May 2006
U-nite* for Fire Victims in Quiapo
“Huling Birit sa Tag-init” was the title of the evening of songs and music organized by the YUW (the Youth for a United World of the Focolare) group in Manila on May 27, 2006 to bid the summer good-bye. It was a fun-filled night attended by more than 60 young people and a truly special event at that, for it was an occasion for both Christian and Muslim youth to come together to enjoy the last days of summer for a special cause. This event was held to help a Muslim community in Quiapo which had been seriously displaced by a recent fire that destroyed a mosque and several houses in the area. The clothes that youth brought as a donation to the victims of the fire served as their entrance ticket to the event and by the end of the evening a van load of clothes had been collected for the community. Both Christian and Muslim youths ended that night with big smiles on their faces—a witness to the fact that even if they come from different backgrounds, a united world is possible!
*U-nite stands for Youth Night for Unity.
Sept. 2004
Building peace through DIALOGUE
An interreligious conference in Cotabato focused on practices and initiatives for peace building.
“What’s money? What’s it used for?” This was the intriguing question thrown at us by the respected woman leader of the Aromanen tribe in Carmen, North Cotabato during our visit to their community last September 28, 2004. “Development, what do you mean by that? We were given light and water, but at the end of the month, we have an utang (debt). We want to decide for ourselves whether we want koryente (electricity) or not.”
This and many other surprises lay in store for the 82 participants of the first tri-people meeting organized by the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace (ACRP) Forum in collaboration with the University of Santo Tomas (Manila) and the Southern Christian College of Midsayap, North Cotabato. It took a yearlong preparation interrupted by the Pikit war and the scarce resources available at hand. “Why do you still want to go to Mindanao?” somebody in fact asked us. “It is easier to hold it in Manila.” But the organizing committee wanted to understand the various groups of people, religions and cultures in the area; to share and learn practices and initiatives for peace building; and create networks to promote peace in the country.
As our Manila plane touched down at the Cotabato City airport, my eyes feasted on the lush, green rice fields around. Undoubtedly, Cotabato is a fertile land; in fact, we were told that it is the rice granary of Mindanao. Like the spokes of a wheel, diverse routes from Cotabato lead to many areas of Mindanao. On our way to the conference site, our tourist guide pointed out places usually tagged “hot spots” by the national news. But everything seemed calm even as small groups of men in uniform appeared at strategic checkpoints. Passing by the Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academy to fetch 19 young Muslim students joining the conference, we were awed to see hundreds of young Muslims welcoming us, waving their hands vigorously at us as if we had known each other for long. I felt a strong kinship with them.
The Southern Christian College celebrates its 55th Foundation Anniversary this year, “Serving together beyond boundaries.” In this context, the ACRP conference was set to take place, as well as the annual gathering of the pastors of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, of which the SCC is an expression. On the first evening, an evocative cultural presentation of the SCC Theater Guild depicted the history of Mandalawe, the land of peace that existed long before foreigners came to our land, a haven of abundance, freedom and peace.
The second day was dedicated to the presentation of the Christian, Tribal and Islamic religions as ways of life. Rev. Fr. Bert Layson, OMI, parish priest of Pikit, North Cotabato, conquered our hearts when he shared openly about his discovery of the “neighbor” through a painful experience of failure to recognize the Lord present in someone who had come to him for help. As he narrated his commitment to dialogue, the hall fell into a deep silence. Then he said forcefully: “A Christian cannot be a true Christian unless he loves a non-Christian… The worst enemy of Christianity is the dichotomy between faith and action.”
Fr. Layson is well-known for having taken into his parish Muslim evacuees at the height of the Pikit war. He has offered his room as a place of prayer for them. He also shared with us stories of simple people who had risked their lives to protect others of another religion. He and his collaborators are holding peace-building sessions, the first part of which is dedicated to four hours of the history of Mindanao before the settlers arrived, when people lived together in peace. “Peace,” he said, “is something that cannot be bought. It’s about relationships, the way we look at ourselves and at others. We must begin here.”
