Is Interfaith just a Fluffy PR Scheme?
By: Hamzah Zahid
Tags: Religion, Spirituality, Islam, Christianity, Interfaith

Is Interfaith just a Fluffy PR Scheme?

Let’s talk about it.

Last year, I was at an event with two extremely senior figures from Sunni Islam and Christianity (who I will not name). Cameramen swooped around whenever the pair looked at each other or shook hands. They spoke of togetherness, mutual love, and compassion; excellent and noble words indeed, and not unfamiliar to those involved in interfaith.

How should one look at such an event? Is it a doctored, artificial veneer of togetherness that panders to the inclusivity agenda, glossing over the mutually exclusive claims of different religions? Or is this a brave attempt at bridge-building to connect communities in a polarised world?

The answer to this isn’t an ‘either-or’, as many tend to believe. Rather, it’s entirely to an individual to decide what interfaith spaces are for them.

The public-relations element of interfaith will always be there. In today’s polarised world, such events are valuable in creating some semblance of unity. Whilst they can be construed as mere acts of appeasement, for many they contain hope that dialogue — and hence civility and hospitality — is still the order of the day. They can be viewed sceptically, but they are very much still needed, even if (hypothetically) they aren’t genuine attempts at bridge-building.

Even if such events are insincere or dubious, the spaces and audiences created are ripe for fruitful interfaith encounters. Taking the example of the event that I attended; how often would scholarly people from Christianity and Islam find themselves sat next to each other, both in awe of their respective spiritual leaders? It would take but a smile or an introduction to set the stage for an interesting dialogue. The general taboo around discussing religion would be significantly lightened by the framing of the space as one to do with religion.

This is all the more so in smaller, more intimate interfaith settings, such as Scriptural Reasoning (SR) events. SR is when small groups of different faiths discuss passages from their respective scriptures on a given theme, such as food or forgiveness. Verses from, say, the Hebrew Bible are compared with the Qur’an and the New Testament. Discussions can last as long as is comfortable, and from experience, the two to three hour time slot is always too little time. Over the course of the discussion, I’ve seen body language melt from a defensive, cautious stance to a relaxed and open one. In such a tight and intimate space, meaningful discussion, bridge-building, and friendships are commonplace.

Your own opinions and perspectives become central in such experiences, so whether such a space is a fluffy PR scheme or not is entirely up to you. How much are you willing to put into such a space? Can you ask difficult questions, but be willing to be asked some yourself? Can you do so lovingly and empathetically?

If your answer to these questions is yes, then any interfaith space, whether one populated by spiritual leaders and figureheads or by the common person, is open to becoming a meaningful session of bridge-building.

I enjoy many deep and sincere relationships with people of other faiths because of interfaith spaces. My Christian friends were extremely supportive in the aftermath of the Christchurch shooting earlier this year, which was and still is traumatic for Muslims. And yet, we’re never shy of discussing fundamental differences in our respective traditions. We’ve invested a great deal of bravery into our relationships, and this has created trust which facilitates discussion around areas of both agreement and disagreement. My friends are proof to me that interfaith spaces are whatever I make them be. Maybe they are PR stunts at a higher level, but that will never stop me from seeking to build bridges.