed by visits to avariety of Muslim institutions on the

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second day, and the opportunitiesfor interaction on both days, provedto be a successful formula.

Assistancy Advisory Committeeon Interreligious Dialogue

Meets in St. Louis

Francis X. Clooney, S.J.

In May, 1998, I accepted a requestfrom the Jesuit Conference tocoordinate the United StatesAssistancy¹s work in response tothe directives of the 34th GeneralCongregation on Mission andInterreligious Dialogue. Thereafter,in consultation with the provincials,I put together an AssistancyA d v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e o nInterreligious Dialogue, to help mein this work: James T. Bretzke(JSTB; Wisconsin), Raymond A.Bucko (New York), Philip J.Chmielewski (Chicago), William J.Farge (New Orleans), Paul L. Heck(New England), Raymond G.Helmick (New England), Ignatius F.Ohno (Oregon), James D.Redington (Maryland), John A.Saliba (Detroit), Carl F. Starkloff(Missouri), Augustine H. Tsang(California). Joseph P. Horriganfrom the Upper Canada Province isalso going to be working with us,since many issues link the twoassistancies.

This was the first such gathering ofJesuits for this purpose in theUnited States and hopefully afruitful beginning to a largerinitiative by US Jesuits. Key to themeeting was the opportunity for thecommittee members to get to knowone another, sharing personalstories and apostolic experiences.

Since the committee includesJesuits from all the provinces, wewere also able to learn more aboutlocal initiatives directly related todialogue, and also about organizingefforts in other areas that mightserve as a model for our work.

Organizing Jesuits on an assistancylevel is a daunting task, so we alsoexamined the roles of the convenerand the committee, and asked whatkinds of planning is really feasibleon an assistancy level.

On the second day, we were able toenter into more substantivediscussions about mission anddialogue, realizing that we cannotmake steady progress in the area ofd ia logue wi thout a goodunderstanding of the Church’spositions on evangelization anddialogue, and a sense of what afruitful Jesuit contribution might beto the Church’s larger mission.

We agreed that dialogue isindicative of the providentialsituation in which we find ourselvestoday; as Pope John Paul II hassaid, “By dialogue we let God bepresent in our midst, for as we openourselves to one another, we openourselves to God”.

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Our conversations affirmed thatdialogue is a positive value, anecessary response to the situationin which we find ourselves. We alsosaw that dialogue has to beintegrated with other aspects of ourwork, ranging from a broadcommitment to the evangelizationof culture to our work in education,in the ministry of the Exercises, withthe dispossessed and refugees,and on the whole must be linkedwith practical issues which concernAmericans of all religiousbackgrounds particularly insituations of actual or potentialviolence where religions can eitheraggravate or alleviate tensions.

We did not have time to analyzeany issue in depth, but at leastgained a good sense of thebalances required for fruitfuldialogue with people of otherfaiths.

On Sunday we concluded withsome brainstorming about what todo next.

We sketched various practicalstrategies: e.g., a website fordialogue-related news andd o c u m e n t s ( h t t p : / /web.lemoyne.edu/ jesuit/dialogue);the composition of a bookletcontaining brief sketches ofdifferent religions and a usefulbibliography on religions, the Jesuithistory of interreligious encounters,and Church documents.

Though no plans have yet beenmade, we envision one or moreconferences over the next several

years: e.g., a conference forinterested Jesuits and some of ourlay colleagues, and especially withpersons of other faith traditions. I may also work together conveninga small conference for scholars whoare specialists in Jesuit missionhistory.

I hope that readers of this report willshare with me and the AdvisoryCommittee their insights as to howwe should implement dialogue inthe American context, how it is tobe balanced and integrated withother Christian values andcommitments, and what initiatives,local or national, should behighlighted in the near future.

Making dialogue a dimension of allour Jesuit ministries is a project stillin its infancy, and your ideas andsuggestions are vitally important toour work in this area.