The tribal way of life was presented by Mr. Timuey Custudio Saliling, a tribal leader of Aromen, Cotabato City. He noticed that the topic assigned to him lacked the word Truth. How to reach the truth? He shared with us some common points of tribesmen. “The truth for a tribesman,” he affirmed, “lies in the system. To forget what ancestors have established is to reject the interrelatedness of things.” In conclusion, he shared his initial doubt: “Is the title of my topic really important to them? Or is it just to put ‘icing’ to the cake?” Very quickly he told us the story of how his wife had repaired a broken cake by splattering icing on the sides of the cake and then on the top to hide the cracks. “Thanks for splattering the icing if it can mend broken lives here,” he concluded.
The third speaker, Prof. Mustafa Salih of the Institute of Bangsa Moro Studies, introduced us briefly to Islam and presented the Islamic way of life based on the Tawhid, the Oneness of God, which is to be translated into the spiritual, economic, political and other aspects of life. He further spoke of man’s nature which is peace, where there is balance. “When man disturbs this balance, there is conflict, non-peace. So Allah sent the prophet to guide men who have created imbalance, or non-peace either with oneself, with nature, or with others. The role of religion is to bring man back to his Creator.” The open forum that followed provided intense moments of clarification on the bigger and lesser jihad; on why terrorism is linked to Islam in the world today; and if there is atonement for sin in Islam, etc. Answers came not only from the speaker, but also from the floor, from people who had first-hand experiences related to the matter.
At this point, we were introduced to a new type of workshop aimed at a dialogue of peace among the participants. The Workshop was divided into four parts. Parts I and II were literally an exercise of patient listening to one another without ever interrupting the one talking; the third part was a game of saying things frankly, objective acceptance of lights and shadows; in short, critical thinking without feeling hurt but rather experiencing true liberty, trusting in the “eye” of the brother who only wants our good; lastly, the thrilling experience of dreaming together with open eyes, daring to venture into the unknown side by side as companions in the journey towards the perfection of one’s total being. Personally, I felt our thinking was overturned 360 degrees! The general impression was “How wonderful it is when people work together in harmony!” As for the “action plan” so usual after conferences like these, a young tribal facilitator commented: “Isn’t it already an “action plan” when I listen to another’s way of life, learn from it, and then share it with my group so that it also becomes our way?”
The next day, at three in the morning, I was awakened by the perfume of coconut oil wafting up to the third floor where I slept. Later on, I learned that our Muslim friend had been preparing our packed lunch of “pastel”, a typical dish made of rice topped with minute pieces of fried chicken wrapped in a banana leaf. It was a fitting intro as we set out to visit different communities and learn from them precisely how to build peace.
At the Aromanen Manobo, to answer the question: “What is your concept of peace?” one leader pointed to a drawing on a wall showing their tribal structure of authority and answered, “Without oppression, as for every three families there is someone in charge; for every nine families, another; for every community still another person.” While sharing our packed lunch of “pastel”, we continued asking them questions. Here was a wealth of wisdom to be shared with the rest of the country!
Then we left in two jeepneys to visit the Aromanen community in Bentangan. Our guide made us squat on the floor, and then placed a one-peso coin on a white handkerchief at the center. Someone told us to write down our names on a piece of paper as the leader told us that the spirits needed to know us in order to protect us from harm on our trip home. I noticed at the end of the room there were two little houses, with white flags, a round table also covered with white cloth, some boxes, a white jar with water and two stones opened on top. This was the most holy part of the house. A few men were seated near it. Our guide then told us that these men were not married. When asked why, somebody replied: “There are priests or religious men and women in every religion. That’s why there are two benches here: one for men and one for women. They worship one night but they don’t worship together, they take turns.”
We reached Midsayap amid heavy rain. At suppertime the lights suddenly went off and someone said: “That’s good, so we can better understand our lumad brothers and sisters who don’t have electricity.” So with candlelight, in three groups we shared our learning and what we wanted to do afterwards. It was an intense moment of spiritual exchange so much so that we did not notice our backs had become wet with the rain. A young Muslim said: “Sharing is already dialogue. Here we are building unity.” At the joint session that capped the day, we were astonished at the common points we had reached in just a few days living side by side: Lumads, Muslims and Christians. Then we prayed together: “Give me, O Lord, the courage to live in dialogue amid divisions and conflicts, and to build peace with all people of sincere hearts who believe in your love and compassion. Amen.”
