Deep calls to deep APRIL 06

I have just read a paper written by Ben Quash called ‘Deep calls to deep: the practice of Spiritual Reasoning’, which I enjoyed immensely. (the Paper is on the Doha website in pdf form) I read it in the context of having been stimulated by David Ford’s paper at the Fulcrum ‘Gospel in Context’ Day Conference on Friday ( the text is already available online ‘Gospel in Context: Among Many Faiths, by David F Ford www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/page.cfm?ID=101)

He presented a vision of interfaith interaction that had a depth I have not yet encountered. Beyond the normal 'tea, samosas and smiles'. I caught a glimpse (an escatological one !?) of the possibilities of a very different place in interfaith engagement.

This in turn was in the context of the interfaith gathering that I attended in Doha , along with Canon Ben Quash and many others. At one level it was the peak of its field - a gathering of a rich variety of people and experiences, but it a context which, when I reflect on it back home, I experienced as stale and in a strange way very secular. This was to do, I feel, with the environment - a modern, luxurious, 5* star hotel, and a mode of operation, based on the scientific conference paradigm. This positioned me as a passive (and exhausted!) listener, rather than a co-locutioner in an ongoing conversation. Obviously it had its moments of surprises and genuine interaction. There we were a lot of ‘real characters’ there. At times some of the under-the- surface-issues also emerged, which was I felt helpful. (conflict and difference is not something to be avoided but welcomed and embraced) And as always these gathering are an opportunity for rich networking. I gathered a good handful of business cards to add to my collection!

It was after all an event hosted by the Qatar Government and was dialogue or ‘trialogue’ ( a new word I learned at the conference!) on a different level - official, diplomatic, politically correct, - and as Ben put it in his paper ‘justified on the basis of a thin and generalised notion of ‘tolerance’. I long for something not quite so ‘thin’, but much ‘thicker’ or deeper.

Hence, in contrast I really liked the idea in the SR papers of the 'tents of meeting' of ‘peoples of the book’, Jews, Christians and Muslims, from their different traditions or ‘houses’, which moves the conversation from the official discourses generated by the institutional ‘Temples’ into more interrogation and mutual struggle. More ‘wrestling’ with texts. But I think I prefer the word dialogue or conversation to ‘debate’. Maybe the concept of debate conjures up for me, images of oppositional, polarised argument (our Houses of Parliament and Law Courts are a prime examples, where seeking after truth does not seem to be on the agenda)

But the concept of SR resonated with my own experience of sitting and talking together in Pakistan, with Muslims, Christians and Hindus (usually all addicted to Heroin – or in various stages of recovery - and hence somewhat neutralised from their religious Temples!) But these were genuinely interfaith ‘trialogues’ - In particular the way they encountered the scriptural text of the story of the prodigal son was deeply moving. They found their own story reflected in the Scriptural story. This was obviously on a very different level from Scriptural Reasoning where religious leaders encountering their own text. It was much more grass roots - more a Scriptural story telling or Scriptural encounter, but when I read of SR it felt ‘strangely familiar’
I’m not sure how much actual ‘reasoning’ there was in our groups of recovering addicts – certainly a lot of reacting / responding and story telling/sharing. And it was very much ‘hosted’ by one ‘house’ - in this case our Christian drug rehabilitation project - although we tried to make it ‘neutral’ ground it did not achieve the level of ‘mutual’ ground.

My Masters thesis, ‘Faith Conversations’, I felt also resonated with what Ben and David have outlined in the SR approach. Well it resonated for me. I would be interested to know if others discover synergies or not ! It also comes from a different starting place. I wrote it for a course in Systemic Management and Consultancy - which is rooted in a systemic, social-contructionist approach, But the common denominator is the concept of ‘interrogation of texts’. In my case ‘stories as text’ generated through a process of ‘faith conversations’ which we engaged in, over a period of about year in CMS.

I always had in mind for these conversations to be fundamentally interfaith, but the starting point was very much intra-faith’, drawing on our own wide network of CMS contacts. This has lead to an ‘in-house’ (ie within the Christian ‘house’) online discussion group called simply ‘faith conversations’, which currently has 75 very interesting and varied members, all of whom are academics and/or practitioners who seek to engage with the ‘house of Islam.’

I myself, am interested in going deeper (‘deep calls to deep’) and would be interested in exploring a SR group in London some time. Apparently one such group meets at St Ethelbergas. It maybe something we could eventually duplicate in Woking to take our own interfaith encounters to a new, deeper level.