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OUR BULLETIN ON THE WEB

We are happy to report that the firstseven issues of the English edition ofour Bulletin Jesuits in Dialogue: theInterreligious Dimension is now oninternet. You can find us at thefollowing address:

http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/dialogue/

In this way you can consult the earlierissues in case you missed or mislaidone, and also have the articles alreadyscanned for recopying or sending toothers.So far, only the English version isavailable, but we hope to eventuallyhave all language versions on theworldwide web.We hope eventually to include noticesof past and future activities ininterreligious dialogue, relevantarticles, and documentary features.Jesuit Secretariat for InterreligiousDialogue.

EJIFSummer Program 2000

in Albania

Darko Perkovic, S.J.

This summer EJIF (EuropeanJesuits in Formation) has onceagain gathered scholastics from allaround the Europe organizing itstraditional Summer Meeting. Inorder to create the properatmosphere for the meeting, weheld it in Albania. Why Albania?

Since this year’s theme wasInterreligious Dialogue, the EJIFCoordinating Commission thought itwould be important to find aEuropean country which could giveus the taste of mixing with believersof another religion. Albania today isstill recovering from 40 years ofofficially imposed atheism and hasa population composed of Muslims,Orthodox and Catholic Christians,and non-believers. Albania wascertainly the right place for ourdeliberations.

The Summer Meeting was heldfrom 27th July to 17th August. Wewere situated in the valley of Pezë,some 20 km west of Tirana, at theHabib Conference Center belongingto the Bahai community. We werevery well received and theaccommodation had all facilities weneeded.

Our activities, as in previous years,were divided into three parts: theEJIF Forum, an eight-day retreatand the EJIF Symposium. Let mepresent a summary of each of theseevents.

The EJIF Forum:

We were 19 participants comingfrom two German and two Polishprovinces, the Spanish Baetica,Tarraconense and Loyolaprovinces, Italy, Malta, Flanders,Croatia, France, Ireland, Rumania,Portugal, Austria, Britain andSwitzerland. The theme focused oninterreligious dialogue andpresentations were given over 5

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days by Fr. Tom Michel S.J. Wehad lectures on Islam and werealso given some short insights intothe other main world religions. Wehad a lot of opportunities to askquestions in order to deepen ourknowledge and approach of otherfaiths. For this we are most gratefulto Fr. Tom, who spoke with suchgreat respect about other faiths. Wewere also very glad to welcomeFather Mark Rotsaert S.J., theacting president of the C.E.P., withwhom we had a meeting during oneof the evenings, mainly about thetopic of formation and the meaningof the C.E.P and its task.

The EJIF Retreat:The retreat was situated in the lineof the interreligious theme. Theretreat director was Fr. Christiaanvan Nispen S.J., from Cairo. Fr.Christiaan has a very richexperience and wide knowledgeboth in spiritual matters and inIslam, as we could see from hisdaily inputs for our meditations.

Most of his religious life he spent inEgypt working and living withMuslims. Frs. José Maria OrozcoMorales S.J. and Tom Michel S.J.assisted as spiritual directors. Weall sensed it was a very privilegedexperience to do the retreattogether as a particular way tofoster strong ties with each other,rooted in our common desire tofollow Christ as his companions.

The EJIF Symposium:The main issue of this year’s EJIFSymposium was the election of thenew Coordinating Commission.

The election took place in thepresence of Father Chris DyckhoffS.J., Socius to the President of theC.E.P. The three new members ofthe Coordinating Commission areLudger Michael Joos from theUpper German Province, GeorgesHenry Ruyssen from the NorthBelgium Province, and myself,Darko Perkovic from the CroatianProvince. After the election we

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discussed the positive and lesspositive aspects of the SummerMeeting 2000 and also the possibletopics that could be included in the2001 Summer Meeting. The majorinterests were directed at themeslike Formation in the Society ofJesus, Community Life, and issuesdelated to Refugees and Migrantsin Europe.

During these three weeks we livedin great harmony and brotherhood,tasting fully Ignatius’ words of ourbeing companions of Jesus andfriends in the Lord. We all had agreat sense of our great cultural,linguistic and spiritual variety andriches as members of one and thesame international, European bodyor communitas ad dispersionem.We were well received by the ItalianJesuit community in Tirana whichorganised on three occasions asocial evening for us: the firstevening we arrived in Tirana, theFeast of St. Ignatius, and the lastevening of our stay in Albania. Wevisited the Emmanuel Communityfor former drug-addicts, which is inthe process of being built andlocated halfway from Tirana to Pezëand run by Italian Jesuits. We alsohad a chance to pay a visit to theJesuit Major Seminary in Sköder innorthern Albania, a poor city mainlyinhabited by Catholics. As leisureactivities, we went twice to thewonderful sand beaches of Durrëson the Adriatic Sea, spending theafternoons playing water polo andfootball.