As our plane took off from Cotabato City, I felt a sudden surge of nostalgia for the people in whom I had encountered a new kind of learning, one that approaches the Spirit of God’s Wisdom which hovers over all.
Kres Gabijan
Nov. 2003
Reaching out with joy
A Muslim-Christian Forum held in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, was characterized by openness on both sides, and this leads, inevitably, to mutual enrichment.
Palawan is renowned for one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world. Its more than one thousand islands boast a rich underwater life amid sprawling coral reefs. Likewise, Palawan is considered a sanctuary for wildlife with its rainforests. Tourists are delighted by the splendor of the islands with its breathtaking views, warm and friendly people, and local arts and crafts. But more importantly, Palawan does not only possess beautiful islands, but it also has a good mix of cultures among its peoples. In these islands, there is peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians, notwithstanding the terrible hostage-taking incident at Dos Palmas a few years back.
Personal contacts among Muslims and Christians continue to grow and this constant interaction allows the building of deep relationships among them. The people come together not only for fellowship, but also to share each others’ joys and sorrows. It was not unnatural, then, for a Muslim professor to notice that the guests at his sons’ wedding were evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. On that occasion, the Catholic bishop was invited as one of the witnesses at the ceremony. The professor also deemed it necessary to respond, out of love for his Christian neighbor, to the crying baby next door. Finding out that the baby had not had any milk for two days, he was thus prompted to make sure she was fed.
With this background the First Muslim-Christian Forum was held at the Asturias Hotel in Puerto Princesa City last November 29, 2003. The desire to reach out to the others, to welcome them as brothers and to express the reality of this relationship, inspired them to hold this historic meeting of 220 participants, both Muslim and Christian. The afternoon forum had an atmosphere of reunion among brothers and sisters who were coming together.
Bishop Pedro Arigo welcomed the participants, setting the heartwarming tone for the occasion. Relationships that have been built among Muslims and Christians in Palawan are characterized by openness on both sides, and this leads, inevitably, to mutual enrichment. Christians have been invited to the mosques to have meaningful exchanges with Muslim leaders. In fact, Director Abdulwahab Lacsaman of the Al Farouq formation center for Muslim ustadzes emphasized the need for this close relationship. Underlining the need for dialogue among peoples, he stated that the world is not lacking in resources because there really is enough for everyone. Instead people are poor and not united, because they do not love each other. Indeed, Norma Valencia, one of those who have been working for Muslim-Christian collaboration in Palawan, remarked how it is love that brings down barriers and differences.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Idris Kuhutan praised the love he had felt from his Christian brothers. The concern shown him in a most concrete manner has remained indelibly in his memory. These various acts of love between Muslims and Christians have helped pave the way for greater dialogue between the peoples. The sharing of things in common rather than underlining differences has created that special moment of friendship and camaraderie.
And this dialogue of life can intensify with the art of loving, as explained by Costanza Tan, who represented the Focolare Movement. The technique discussed pointers on how we may look at one another, being the first to love the others in order to be one with the others. From the heads nodding in the audience, one could see that many people were deeply touched.
The personal testimonials confirmed the many instances when the speakers found themselves believing in the love between Muslims and Christians. Logically, the Gospel message and verses from the Qur’an serve as a guide in this common journey towards solidarity.
During the fellowship that followed, appreciation for the speakers’ inputs were clear signs of the possibility of bringing ahead unity and brotherhood to an even higher level. Unlike other occasions where Muslims and Christians did not dare reach out to one another, among those present, everyone felt he belonged here; everyone was willing to listen and to make the others feel important. The participants saw something different and that is what they wanted—living out peace and love. Even young people found the gathering beautiful, obviously enjoying it. Everyone was happy to have been an active participant in the meeting.
Palawan boasts of riches far beyond its abundant natural gifts. Underneath the effort to promote dialogue between Muslims and Christians is the joy of sharing a common desire to contribute to imbue human realities with the spirit of communion.