London   29 April 06

An earlier Dialogue - Reflections at the end of the Doha Conference

Sitting here towards the end of an official dialogue I am reminded of another favourite Nasruddin story about an earlier dialogue.[1]  

Some 10 centuries ago the Pope declared that all minority faiths should leave Jerusalem. This created uproar among the Muslims. Acknowledging their difficulties the Pope agreed to a religious debate – if the Muslims won they could stay; if they lost they would have to leave Jerusalem
Since their wisest most learned member all backed down, Mullah Nasruddin was selected as their representative. He agreed as long as neither would be allowed to talk – they could only communicate by mime!

The Pope and Nasruddin faced each other. The Pope began by raising 3 fingers; the Mullah looked back at him and raised his middle finger.
The Pope then waived his hand in a circle around his head but Nasruddin pointed to the ground and stomped his feet furiously.
The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. The Mullah pulled out an apple from his coat pocket and started biting into it.
At which point the Pope stood up and admitted the Mullah was too good for him and that the Muslims could stay.

Afterwards the cardinals flocked around the Pope to ask what happened
When I held up 3 fingers, he said, to indicate that God is known to us in the Holy Trinity, the Mullah showed one finger to show that there is only one God, common to both religions. Then I waived my hand in the air to indicate that God is all around us everywhere, he pointed to the ground and stamped his feet pointing out that God is also right with us, here and now. Then I took out the elements to indicate the body and blood of Christ, whereby God absolves us from our sins. But the Mullah pulled out an apple suggesting the very fist sin of Adam and by biting into it showed how we are all guilty of sin. I just had to give up. He had an answer for everything I said.

On the other side of town the Muslims had crowded around Nasruddin to find out how he had won this sensational victory. Well, he began; first the Pope told me that the Muslims had three days to get out of Jerusalem. I told him ‘up yours’, Then he told me the entire city would be cleared of Muslims, I told him that we’re staying right here and none of us was leaving this land, which belongs to us too.
Then what happened? they asked ‘Oh nothing, the Pope just took out his lunch, so I took out mine!

*****************************

I suspect there have been a number of such misunderstanding, especially given that so much has to be translated. We talk of having so much in common, but inevitably we interpret even the same words differently according to our culture and understanding (our world view) - especially when it is something so dear to us as our theology. Interestingly there were times when the underlying issues came to the surface – the issue of ‘the Land’ came up many times and there was almost stamping of feet and certainly raised voices. Palestinian voices wanting to be heard by the Jews present.

Lord Hylton, who had called for reciprocity in defending the rights of the other to enjoy freedom of worship, also spoke of being last year in Israel/ Palestine and described it as the ‘most urgent situation in the whole world’. Unless an agreed solution can be found, he suggested they will be in despair and will be motivated to turn into suicide bombers and terrorists.

A Rabbi from the US spoke of his own pain at the situation in Israel ‘No one can love God who does not love his neighbour’, he insisted. Post 9-11 he had been accused in the USA of being an Arab lover. And his response was to say ‘Yes it’s true and its worse than you think - I love people of all colour, of all nations’ He shared a Jewish proverb ‘there’s nothing more whole than a broken human heart’.

In a sense the Nasruddin story is based on a premise of a clash of civilisations, certainly a polemic, confrontational approach – more debate than dialogue.
A Jewish filmmaker, Jacob Bender, talked about a Documentary film project ‘Reason and Revelation’ (reasonrevelation@aol.com ) which looks at the lives and influence of 3 men in medieval Spain: Averroes (the Muslim - ibn Rashid 1126-1198) Malmonides (the Jew - Rambam 1138-1204) and Aquinas eh Christian 1225-1274) This is modelling an alternative to the clash of civilisations more ‘a dialogue of civilisations’ and a modern spirituality – whether Jewish Christian or Muslim – that is compatible with science , reason, tolerance, pluralism, democratic values and human rights’

But it is in sharing food maybe not the Pope’s bread and wine, nor Nasruddin’s apple, but in our case a Lebanese Meze, It is by talking and eating around a table, that we are brought closer together. The Rabbi had earlier talked of the home as a small sanctuary and as the table in the home as an altar The Table becomes a central meeting place.

