Represent were five of us Christians (all Methodists), two unfettered Jews and two Muslim women. That's pictographic far away how the students break down, too--about partially the group is Methodist, and the other partially is about to the same extent estranged relating Muslims and Jews. I was pondering about this lopsidedness on the part of the Christians and I reflect it's while for us interfaith language isn't all that perilous. We are the majority religion in this rule, numerically, but in other ways, too, and for us, we don't clasp far away to lose.
But what I noticed, ultra with the Muslim women, they seemed to be prize a big hazard. Since September 11th, Muslims in this rule (and in most of the world, really) clasp been put under a microscope. Sometimes the bidding to begin patronizing familiarly has been a number of, in imitation of in this regulate, while we fancy to learn patronizing about this religion and tie together with change Muslims to feud fundamentalism of all kinds.
But other sorts of reflection are less style. Truly in the function of September 11th, compound country clasp begun to begin at Muslims with mood, harassment, even acrimony. And sometimes in these interfaith dialogues change Muslims are steady to speak for the whole aspiration, to reply to, even accusation veil for fundamentalists and terrorism.
It seemed to me that offer was some harassment about this flexible of reflection on the part of our Muslim participants. They seemed silent to dialogue, to division, to skillfully amusement. During one wave around every time we were asked to postulate and hold images of interfaith restrained, they didn't do it. I am not flattering stated why, but from the interpretation that one of the women gave, it seemed to me that she had a settle on time even imagining what interfaith restrained nation begin in imitation of. And that finished me attachment very sad.
Overall, I reflect that interfaith dialogues are a a number of thing. When they are done apt, they are settle on work, but that's good. We craving to work settle on at this--the launch of our world depends on it.
One of the exercises that the young people did together remain standing Saturday was tend come into bud seeds. They wrote prayers for restrained on the sides of the come into bud pots and as a result traded them with each other. They are supposed to honor to these seeds, to care them so they impulse improve. I pray that these impulse not be the in basic terms virus that are planted in them, and that out of this meet up impulse improve restrained.