Jan Co Chua
Nov. 2002
FRIENDS, OR BETTER STILL, BROTHERS
By Nedo Pozzi with Ray Asprer
220 followers of Islam, close friends of the Focolare, came together with 140 Christians to celebrate brotherhood and unity.
Not a day passes without news reports on increas-ingly troubled relations between Islamic countries and those of the West. Terrorist acts and retaliations conjure up the specter of a destructive clash of civilizations.
Amidst all this, the recent meeting of 220 practicing Muslims from 25 nations and 4 different continents coming together in a reunion as “friends of the Focolare Movement” is certainly quite inspiring. Many of them consider the Movement’s founder, Chiara Lubich, not only a sister of theirs, but a leader as well, and for some, she’s even a spiritual mother.
The event in November 2002, at Castelgandolfo, Rome, was the fifth such of its kind, but, as one of the participants put it, “meeting each other like this always carries a new excitement!”
Cherif Diop, a resident of Bergamo (northern Italy), who originally hails from Senegal, commented: “I come from black Africa, but I have been living in Italy for 12 years now, with my wife and three children. I’m a factory worker. It’s the second time I attend a meeting like this. How nice it is to be able to share ideas and experiences with others in an atmosphere of unity where one feels welcome. It’s only here that I experience something like this.”
His was a spontaneous impression often echoed by other participants—more than a hundred from various European countries, 63 from the United States, 37 from the Middle East, and 16 from Asia, among whom were 9 Philippine representatives.
Each delegation—inspired by the Focolare’s spirituality of unity—had a fascinating story made up of past and ongoing experiences along the challenging path of interreligious dialogue in the quest for universal brotherhood.
With current world events and mounting controversies involving the United States, it was interesting to note that perhaps the largest group represented came from the US. Their heart-felt participation brought back memories of the extraordinary meeting they had had with Chiara not too long ago at the mosque of Malcolm X, in Harlem, New York. They are members of the American Muslim Society of W.D. Mohammed, who openly declares himself a follower of Chiara Lubich.
The theme, “Love for One’s Neighbor,” was like “a golden thread capable of binding together all cultures and faiths,” explained the organizers of the convention. This was precisely what Chiara Lubich then highlighted in her introductory talk, thus posing a challenge, as it were, to the imams and scholars present: in the midst of the troubling circumstances surrounding us today, let us seek out the golden strand that can lead us towards unity.
Two main characteristics of the convention stood out: on one hand the high-level talks shared by the invited speakers, and on the other, the rich and spontaneous exchange of concrete experiences among the participants, which gave witness to the life of unity that has been launched as a common path to follow.
The atmosphere throughout the entire gathering was one of human warmth and contagious joy which nurtured all relationships. In fact, when Chiara came back on the last day to answer the many questions for her, she was greeted with an amazingly warm and enthusiastic welcome.
In her answers, she gave indications and mentioned possible areas for further collaboration in the future—which suggestions were received enthusiastically.
At the conclusion of this unforgettable meeting, R., a Muslim from Jordan got up on stage to declare, ”Religions can never be the cause of dissent among people. They can never sow hatred. Woe to us if this should happen! Instead, religions need persons who live out their respective faiths and help one another to glorify God here on earth. And if anyone were to tell me that this was impossible, I would reply immediately: come and see how we are living together in these days. Come and see how Christians live side by side with Muslims, without any divisions, and in brotherhood, as one.”
The experience of friendship and unity lived among these Muslim friends is indeed something remarkable. Islamic practice in New York is different from that in Manila or in Algiers. Hence, aside from the rich exchange between Muslims and Christians, there was also this strong and surprising experience of communion among Muslims themselves.
A young Algerian couple explained: “It’s true, it was a surprise to find ourselves with other Muslims from countries so different from ours, where Islamic faith is practised in a different way. But the greater surprise was to discover this spirit of brotherhood so mutually enriching. Because even if among us Muslims there are small differences, this climate existing among us doesn’t make these differences an issue any longer.
“Here, one understands that what counts most among us Muslims is unity. Differences which elsewhere could be cause for quarrels are here transformed into love and mutual respect. Here, each one has the readiness to be a gift for the other.”