All the speakers expressed gratitude to the host of our Table – The emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani who initiated the Conference. It was indeed brave, avant-garde, and groundbreaking to host this type of ‘trialogue' on Muslim soil. The resolutions for the conference are part of what is needed in this part of the world to encourage more openness, less confrontation between the various branches of the Abrahamic Tree. I will certainly be quoting them next month in Kabul.

Hubert Jacques, from the Religious Dialogue Society in Paris, chaired one session and shared another proverb (almost Nasrauddin-like in its simplicity) from Africa:

‘In the jungle when the branches quarrel, the roots embrace each other’

from your own correspondent 
Doha   27 April 06

[1] The Funniest Tales of Mullah Nasruddin selected and retold by Clifford Sawhney (Unicorn, New Delhi 2004)

Conversations and connections April 06

I received 2 comments after what I wrote the other day about the '4th Doha Conference on Religious Dialogue' - one hoping that is 'not just a talk shop' (Bassi) and the other describing the event as 'the red carpet inter-faith scene' (David M)

TALK SHOP

In each of the 2-hour session, there are 6 speakers, all at least 10 minutes each, chaired by a timekeeper who then opens it up for comments (c 2 mins each) from the participants and final summing up from speakers. The speakers are evenly balanced between Muslims, Christians, and Jews - the’3 heavenly religions’ as they are frequently referred to as here.  Timekeeping is an issue. How to cram so much into so little, with a tendency to talk faster, to get it all in. The sessions are conducted in Arabic and English, with occasionally some French. Of course we are hearing it mainly through translation (headphones) and interpreters have such a difficult task.
But so do listeners. It is very tiring hearing such a bombardment of thoughts - with little opportunity to process it all. Note talking is one answer, a way of processing.

The open discussion and questions from the floor, rather than real dialogue, is more an opportunity for others to add their comments. Mini speeches, which add to the density of thought. All in all, 8 hours of solid listening in one day! I have discovered that passive listening is exhausting.

MEETING PLACE

There is a great deal of variety here. A wide array of dress - The uniform Arabic Alb (like Priests wear) complete with turban and prayer beads. Women in Hijab, or scarf covering heads. Various ecclesiastical dress (like a Wimple’s catalogue) - men in black or purple or white. The almost universal western suit. Some wearing the Jewish skullcap.    The people I have met are as varied as the dress. A rabbi from Tel Aviv; a Belgium Muslim Professor Yahya based at the Islamic Centre in Oxford; a Pakistani from Blackburn, chair of the Lancashire Council of Mosques; Takayasu Ogura a Japanese Journalist, who used to be Bureau chief for Cairo; an Egyptian reporter working in Kuwait for Arabic Newsweek. A Greek Orthodox Priest from the Jerusalem Patriarchate looking after the flock in Doha; the Ambassador of Cyprus; three Algerian Muslims living in Geneva Switzerland. Giovanni, a Journalist from Rome working for ‘30Giorni’ / 30 days a monthly Catholic magazine. An Argentinean, middle-eastern Rabbi working in New York. Salahuddin from Sidon in Lebanon working in Leeds. A lovely, gentle Iranian, Dr Tabarraian of the ‘world forum for proximity of Islamic schools of thought’ (How ironic that he is from the so called ‘Axis of evil’)

CMS CONNECTIONS

There are also a number of people I have met before in CMS circles an dfor me conferences are all about meeting people:
Bishop Munir of Egypt - a key CMS partner - with a deep commitment to dialogue with Al Azhar University in Cairo..
Sheik Ibrahim Mogra of the Muslim Council of Britain, who came to Partnership House for the launch of the CMS Dialogue pack
Serhiy Hovorun from Russia (I met him with our regional manager for Eastern Europe - in a restaurant in Moscow. He works with Metropolitan Kiril at the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate.
Metropolitan George Saliba, the Archbishop of Mount Lebanon who I met in Saidanayya, Syria at the feast of the Holy cross on the occasion of he Patriarch’s birthday.
Bishop Sarkassian of the Armenians of Iran - he was on a CMS scholarship at Selly Oak - met in Isfahan, Iran c. 5 years ago on my one and only visit.
Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi is the chair of the Islamic University in Islamabad which hosted the archbishop on his recent visit to Pakistan - his speech (the archbishop’s) to students on the Trinity is available on Lambeth website (ref)
What is most refreshing is hearing Moderate Muslim voices, which normally are not reported in the Western Press. It is also good to see all three Abrahamic faiths together - in the past the dialogue started as a Christian-Muslim one. Now it is more of a ‘tri-alogue’. A Rabbi made the point that if he punched a Mullah on the nose, it would be reported in the press, but if he talks of tolerance and forgiveness and faith working together then it is not newsworthy ‘ No good news makes the headlines