Looking back on the Meeting, Icould say that it once again

succeeded in achieving its primarygoal, that of building friendship anda stronger feeling of onenessamong young European Jesuits. Ihope that this short report will be anencouragement for your brotherlyprayers for the next EJIF Meetingwhich is to be held in Portugal.

Religious Dimensionsin the Dialogue

Amongst Civilisations

Chandra Muzaffar

Dialogue among people of differentreligious communities is morewidespread today than ever before.For many of those involved in thisprocess, dialogue is an avenue toexplain one’s own faith to the otherand to learn a little about thereligion crone*s dialogue partner.Tine are sortie who would like tosee this dialogue go beyond‘Knowing one another’. They hopethat through active intellectualinteraction and engagement ashared universal spiritual-moralworld view will emerge which willserve as the basis or a new trulyjust and compassionate globalcivilization What they am seeking isn o t j u s t i n t e r - r e l i g i o u sunderstanding but the nurturing of adeep human bond of love andempathy transcending religiousaffiliations. It is of course true thatare some groups and individualsengaged in inter-religious dialogue

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whose real aim is to convert dieother to one*s religion or at least ‘toprove that ones religion is superiorto the others.

While inter-religious dialogue isgaining momentum, the relationshipbetween civilizations is beingshaped — as has been the ease formost of human history— by theforces of power and wealth. Thecentres of power and wealthlocated largely in die West and theNorth are creating a globalcivilisation driven by money market,machine, and media. Since at theroot of this drive is an obsessionwith the first M, we have describedthe ideological foundation ofcontemporary civilisation asmoneytheism. Multi -NationalCorporations (MNCs) and,increasingly, currency traders,dominate the global economy.Coca-Cola and McDonald*s are inevery nook and cranny of theplanet. CNN reaches most middle-class livingrooms around the globe.Films and videos, comics andcartoons, music and dances fromthe United States have become partand parcel of a global culture ofsorts. Heroes and heroinespromoted by sporting activitiesassociated with the centres ofpower and wealth in the West havebecome global idols with millions ofraving fans. And, parties andcompetitive elections are regardedas the essence of politics whileadherence to individual civil andpolitical rights is the ultimatemeasure of political maturity.

The global economy, global culture

and global politics may bedominated by the centres of powerand wealth in the West but there isno denying that elements from non-western c iv i l isat ions a lsosometimes seep into the planetaryarchitecture. Foods and music andeven figures from the non-westernworld of sports. entretainment andpolitics do every now and thenacquire global fame. Rut more oftenthan not, it is because thcy are ableto fit into the milieu shaped by thedominant West. They may addvariety to but in no way are theyallowed to threaten Westernhegemony.

In many respects, Westernhegemony has had an adverseImpact upon the rest of humankind.It has thwarted the growth orvalues, cultures and social systemswhich may have been able tocontribute to human civilisation as awhole. At the same time, it has ledto the imposition of systems orthought and patterns of living whichare antithetical to the principles ofsocial justice and the tenets ofsocial harmony and equilibrium.Conspicuous consumption by anelite and widening economicdisparities have eroded the notionof social obligation that the rich hadtowards the poor in many traditionalnon-western societies. Similarly thedecline of the family and thedisintegration of the communityhave not only weakened socialcohesion but also undermined thedissemination of positive moralvalues within the populace.

This does not mean that Western

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influence which is ubiquitous hasnot produced any positive results brnor- Western societies. Democraticinstitutions, the empowerment orwomen, the mechanisms forattaining economic prosperity andthe utiIisation of science andtechnology for the public goodw ou ld be some o f t heaccomplishments of the Westwhich have been harnessed bynon-western societies for their ownbenefit.

