Different paths that lead to one God

When extremism and hatred seem to rule the day, two men of God from different faiths came together to emphasise on our humanity and common ground.

Jun 05, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR (Herald Malaysia): When extremism and hatred seem to rule the day, two men of God from different faiths came together to emphasise on our humanity and common ground.

College General, Penang rector Fr Gerard Theraviam and Ustaz Mohamad Hussin Yee from the Al-Khadeem Organisation reached out to each other and, by extension to their brothers and sisters from the opposite faiths during a no-holds barred dialogue recently.

The two men were guests of news portal Fz.com’s Face2 Face talk show. But this time, the format of the show had a twist. Instead of having a moderator to pose questions and direct the discussion, Fr Gerard and Mohamad Hussin were left to their own devices.

This, said Fz.com managing editor Terence Fernandez, was to keep true to the theme of the dialogue A Priest Meets an Ustaz.

“It was not scripted, they were given a free hand to talk about matters of common concerns as well as provide suggestions to improve interfaith ties,” he said.

The idea was the brainchild of specialist writer Zakiah Koya, a Muslim, who together with Fernandez, a Catholic felt it was about time leaders of these two great religions spoke up on a similar platform to show that extremism and disrespect of others’ beliefs are uncalled for in any religion. “Moderate voices have to be given prominence,” said Fernandez, adding that the dialogue was bolstered by recent incidents that risk marring ties between Muslims and Christians. These include attacks on mosques and churches; extremist views in the mainstream media and provocative voices from even among those in power; the debate over ‘Allah’ and hudud and the politicisation of religion.

As Mohamad Hussin puts it: “There is a difference between what Islam says and what Muslims say. What is important is what Islam says.”

Mohamad Hussin added that, in the controversy over the use of the word ‘Allah’, it is important for Muslims to understand that ‘Allah’ is God of all beings, be they Muslims or non-Muslims.

“Whoever believes in ‘Allah’ should respect and honour his neighbours, whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim,” said Hussin.

Fr Gerard meanwhile opined that Malaysians should move away from being “tolerant” of each other.

“We should move towards acceptance. Acceptance is recognising that you and I may not agree on a lot of things but I can agree to disagree with you and also to continue to respect you for the person that you are,” he said.

Fr Gerard also suggested that apart from engaging in interfaith dialogues, both faiths could come together for a common good such as charity.

“I think if we do charitable work together, we bring down a lot of barriers,” he said.

Fr Gerard also spoke about the parable of the Good Samaritan, to illustrate where people of different beliefs and cultures are still the same in their humanity.

Speaking of similarities between Islam and Christianity, he pointed out: “There are a lot of commonalities that the Church recognises. Muslims may not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they revere him as a prophet. They also honour Mary and at times call on her with devotion,” he added, reading excerpts from Vatican II.

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