RED CARPET

This is indeed the red carpet of the interfaith scene - a dialogue that is polite, official, tolerant, and diplomatic and politically correct. Tea and smiles, which create an official academic governmental narrative. But real questions are lurking under the surface - proclamation and proselytism, religious persecution, ‘Religious freedom’ conversion, the apostasy issue.
Unfortunately the only opportunities to connect with others are during tea breaks and during meals. Some photos and card sharing. And not enough time to really connect and hear each other’s stories.
There is a lot of agreement on what we have in common - But we need to explore the differences as well. To be challenged by ‘proximate others’ who are like us – people of faith - but also different from us - people of different faiths - For it is in the exploration of the difficult differences that we are able to be the deepest challenge each other. It helps us explore our own blind spots.

I am reminded of one of my favourite Nasruddin Stories:

Asked why it is that in the morning people go off in all different directions. After thinking for a moment Nasruddin replied: ‘if everyone went in the same direction the Earth would lose its balance! ’

from your own corresponent
Doha 26 April 06

‘Hope and fears’ Woking, 25 March 2006

As part of our ongoing dialogue in Woking we had a meeting with a Pakistani Christian, Christopher (a second generation convert) and a English, Muslim convert, Khalil, both sharing about their ‘hopes and fears’ for the future. There were about 40 people in the meeting – all Christian except Khalil. (I wonder where all the Muslims were and why they didn’t choose to come). Since it was the Feast of the Annunciation (25th March), Richard who was hosting and leading the meeting read the story of Christ Jesus, Son of Mary from the Q’ran (3/Imran)

KHALIL’S STORY

Khalil initially ‘found God’ at boarding school through the Gideons. At 18 he was ‘looking for truth and meaning’ and discovered a sense of awe and wonder within nature. His parents were atheists, but he had attended an Anglican Church but had difficulties with both the church and its practices. And so he looked at mysticism, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism. 

He found their severe aestheticism too demanding. At 28 he went to Israel to work on a Kibbutz in Galilee. As he was travelling through Jerusalem, he woke one mor

ning at 5am with a sense of God’s presence. And so he went to the Holy places, seeking sanctity – and ended up at the ‘Sanctuary of the Lord’s Prayer’ at the Mount of Olives.

Mount of Olives  view from inside Dominu Flavit

There Khalil says he prayed, ‘asked God’ and ‘submitted’ to Him and became a Muslim. ‘I found a new direction in my life, focussed on God and prayer. I experienced a definite call as I surrendered my life to God. I discovered a sense of peace and new beginning.’ He prayed for guidance for the next step and as he was leaving the sanctuary an old lady came up to him and simply said ‘come and meet my Sheik’ and she lead then him through the back streets to a house.

They knocked and the man at the door said ‘Yes my beloved what can I do for you?’
‘I need a guide to find the truth’ Khalil replied.The Sheik looked him in the eye and said: ‘Seek and you will find, knock and the door will open’

Khalil returned 3 times to be accepted as a student

 and stayed with the Sheik who had opened the door to him, learning the basics of his new found faith.

Dome of the Rock,  Al-Aqsa,  Golden  Mosque in Jerusalem

The routines he learned that gave expression to his ‘conversion experience’ were the 5 pillars of Islam:

(1) ‘Shahada’ the declaration ‘There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is the messenger of Allah’ containing ‘Tawhid’ (the oneness of God) and ‘Risalah’ (prophethood)
(2) ‘Salat’ compulsory prayer offered 5x a day and ‘learning to prostrate self in prayer’
(3) ‘Sawm’ fasting during Ramadan - one month of privation – nil by mouth from dawn to dusk 
(4) ‘Zakat’ (welfare contribution) literally ‘purification’ – a donation of 2.5% to the poor (from profit) and 20% of what comes out of the ground.
(5) ‘Hajj’ Pilgrimage to the ‘House of Allah’ (Al-Ka’bah) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, during the month of Dhul Hijjah.