Nonetheless, the emasculation ofnon-western cultures and theperpetuation of vast iniquities ofwealth, power and knowledge inmany non-western societies havehelped to spawn mass religiousmovements which are otteropposed to Western cultural andpout cal hegemony. Thesemovements seek to re-assert a‘pure and pristine’ religious identity— an identity which invariably isinterpreted in rigid, dogmatic terms.Their leaders and interpreters whoare often from the educated middle-class have begun to discover thatthe deprived and disadvantagedmasses yearning for a modicum ofjustice are always a ready andreceptive constituency for their skill,simplistic political rhetoric.

Whenever these groups obtainpolitical power, they reinforcereligious division and dichotomies insociety. Sometimes they display adegree of religious chauinism whichbetrays the universalism embodiedwithin their own philosophies. Thisis true to Some extent of theBharattiya Janata Party (BJP) in

India today with its slogan of‘Hinduvta’. The Islamic clerics at thecore of the Islamic State in the Iranhave exhibited yet another face ofr e l i g i o u s r e s u r g e n c e .A u t h o r i t a r i a n i s m w h i c hconcentrates power in the hands ofthe religious elite and delegitimisescompeting perspectives on religiousdoctrine is one of the definingcharacteristics of the religious state.Meanwhile, boils in India and Iranfundamental economic challengesconfronting the people remainunresolved.

The failure of the authoritarianreligious elite in Iran to addressissues of justice, freedom andequality has given birth to a popularreform movement in which womenand youths play prominent roles.The Islamic reformers, in contrast tothe authoritarian elite, are valueoriented rather than law-based;inclusive rather than exclusive;universal rather than sectarian.Hence, their commitment to thedialogue of civilisations. Howeverfor the religious reformers to carryforward their struggle they shouldbe seen as authentic articulas ofchange espousing an alternativefrom within rather than without thetradition.

Equally important, they have toprove to the people that they havethe knowledge, the ability and theskills to overcome problems relatedto economic justice, politicalfreedom and social cohesion.

The time has come for religiousreformers to produce concrete,

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tangible policies and programmeswhich are not only directed at theirown people but also seekto addresslarger civilisational crises — criseswhich are connected, in a sense, tothe perennial question of the humanbeing*s place in the universe andher ultimate destiny.

Are the reformers capable ofcoming to grips with criticalcivilisational challenges? Whatevertheir strengths and weaknesses,the prevailing situation appears tofavour the reformers. As we havehinted, flaws in the authoritarian,dogmatic approach to religion arebecoming more and more obviousto alt and sundry. Besides, some ofthe major problems facing humansociety both at the national andinternatiomaI levels, call forsolutions which are value based —which is the perspective from whichthe reformers view contemporarychallenges. To check the decline ofthe family and erivironmentaldegradation, for instance, one hasto inculcate respect for intra-familyties and for relations with nature.

At the international level, it is notpossible to tame the havoc wreakedby currency speculators without afundamental reorientation in ourapproach to money which has nowbeen transformed from a medium ofexchange into a commodity forprofit. The battle against casinocapitalism is, in the ultimateanalysis, a moral struggle thatdemands a new value-system. Theproliferation of weapons of massdestruction can only be broughtunder control if civilisation as a

whole views human security andhuman relations, expressed atdifferent levels of interaction, from anon-vio lent non-aggressivestandpoint. This requires a valuetransformation. The reformers arealso helped by the fact thatsocieties everywhere are becomingheterogeneous today. The spreadof muIti-religious societies meansthat human beings have no choicebut to live with the other. When thepresence of ‘the religious other* isno longer a theoretical constructbut a living reality, one*s attitudesand values, willy-nilly, will undergoa change. ltis not inconceivable thatover time people will become moretolerant and accommodative of oneanother — though in theinterregnum there are bound to beinter-religious tensions and evenconflicts. The accommodative,inclusive approach of the reformers,needless to say, will become morerelevant in multi-religious societiesseeking to establish a modusvivendi. Globalisation, and theborderless world that is emerging inits wake, enhances the relevance ofthe reformers. As humankind as acollectivity becomes more and moreconscious of its shared existenceand common fate, it will realise howimperative it is to strengthen thesinews within the human familythrough shared interest and sharedvalues. The reformers’ universalspiritual-moral ethic will provide abasis for tomorrow’s global unity. Inspite of the present confusion andcrisis, there is no doubt that it is thehands of the reformers that willshape the future.

