Interfaith work transcends the mere exchange of pleasantries at each other's festivals or religious events. It is a profound commitment, expressed through words and actions, to the timeless divine values underpinning faith.
Is the interfaith movement in the US or the West a public relations exercise, or it has some substance on fundamental issues,
The response of religious communities to the ongoing Israeli aggression in Palestine has left no reason to believe that interfaith work is serious on substantive issues.
Not many religious groups showed any serious interest in the injustices and human rights violations of the original inhabitants of Palestine. Instead, they sided with the aggressor in its continued illegal occupation of what people call holy lands. Perhaps they are still not content with the death and destruction played in the name of God as they wait for more bloodshed in the region to please their religious, political, and social gods.
They refused to call for a ceasefire. They lobbied for more military aid to aggressors, and they prayed for the victory of the occupying forces. Furthermore, they even refused to condemn the murder of innocent Palestinian children and women. They behaved like thugs and mafia, ignoring their religious values.
Muslim Americans have been part of the interfaith movement since the 1890s when the first religious parliament took place in Chicago. They wrongly believed that 125 years of journey helped religious communities stand together to defend human life and its dignity.
The interfaith movement failed its gods and proved beyond doubt that it had replaced the divine with new idols, symbolizing racial, cultural, and religious superiority.
Doubtlessly, there were religious individuals and smaller communities that stood for justice for Palestinians, to the dismay of their religious establishments.
Muslims should realize that major religious establishments, including their own, are not serious about the human rights and the dignity of Palestinians and others,
If they genuinely believe in a plural society, they may have to review their relationships with the so-called religious establishment, who often betray their proclaimed religious values. They have to relate with millions who came out on the streets in defense of Palestinians because they oppose injustice and violation of human dignity. They may have to interact with those groups marginalized by powerful religious lobbies serving the political and economic interests of the merchants of death.
Not only that, but they must convince their conscience about interfaith work's spirituality to protect and preserve human dignity. They must believe that the differences between faiths and cultures have a divine origin.
To work on these lines, they must connect with their local communities, empathize with them, and identify their issues. Interfaith is a noble task only if it restores the nobility of God's creation. Otherwise, it is a show and entertainment.
(Dr Aslam Abdullah is a resident scholar at Islamicity.org and editor-in-chief of the Muslim Observer newspaper. He is also the Indian Islamic Heritage Project director of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian origin and the interim President of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, WCMIR.)