Ramadan started when Khalil was in Jerusalem and so he was able to participate fully right from the start. The belief in One God attracted him – he saw a continuity - he had already accepted the message of Jesus and embraced Islam as a development of that message. ‘Islam is the natural way. It all came very easily to me’ said Khalil. For him it is essentially 2 things:

A) Islam as Peace and surrender – submission to God – alignment to a point of unity and community. Creation is in a state of ‘Islam’ and humans have a free will to choose. The prophets of Old are mentioned in the Q’ran and all referred to as Muslims.

B) Islam as specific religious practices. Revealed 600 AD through the Q’ran which was recited / dictated by the Angel Gibreel to the Prophet Mohammad.

Khalil has only been on the lesser pilgrimage – a hajj to Mecca but not during the holy month. He experienced it as a sense of returning home. Particularly the experience of circling the Kaaba itself - all wearing the same white, ritual clothing, Ihram – a stripping off of self, the ‘I’ and moving together as ‘we’. ‘It was truly awesome. I was becoming a part of the whole’

Haj worshippers circling Kaaba in Mecca

With 1.5 billion Muslim followers, according to Khalil, Islam is an important religion on 4 levels:
• Islam as religious practice -
• Islam as belief /faith - God-consciousness
• Islam as excellence and conscientiousness
• Islam as certainty; ‘gnosis’; knowing

What he fears most is the Saudi influence - Wahabbism (currently c. 2.3% in UK) a severe, puritanical, legalistic and literal interpretation of Islam, which is spreading throughout the world.  This inhibits what he essentially believes in and hopes for - devout Muslims integrating as members of civil society.

QUESTIONS and DISCUSSION 

When asked whether Jihad – Holy War - is the 6th Pillar of Islam. Khalil cited a Hadith and explained the difference between the lesser battle with the sword – an external fight and the greater battle, which is spiritual and internal - the overcoming of self (nafs). This is very similar to the Christian understanding of ‘spiritual warfare’

And on Shariat Law. Klhalil explained that Shariah, the basis of Islamic Law was revealed over 23 years to Mohammad by Gibreel. It was a message for mankind which included guidance about how to live. It is based on both word and actions – Sunna (sayings) and Hadith (traditions)   ‘Shariat is the legal aspect of how a Muslim should live life. It is the path to the source and provides a framework as well as guidance. Its hard edges need to be softened by interpretation’. And maybe British experience of tolerance can help.

‘The Shariat is like the skeleton of the human being, which needs to be fleshed out. But the Spirit is missing. Islam has the skeleton, the structure, the Law: Christianity and its message of Love has the spirit’

REFLECTIONS

I was impressed by Khalil’s openness and moved by his story. I left wondering about his conversion experience - whether he was describing an essentially common experience? And whether the difference is the wrapping chosen to contain and give meaning to the experience. (what would have happened if after the Mount of Olives experience, a Jewish woman had said ‘Come and see my Rabbi’ or an orthodox Christian had said: ‘Come and meet my priest? Would Khalil have found a different container?) Maybe there is yet more common ground to be discovered.

Khalil fears militant, fundamentalist Islam (Wahabiism), which fixes our perception of Islam as a religion of violence rather than a way of submission and also hopes and desires as a Muslim to be an integral part of civil society. Maybe a very English interpretation, but hopes and fears I found myself echoing.

Fundamentalism is at one level a return to the pure expression of faith – the constants of faith which need to be interpreted into our societies’ varying contexts. Not so much a dualism, more a dilemma.

Balthasar’s Odyssey October 2004

Amin Maalouf: ‘Balthasar’s Odyssey’ (Vintage 2003) translated from the French by Barbara Bray
ISBN 0 09 945208 1

see review on  http://www.spikemagazine.com/0704aminmaalouf.php

Ottoman Istanbul   

Anticipating a global catastrophe in 1666 the ‘year of the beast’, when the end of the world is prophesied, Balthasar Embriaco, a dealer in curiosities from the Levant, sets out in search of a rare book. In addition to the 99 names revealed in the Koran, the ‘Hundredth Name’ is thought to reveal the highest name of God, which will be able to avert the apocalyptic disaster. Balthasar’s Odyssey takes him to Constantinople through treacherous Mediterranean seas to Genoa and through a naval war zone to Europe. He arrives in London shortly before the Great Fire.

The insights from people on the journey seemed somehow relevant to today’s inter-faith arena.