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The above essay was presentedThe House of World Cultures,Berlin, Germany on 18 November2000 by Chandra Muzaffar, aMalaysian Muslim political scientist.

Address of Father Generalto the consultation

“Jesuits among Muslimsin Europe”

Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J.

I welcome you to the consultation“Jesuits among Muslims in Europe,”sponsored by the Conference ofEuropean Provincials andorganized by the Secretariat forInterreligious Dialogue. You arehere, in most cases, because youhave been named by yourProvincials, based on yourexperience, expertise, or interest inthis field of apostolate, to representthe Province at this consultationand to communicate its results andfindings to the members of yourProvince.

The presence of Muslims in Europeis varied and raises for Jesuits abroad range of issues. For those ofyou coming from Provinces ofEastern Europe, the presence ofMuslims is not something new,dating back centuries to theOttoman and Mongol conquests,

but challenged once again in thepost-communist period by theresponsibility of building peacefuland pluralist societies. Thosecoming from Western Europe arefacing new and complicatedsituations brought on by themigration of Muslims in recentdecades. In a number of Europeancountries, there is the relativelyrecent phenomenon of conversionsof Europeans to Islam, and there isalso the new phenomenon of thechildren of Muslim migrants, bornand educated in Europe, livingbetween two cultures with divergentvalue systems.

Your reflections at this consultationwill cover a wide range of topicsand situations. You will have toreview the fears and concerns ofEuropeans faced with unforeseencultural changes in their homesocieties, with the ever-presentdanger of extreme nativistreactions. You will have to look atthe reactions of Muslims to thehighly secular modern Europeansocieties in which they live,reactions which can be judgmentaland work to the detriment ofnational unity. You must also lookat the possibilities of an emerging“European Islam” which seeks tointegrate what is best in Europeantraditions of personal dignity andhuman rights into the teachings ofIslam, thus offering the possibility ofmaking a positive contribution bothto European societies and to theworldwide Islamic community.

As Jesuits, you will seek to apply toyour own national and regional

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situations the directives of thedocuments of the 34th GeneralCongregation, specifically those of“Our Mission and InterreligiousDialogue” and “Our Mission andCulture.” You must ask yourselvesand one another what can andshould dialogue with Muslims meanfor Jesuits living in contemporaryEurope.

What impact does the presence ofMuslims have on our mission todayas we seek to offer our world aservice of faith that does justice indialogue with cultures and people ofother religions? How do we relateto Muslims, and teach our fellowChristians to live among Muslims,as deeply committed believers inGod who strive to make oursocieties more humane, just,peaceful and respectful oflegitimate differences? Can we findways to share our faith withMuslims that take into account thedeeply religious path that they arealready following?

This is the first such consultation ofEuropean Jesuits to study thequestion of Christian-Muslimrelations, but it is not intended to bethe last. It will not be possible totreat at much depth all the variedissues which will arise. It is realisticto hope, however, that from yourconsultation will grow a nucleus ofEuropean Jesuits who will be ableto animate the Provinces to addressthese issues in coming years. It willbe your task to find the mosteffective ways to promote thissharing at the European level.

To encourage you in yourdeliberations on these days, I citethe words of “Our Mission andCulture” from the last GeneralCongregation: “It is part of ourJesuit tradition to be involved in thetransformation of every humanculture, as human beings begin toreshape their patterns of socialrelations, their cultural inheritance,their intellectual projects, theircritical perspectives on religion,truth and morality, their wholescientific and technologicalunderstanding of themselves andthe world in which they live. Wecommit ourselves to accompanypeople, in different contexts, asthey and their culture make difficulttransitions” (4:25.) I will pray foryou these days so that your effortsin Ludwigshafen might bear fruit inhelping the Society to carry out thisaspect of our mission in Europe.

Dialogue in Guyanafor Justice and Peace

Joshi Praadep A., S.J.

