A means to an end, and a heartwarming end in itself!

Dear Friends,

Greetings of peace!

On October 24, 2007, forty imams and priests in Metro Manila learned that dialogue is not only a means to an end, but also an end in itself. They came together for the first time to engage in activities that involved not only speaking to each other with respect, but also listening to each other rightly with the heart; not only learning about each other and seeing similarities between them, but also accepting their differences and appreciating the fact that they are different; not only sharing with each other their hopes for a better world, but also working with each other in small groups to creatively and joyfully express their commitment to their collective endeavors for peace.

This happened when, after seven years of struggle by the Peacemakers' Circle URI CC in Manila to build respectful and harmonious relationships among people of diverse cultures and beliefs, financial support was finally made available. Through the funding of the Australian Embassy's Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding (SGIDU) Program, the Peacemakers' Circle was able to launch the first level of the IMAMS-PRIESTS DIALOGUE Training Seminar-Workshop that it had been hoping to contribute to the Muslim-Christian Relationship- building endeavors in the Philippines.

Level 1 of the program focused on Building the Foundations of Faith for Interfaith Dialogue , and it consisted of three progressive intra-faith sessions prior to the first meeting of the priest and imam participants. The Intra-Imams and Intra-Priests training workshops that were held on different dates within the months of September and October (in different locations) were crucial to the success of their first meeting on the 24th of October. It was in those separate workshops that the participating religious leaders of Islam and Roman Catholic Christianity were encouraged to "see" and "experience" the teachings and values of their respective faith traditions in the context of "being Muslim" and "being Christian" living in this world with people of "other" religions and faith traditions.

In the Intra-Priest workshops, it was interesting to note that many of the responses that the priests gave to the question, " Why dialogue?" were the same, or similar, to those that they gave to the question: "Why not dialogue?" But the difference, they realized, was in the attitude of heart. The former arose from the heart out of love, and the latter from the mind out of fear. For Christians, dialogue, as a way of being in relationship with others in the world is said to be a way of embodying love for "others" just as Jesus Christ, the Word of God, embodied God's love for the world.

In the Intra-Imam workshops, similar concerns that the priests had about dialogue were expressed by the imams, especially about preaching the faith to non-believers. There was a need to differentiate "preaching doctrine" from the endeavor of "relationship- building. " The training focused mostly on helping to enable the imams (and some representatives of the community of Balik Islam, or Muslim converts) see the teachings and ideals of their faith in the light of the latter. The concept of the "peace jihad" was introduced by Dr. Abdulhusin "Jo" Kashim, a Muslim trustee of our CC. He highlighted the universal human values in the Islamic context under the principle that balanced the profession of freedom ( ibadat) in the spiritual life (akhira) and the profession of justice (akhlaq) in the worldly life ( dunya). It was interesting to bear witness to the animated discussions among the learned Muslim religious leaders. Their comments and suggestions contributed to making this interfaith dialogue training program for imams a first-of-its- kind in our part of the country.

When the priests and imams finally met for the first time on the 24th of October, the day's session was filled with workshop activities that engaged them in various creative and challenging ways. It was heartwarming to bear witness to priests and imams eating together, discussing and practicing their small-group creative drama presentations together, singing together " Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me" and praying in adjacent rooms at noontime together. After halal lunch, the creative drama presentations (of eight groups of priests and imams) on their Visions of Peace enlivened the early afternoon with laughter and a heartwarming sense of camaraderie.

As I bore witness to the ease and spontaneity in which the priests and imams related with one another, I was awed by the realization that something big and beyond me was responsible for making this happen. I was humbled by the fact that despite me and my limitations, fears, doubts, and incapacities, and the difficulties of the challenges that I faced in getting priests and imams together for this training workshop, everything happened beautifully in the end anyway. It was truly humbling to bear witness to the unfolding of such shared goodness, hope, and joy in our midst!

Yesterday, November 12, thirty-five imams and priests met again to organize themselves and form a NATIONAL IMAMS-PRIESTS DIALOGUE FORUM (NIPDF). Through consensus voting they chose a Muslim Secretary General to manage its affairs for the coming year, and a Catholic priest to follow the year after. Our Peacemakers' CC was asked to be its Secretariat. Of course we accepted the responsibility happily and graciously like a mother would in caring for her child!

Today, we are happy to say that after seven years of endeavoring to promote interfaith dialogue and relationship- building in various ways, our Peacemakers' Circle CC in Manila has finally gained a measure of respect from members and influential leaders of various sectors of Philippine society. With the help of those who believe in our work, we hope to grow in our capacity to build bridges of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation in our parts of the world, and perhaps be of help also to others elsewhere where our help might be needed.

Please see related story with photos below.

Thank you for your kind attention. May Peace Prevail on Earth!

Yours sincerely,

MARITES GUINGONA-AFRICA
Executive Director
THE PEACEMAKERS' CIRCLE FOUNDATION, INC