The Blind Sheikh Abdel-Bassit:

‘Istanbul, Istanbul. To those that have eyes it’s hard to say the world has nothing to show. Yet it’s true, believe me. If you want to know the world, all you need to do is listen. What people see when they travel is never more than an illusion. Shadows chasing other shadows. The roads and the countries teach us nothing we don’t know already, nothing we can’t hear within ourselves in the peace of the night'  (p24)

Boumeh, his nephew:

‘Allah is just a concentration of ‘al ilah’ which simply means ‘the god’ It’s not a name, it’s just a designation’. (p 96)

Ali Esphanai, fellow traveller:

Ever since the dawn of Islam scholars have argued over a verse that occurs three times in similar terms in the Koran and lends itself to various interpretations. He quoted the phrase carefully: ‘Fa sabbih bismi rabbika-I-azim,’ which may be translated as ‘Glorify the name of your Lord – the Most High. The ambiguity arises from the fact that in Arabic the epithet ‘I-azim’, ‘the Most High’, may refer wither to the Lord or to His Name. In the first case the verse is merely a normal exhortation to glorify the name of the Lord. But if the second interpretation is correct the verse might mean ‘Glorify your Lord by His Highest Name’, which would suggest that among the names of God there is a major one which is superior to all the others, the invoking of which produces special results (p274)

Father Thomas:

The only way for a Christian to address God is through prayer. He must be humble and obedient and tell him of his own grievances and hope concluding by saying Amen and trusting that His will may be done. Proud men, on the other hand, look in the books of the magicians for forms of words that they think can alter or divert God’s will. They imagine Providence as a ship, whose tiller they, poor mortals through they are, may manipulate to suit their own purposes. But God is not a ship – He is the Master of all ships , and of the seas, and of quiet skies and tempests alike. He cannot be ruled by forms of words, invented by magicians, nor constrained by phrases or figures. He is incomprehensible and unpredictable, and woe to him who thinks he can tame him! (p94/5)

Balthasar himself reflects:

‘When people think the world is about to founder, something goes wrong and men lapse into either extreme devotion or extreme debauchery.’ (p66)

I enjoyed Balthasar, a ‘bewildered and worldly hero’ in this historical novel, cum spiritual treatise, cum travelogue. But then I am not like the blind Sheik. Travel (and travel writing) is for me a way of reflection.

From your own correspondent

Woking Oct 2004

Damascus Tears September 2004

Barbara negotiating Frisky’s release from Damascus

Their youngest child had left his pet dog, ‘Frisky’ in a hotel when they transited Damascus. Many tears had been shed and emails sent. Our mission (‘should we choose to accept it’) was to rendezvous at the hotel in the Kurdish quarter and make the exchange. Numerous phone- calls and a mad taxi ride took us to our destination. Frisky was there in the reception, hanging tortuously by his collar.The hotel owner released Frisky, but then whisked out a calculator and forced him to calculate the cost of his own prolonged stay. ‘Another week and we would have made him a Syrian citizen’ quipped his guard. But now he was, at last, free to go. You can imagine the relief experienced by all, when Barbara later reunited him with his owner back in UK. ‘When I see that child, and the look in his eyes, that’s all the thanks that I need’. It brings a whole new dimension to understating the vital work of ‘setting captives free’ !

Damascus is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and we went on a walkabout to get a ‘feel’ of its oriental delights. We were travelling with Aziz, one of our regional advisory group, who himself originates from Mosul in Iraq, a near neighbour. We met some fascinating (and literate) people. In a local Kebab restaurant, the gregarious owner quoted Freud among his many jokes and later the night-watchman, in the Orthodox hostel we were staying in, confessed to reading Nietzsche and Shakespeare, which seemed to feed his own internal angst. Aziz spoke to him for hours in Arabic, whilst I spoke with him briefly in English and left them to it.

A street called straight 

We went on another trail – a sort of church crawl – in search of the lost Anglican church. It was definitely on the wall-map I spotted in the Franciscan Church of Anayas. But our search revealed there is no such church. But we visited many on the way, down narrow cobbled streets – St. Mary's Greek Orthodox, on the Street called Straight; the church commemorating Paul being let down over the city walls in a basket; a mass in a Chaldean Catholic, presided by a priest we also met in the mosque; the Syrian Orthodox (where everyone knew Aziz); an Armenian church with an erratic mass of cables overhead; and finally the 'Injeeli' Presbyterian (which the map makers had confused with Anglican). Mind you, the Bishop in Jerusalem does have plans to build a church in Damascus, at the invitation of the president. Possibly on the commonwealth war graves commission lot, between another Franciscan church and a mosque. 