When I asked a Muslim if we couldmeet together regularly to shareo n e a n o t h e r * s r e l i g i o u sexperiences, he was suspicious:“Why do you want, meet and sharereligious experiences?” He feltthere must he some hiddenagenda, that it was only a means tothe final goal of conversion. ‘Youknow”, he said to me “we Muslimsare missionary minded, and youChristians are also missionaryminded. So there is bound to be a

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collision in meeting and discussingreligion.” I replied. “No. I don*t wantto discuss. All I want is to knowmore about and appreciate Islamand Muslims better.

I would also like to pray with you”.His suspscion is not uncommonamong Muslims and, to a lesserextent, among Hindus.

But I did not give up. After speakingwith several Hindus and Muslims,about ten of us met every month.To one Muslim member I said “Yourfather has some posters in his bigshop which says Christ did not dieon the cross and other statementswhich embarrass me as aChristian.” “I*ll speak to my father,”he replied. Those posters wereremoved. His father became a verygood friend of mine, and evenasked me to be on the CorentynePeace Council which had twoMuslims, two Hindus and me.Persons brought their problems tous. We visited them in their homesevery Wednesday, or they came toour office. Our purpose was tosolve their problems and save themfrom going to the courts. We solvedabout 50% of their problems. At thesame time we got he good will ofall. As a Catholic priest I was ableto foster plenty of good will for theChurch.

I was also invited by thePentecostal Pastors, over ten ofthem, to a meeting to organise aMarch for Jesus. I felt the way theywere doing it would offend thesensitivities of the Hindus andMuslims. I explained the Catholic

point of wiew that we believe thatthere are many beliefs andpractices in non Christians religionswhich are true and holy, and thatwe have a high regard for theirmanner of life, many of whomwould put to shame Chriastians.Their religions reflect a ray of thattruth which enlightens all people. Iexpressed my view that the way themarch would be conducted is likepointing a finger at them. I alsospoke of how Christ praised thefaith of a pagan Roman officer whosaid to Jesus, “I*m not worthy thatyou should come to my house butonly say the word and my servantshall be healed.” Jesus wassurprised at his great faith and saidto the crowd that followed him, “Ihave never found faith like this noteven in Israel” (Lk 7:9). My remarkswere recorded in the minutes andwe continued to be good friends.

In dialogue we don*t gloss over ourdifferences but we don*t emphasisethem either. But we emphasise thepoints we have in common like faithin Jesus prayer, fasting and doinggood to the poor and sick. Wewould often meet and praytooether. In the Sacred Heart parishwe have three other Chrtstianchurches. We are planing to meet,pastors and lay leaders. I do notknow what will emerge, but we canpray and plan a small projecttogether. We can celebrate somefeasts together. On the moreserious side we can read anddiscuss somemof the joint-statements issued in Europe andand North America. The mostrecent Roman-Catholic-Anglican

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statement in May 1999 on “The Giftof Authority” can be regarded as anecumenical break-throug. Such astatement can be studied in theparishes to undestand andappreciate more deeply God*s giftof authority given us by Godthrough his Son Jesus and his Vicaron earth, the Pope, the Bishops,priests and lay leaders in differentways.

All humans beings are made byGod, and our hearts are restlessuntil they come to rest in God. Allhuman beings are in ceaselessquest for complete happiness. Thequest is inspired by the Holy Spirit.All religions arose from thisprimordial openness to God. Attheir origins we often find founderswho, with the help of God*s Spirit,achieved a deeper religiousexperience. Handed on to othersthis experience took form indoctrines, rites and precepts of thevarious religious. Every authenticreligious experience finds itsexpression in prayer. We canalways join in praver with membersof different churches and faiths. Inthis way we help one another totranscend ourselves. I have oftenjoined alcoholics and drug addictsin praying the serenity prayer. Theirmembers are of different religionsor of none. What a sense offellowship we all experience inprayer. This fellowship is essentialto overcome weaknesses and comecloser to God. Jesus himself longedfor fellowship. He showed it on somany occasions, especially in hisagony: “Stay here with me andpray.” You ust have heard or read

