Muslims
and Christians: Breaking Fast Together
By Josh Hayden
Washington, DC
Sunset on November 9, 2004 at
the elegant and palatial home of Imran and Tehmina
Khan began with a Muslim call to prayer and the
breaking of the Ramadan fast where Muslim and Christian
leaders gathered together in the name of understanding,
friendship and trust. This endeavor called the Buxton
Dialogue, sprouted from a friendship between former
Ambassador and Partner of Park Avenue Equity, Doug
Holladay and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies
at American University, Dr. Akbar Ahmed.
Influential men and women of both faiths gathered
together to celebrate and educate one another on
Muslim and Christian perspectives on the spiritual
discipline of fasting, to listen and understand
and to inspire further interfaith dialogue around
the world.
The attendees included the Jordanian Ambassador,
the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, distinguished
Pakistani Ministers and Advisors, a member of Pakistani
Parliament, US government leaders, religious scholars
and pastors, businessmen and women, and public officials,
all of whom believe their faith is vital to their
vocation and lifestyle. The evening began with a
welcome and short discussion of the Muslim traditional
breaking of the Ramadan fast followed by an authentic
Pakistani dinner and dialogue led by Dr. Akbar Ahmed
and the Honorable Doug Holladay.
Dr. Ahmed opened the discussion by explaining the
Buxton Initiative’s purpose of building a
“momentum based on trust” not based
in politics, but rather as “friends exploring
issues” built on a common understanding of
each other’s faith. Ahmed and Holladay emphasized
the timeliness and vitality of dialogue in which
according to Holladay, “the stakes couldn’t
be higher” in the midst of a world in political,
religious and ethnic rivalry. Symbolically, they
concurred that such dialogue could lead a troubled
world in “lighting a candle instead of cursing
the darkness.”
On the theme of fasting, two special and distinguished
guests launched the discussion. Dr. Luder Whitlock,
Executive Director of the Trinity Forum and Former
President of Reformed Theological Seminary and Dr.
Iman Magid, prominent Islamic scholar and head of
the most important Islamic Center in Washington
DC, presented the respective viewpoints.
The fundamental position that fasting is more than
just a religious exercise — it is an inward
journey of heartfelt devotion to God — was
strikingly similar between the two. Dr. Whitlock
spoke of the life of Jesus and followers, such as
the Apostle Paul, in four basic insights:
(1) there is a right time to fast,
(2) fasting provides an emphasis on the inner, as
apposed to the outwardly pious, dimension of a life
of faith,
(3) fasting is often an accompaniment to prayer
in major decisions and
(4) fasting is an _expression of a dependence on
God and not ourselves.
Dr. Magid, in a similar vein spoke of fasting among
Muslims to be an inward dimension, a means of self-control,
an _expression of gratefulness to Allah, a reaching
out to the poor and a means of enacting a devotion
to God. If one decides to go without food and drink
and treats his neighbor poorly, he said, then the
person has not fasted according to the Qur’an.
Dr. Whitlock provided the Christian importance of
meditative time with God in fasting to strengthen
the inner life of faith.
As a moderator, Dr. Ahmed followed the distinguished
guests by pitting the reality of Islam against the
modern destructive views propagated by the media.
He pointed out that the Ramadan fast is broken at
sunset by eating dates, the favorite food of the
Prophet of Islam to show deep respect and reverence,
and how harmful and destructive it is when their
central figure is attacked by Christians. Ahmed
pointed out that the Western media has been primarily
dominated, even during the peaceful withdrawal of
Ramadan, by the portrayal and emphasis on violence
and uprising among Muslims “expected to run
amok.” “There is much anger and misunderstanding,”
he posited, “and perhaps the West does not
want to understand.”
Continuing the dialogue, a slew of speakers added
further content on fasting by sharing their personal
history and perspective on the issue. Distinguished
Advisor to the Chief Minister of Pakistan, Mowahid
Shah, held the position that religious extremism
is a two-way street and that we should “judge
these dialogues by the action on the ground.”
The message must reach the people, especially in
a crucial hub such as Pakistan, the Advisor held,
where residents feel the force of hypocrisy and
discrimination. Former Secretary of the Navy, the
Honorable John H. Dalton stressed that the greatest
commandment for Christians is to love God and neighbor,
neighbors being Muslims. This must be “a revelation
to us,” he said and we must do this by communication
and personal relationships with one another. Pakistani
Minister Omar Ghuman and Parliamentary Member Shaikh
spoke of the impact of the love of Jesus has had
on their lives, moral courage and what they deemed
the mo st important issue in life: “to find
one’s Lord.” Ghuman praised the courage
and “guts” of his friend Shaikh, who
defeated an extremist opponent in an election for
a Parliamentary seat and in his commitment to overcoming
terrorism, made a stand for his beliefs and faith.
The hostess, Mrs. Khan, a businesswoman gave a personal
account of growing up in school with Muslim and
Christian teachers undifferentiated and united in
their message. This was in contrast to the present
day situation of “religious marginalization”
and “profiling” by the media. The overarching
focus of the dialogue was the similarity of the
faiths on the issue of fasting and the deep seeded
traditional support and admiration for one another
shared long ago and perhaps a revitalization of
this bond in the future.
Doug Holladay concluded with a “take away:”
that we must create safe places to talk about the
pain and challenges we face in our world, hear each
other’s stories and connect on a human level.
To the leaders in the room he conveyed respect and
deep admiration for their moral courage. As a prayer
adjourned the evening gathering, “Amens”
echoed through the room, pronounced by both Muslims
and Christians.
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