We certainly had an ecumenical feast that day.

But it is the old city itself that is magnetic. The covered bazaar, street vendors, restaurants and cafes. Lots to distract and tempt even experienced travellers. The Old Souq is a shoppers delight. Good prices are to be had by a persistent barterer.

Saladin's statue, outside the city wall, dominates the area and commemorates the ‘liberation’ of Damascus, his victory at the Horns of Hattin and subsequently Jerusalem in 1187. Whereas there was unmitigated slaughter of Muslims, Jews and Orthodox Christians, accompanying the Crusader’s capture of Jerusalem in 1097, Saladin retrained his men at its recapture.

Saladin liberating Damascus and triumphing over his enemy King Richard. Their relationship is explored ‘Warriors of God’ by James Reston (Doubleday  2001) the more civilised Saladin comes out streets ahead of his ‘barbaric’ rival.

Through the Souq itself, is the Omayyad Mosque, built in 705 on the site of a Cathedral. It contains 2 tombs for Saladin – one commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II after his visit in 1898 for whom he was something of a hero. There is also a large tomb inside the mosque – the mausoleum of Head of John the Baptist. A group of pilgrims from Gujarat was visiting with a tour guide. I chatted with them in Urdu and suggested to them that John the Baptist pointed the way to the Christ. 

The Old Damascus mosque also has what is called the Jesus Minaret. According to the shopkeeper in the ‘Jesus Minaret Souvenirs’, who Aziz spoke to, this is where Christ will return ‘and the first thing he will do is destroy all the crosses on the churches’. The cross remains one of the biggest stumbling blocks to Muslims.

We met with Eldon and Jane, a Mennonite couple from Kansas and Cairo who are a seeking to be ‘faithful presence’ in Damascus, supporting the ancient through church teaching English at the seminary. and peace-making and bridge-building. In their charming house in the Old City, with its courtyard in middle - facing inwards, we sipped tea and cookies.

He introduced me to the Lebanese writer Amin Malouf: ‘The Crusades through Arab Eyes’ (Saqi, 2004). He talks of the ‘tears of Saladin’, his response when confronted with the news of the death of a friend and also when faced with a widowed ‘Franj’ (the generic Arabic name for crusaders) who had lost her baby. He comes over as compassionate, as well as a brilliant military strategist.

But the book also indicates just how deep rooted are the feelings and how alive the ‘Crusades’ are as a metaphor: 

Today on the eve of the third millennium the political and religious leaders constantly refer to Saladin, to the fall of Jerusalem and its recapture In the popular mind, and in some official discourse too, Israel is regarded as a new crusader state’ (265)

Over the centuries, many tears have been shed by widows and orphans in this part of the world. Manouf concludes: ‘

The Arab East still sees the West as the natural enemy. There can be no doubt that the schism between these two worlds dates from the crusades, deeply felt by these Arabs, even today as an act of rape.’ (266)

From your own correspondent

September 2004

‘Sowfall Innit !’ South London April 2004

‘Sowfall Innit !’


I was attending a meeting at St John's Church, which included a look at the area – a walkabout Southall. The Old Parish Church is now the ‘St John’s Young Peoples Centre’ sited on the corner of Weston Road and King Street, between a small ‘square’ with a statue of a ‘Henna Hand’ complete with seats and pigeons and the old church hall which is now a Hindu Temple, with plans for impressive improvements.Built around 1840, the Church looks old and unused in the midst of a derelict graveyard. There is a plaque high on the door with a ‘Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade’ shield. A large, blue explanatory Notice Board proclaims ‘The Parish Church is St John’s in Church Avenue (opposite) You & your family would be welcomed at Sunday Services. Morning Service at 11.00 am Asian Christian Fellowship at 4:00pm Evening Service at 6:30pm. See notice board in Church Avenue for details’

New St Johns was built in the early 1900s to cater for the increased number of Railway workers from Wales and Ireland. It is more friendly ‘A Parish Centre’ with a clearly evangelical board ‘One Church One Lord JESUS CHRIST Worship Him here’ Church Avenue is a cul de sac, fairly inaccessible, but the back entrance on Havelock Road hosts the largest Sikh Gurdwara in the country.Southall is a very mixed ethnic area. The new Rector of St John’s, Rev. Mark  has been in the area for just over a year. He informed us that in the Parish of 23 thousand, there are 7000 Sikhs, 4000 Muslims and 3000 Hindus.Kenyan, Sierra Leone. Whilst the Sikh Gurdwara dominates there is a significant mosque of 1500 around the corner. Traditionally the largest immigrant communities were from North India and Pakistan. As these moved out they are being replaced by new groups from Afghanistan, Kosovo, Central Asia, Iran and Iraq. Southall is a vibrant, rapidly changing community.