how Hindus, Muslims, Buddhistsand Christians of several Churchesjoned with Pope John Paul II for theWorld Day of Peace at Assisi on 27October 1986. He has had similarmeetings on other occasion.Hindus, Muslims and Christianshave reflected at a meeting andwritten down what they thought wasgood and what they thought wasbad about the other two. I sharedthese reflections and we agreed toemphasise what we thought wasgood about the others. In this waywe broke down barriers andstereotyped images of one another.We became less judgmental andmore appreciative. Instead, respect,trust and love grew. All of us experi-enced an inter-conversion insomeway or other. We hecamemore open to each other and toGod. This was a great experiencenot only for me by for the other withwhom I met. Our desire to live inpeace and harmony with otherswas not just a desire but an action.I have prayed with Muslims andHindus in their mosques andmandirs and they with me. I haveattended their readings of the HolyQu’ran and the Bhagavad Gita andeven dared to explain verses fromthem. They liked my explanations -they thought they were unique. Andthey surprised me with theirappreciation of passages from thebible. Truly justice and peace canbe conso l i da ted t h roughecumenical and inter-faith dialogue.We all have to learn something andnot seek ourselves but only Godalone who has revealed himself toChristians and others through hisSon, Jesus.

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VIEW FROM NIGERIA

PRAYERTHAT UNITES

Peter Schineller, S.J.

We have all had the experience. Aschool, a public gathering, or acelebration such as a wedding or afuneral. It is time for a prayer toopener to conclude the occasion.The Reverend Father, theReverend Sister, or one of theelders is called upon to lead theprayer. It is a mixed group, that is,many are Christians but non-Catholics, and a large number areMoslems. In such a setting, howdoes one pray? What prayer? Doesone begin with the sign of thecross? Does ore mention JesusChrist, and pray through him to theFather? Does one recite the OurFather?

Of course. if the gathering iscomposed of 90% Catholics, it isfitting and proper to utilize prayersthat Catholics are familiar with andfeel at home with. The Hail Mary,the hail Holy Queen or Angeluscould be prayed. But if there aremany Muslims there, what does oresay? How does ore pray in a waythat the Muslims can join ourprayer?

My suggestion is that in a mixed

group, with a considerablepercentage of Muslims, we go theextra mile, and pray in a way thatthey feel at home with. I see suchoccasions of prayer with Muslimsas opportunities to show ourrespect and admiration for theirfaith. Instead of making them feeluncomfortable by emphasizing whatis distinctive to Roman Catholics.we Christians might betteremphasize what we believe incommon with our Muslim brothersand sisters.

This is not being unfair to ourtradition, not watering down whatwe believe. Do we rot regularly praythe Psalms - and the Psalms makeno explicit mention of the Trinity, orJesus or May? They are powerfulprayers, and in fact, Muslims wouldfeel very much at home with manyof the Psalms.

For an example of prayer withMuslims, we have the words ofPope John Paul II. At variousoccasions he has met with andprayed with Muslim leaders andMuslim faithful. I will give one keyexample of bow he prayed with andfor Muslims and Christians, andthen comment on and show bow wemight adapt and use that prayer.Note above all that it is prayer thatemphasizes the faith that we sharewith Muslims. not the faith thatdivides The place was Dakar,Senegal, the year 1992. Pope JohnPaul II at the conclusion of hismajor address, invited the Muslims

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to pray with him, and prayed asfollows:

O God, you are our Creator, Youare good and Your mercy knows nobounds. To you arises the praise ofevery creature.

O God, You have given us an innerlaw by which we must live. To doYour will is our task.

To follow Your ways is to knowpeace of bead. To You we offer ourhomage.

Guide us on all the paths we travelupon this earth.

Free us from all the evil tendencieswhich lead our beads away fromYour will. Never allow us to strayfrom You.

O God, Judge of all humankind,help us to be included among yourchosen ones on the Last Day.

O God. Author of justice and peace,give us true Joy and authentic love,and a lasting solidarity amongpeoples. Give us your everlastinggifts. Amen.

May the God of Mercy, the God ofLove, the God of Peace, blesseach of you and the members ofyour families. Amen.

Introduction to the Prayer. Note thatthe Holy Father does not begin with

the sign of the cross. My suggestionis that we begin by asking for amoment of silence in words such asthese: “Let us now pause in silencefor a moment.* Then, after a briefpause, we begin the prayer.

Names of God. The Pope prays toGod with several names orattributes. He is Creator, judge, theone who gives the law, the authorof justic and peace, the one whogives joy. He is called the God ofMercy, Love, and Peace. We seethat the Pope does not refer toJesus the Son of God, nor even toGod as Father because for Muslimsthis might be taken as a way toemphasize that Jesus (as webelieve and they do not) is the only-begotten Son of the Father.

Additional names of God fromIslamic literature that are also veryChristian, names that could be usedwould be to invoke God as theexalted Ore.”,~ ‘the One who lovesbeauty,” and “the glorious One.”Especially favored by Muslims arethe attributes of God as “TheMerciful, the Compassionate.”

Themes for Prayer with Muslims.

The Pope prays that we do God*swill, and follow God*s ways. We askGod to guide us, keep us from evil,and to include us among thosechosen on the Last Day. We praythat God bless us and our families,that God give us joy, love, andsolidarity among peoples.

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Input from the Second VaticanCouncil can provide additionalguidance. The Council Fathersgave a clear summary of how wehave much in common, but alsoserious differences with adherentsof Islam. There we read thatMuslims are among those whoacknowledge the Creator,” and,“professing to hold the faith ofAbraham, along with us adore theone and merciful God, who on thelast day will judge mankind” TheChurch, No.16). An oft-quotedpassage, the Declaration on theRelationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (No. 3) states:

Upon the Moslems too, the Churchlooks with esteem. They adore oneGod, living and enduring, mercifuland all-powerful, Maker of heavenand earth and Speaker to men.

T h e y s t r i v e t o s u b m i twholeheartedly even to Hisinscrutable decrees, just as didAbraham, with whom the Islamicfaith is pleased to associate itself.Though they do not acknowledgeJesus as God, they revere him as aprophet. They also honor Mary, Hisvirgin mother at times they call onher too, with devotion. In additionthey await the day of judgmentwhen God will give each man hisdue after raising him up.Consequently, they prize the morallife, and give worship to Godespecial ly through prayer.almsgiving, and fasting.

This official statement of the Churchon Islam gives much wisdom thatshould guide us in praying withMuslims.

Conclusion of the Prayer. The Popeconcludes the prayer with “Amen”.He does not conclude as Christiansoften do, by praying to the Father,in the Spirit, through the Son, JesusChrist. For example, we often endour prayers, “We make this prayerthrough Christ our Lord. Amen” Butin the situation where manyMuslims are present and prayingwith us, it is perfectly proper toconclude as the Pope does. “Giveus your everlasting gifts. Amen.”We might also conclude with wordslike these: “We pray in Your name.Amen.” Or, May You be blessedand praised, forever and ever.Amen.” Or again, “To You belongsplendor, might, and mastery, nowand forever. Amen.”

Prayers that Lead to Unity. The Church urges every Catholic towork and pray for unity among all ofGod*s people. Occasions whereChristians and Muslims meet andpray are one opportunity to fosterunity. These are opportunitieswhere Christians can show goodwill by praying in a way that unitesrather than stresses differences anddivisions. Seeing this as the path tounity, Pope John Paul II spoke toMuslims in Italy in 1980: “May thespirit of unity and of reciprocalrespect show itself more powerful

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than that which divides and sets atodds.”

Let me conclude with words that theHoly Father in Belgium in 1985

addressed to Christians andMuslims.

These words emphasize what wehave in common with our Muslimbrothers and sisters, and indicatethe spirit in which we might fruitfullypray with those of the Islamictradition: As Christians andMuslims, we encounter one anotherin faith in the one God, our Creatorand Guide, our just and mercifulJudge. In our daily lives we strive toput into practice God*s willaccording to the teaching of ourrespective Scriptures. We believethat God transcends our thoughtsand our universe and that His lovingpresence accompanies usthroughout each day. In prayer, weplace ourselves in the presence ofGod to offer Him our worship andthanksgiving, to ask forgiveness forour faults, and to seek His help andblessing.”

Even in small ways, Catholics canpromote the cause of religiouspeace and unity. The way weindicate here is sensitivity to andrespect for the faith of Muslimswhen we are called upon to pray ata gathering where there is a largenumber of Christians and Muslimspresent.