Rev Mark emphasized the importance of a Christian Presence in such an area. His congregation is itself mixed, including a lot of Asians who came during the ‘white flight of the 1960s’ The parish is involved in running language classes for Afghans, Somalis, Tamils and some Iranians. They run ‘masala groups’ with an emphasis on hospitality; and have a vision for health care and pre-school work.

  

Dave and Ann Bookless, also based at St Johns run a ‘Christians in Conservation’ project called ‘A Rocha: Living Waterways’. Launched in 2001, it has ‘a vision for environmental renewal and community regeneration’ in Southall and Hayes, which includes a Country Park, Environmental Education Project, Nature Reserve and Floating Classroom’

A Rocha is hoping to move its offices to a new development - the gasworks site where the council is planning to build 4000 homes on 70 acres

I had been to Southall before to the Kings Hall Methodist Church - on other side of railway - to visit another partner organisation ‘CLAAS’, run by Pakistani, Nasir Saeed. They advocate on behalf of the persecuted Christian minority in Pakistan. Impressive and necessary work.

Walkabout

We continued our walkabout. Up past Southall Baptist Church and Christian International Community centre; then a derelict pub ‘The Bricklayers Arms’ up for sale. Past Featherstone school, a large, 60s-looking comprehensive school, with its huge gates ; then the Central Mosque ‘None to be worshiped but Allah…. Mohammad is his prophet’

The King Street / Hammond Street crossroads is fascinating. A sort of interfaith cross-roads. On one corner a Car park with access to both Southall Church of God and Guru Nanak Darbar. On Kings Street a row of Asian shops: ‘Sunrise Bakers’ specialists in Birthday and wedding cakes; ‘Pooju Wooji’, specialist design wear; ‘Reena’s’ Wholesale and retail; ‘Two Tel Telcomms’ Low cost International and local calls; and ‘A £OUND OR TWO’ - a cheap sell everything type of market shop.

On Adelaide Road the ‘HSBC’ Bank built 1903, representing the god of mammon, and on Norwood Road an boarded up building the ‘Site for Sri Gura Amarddass Gurdwara’. Down Kings Street, Fiona and Tony’s Irish Pub ‘the Black Dog’ seemed strangely out of place in this little corner of Asia.

Most people living in the area work in 'Heathrow city' but have an ambivalent relationship with the Airport which brings prosperity, but is also fundamentally changing the environment. The Green is the main thoroughfare to the Railway station. There is a well used community centre, a large Office block which Ealing borough council is converting to the largest public library in London. Past an Afro Caribbean Music Hall and dance centre to St Anselm's Catholic Church and Parish Centre. Just down the lane, past a power station that looks like a railway signal box. There is a Somalia Social centre. This is in an area now dominated by Somalis and Kosovans.

On the other side of the road a War memorial fronts Osterely Park, on the left an old park building and on the right the oldest building in Southall a Tudor Mansion now used by the council. ‘In grateful memory of our local heroes who gave their lives in the Great War 1914- 1918 1939-1945’ There was not the usual list of names of fallen comrades.

Later we went to the main shopping area in Southall, past a Bollywood style cinema emporium and found some arcade shops. Opposite the ‘Kabul Restaurant’ was an Afghan music shop. I was able to talk to the guys there in Dari. They were delighted to meet someone who had been to Kabul, Mazar-e-Sherif and Jelalabad, where they all came from. They jokingly told me that I should also visit Kandahar to meet the Taleban ! (They are in UK because they fled that very regime during the war years). We had a good, albeit brief, time - a friendly connection was made. And they presented me with a CD of Afghan music as a keepsake. ‘Don’t forget to visit Kandahar’ they joked as I left. I wondered if this is what is meant by 'doing inter-faith in Sowfall' ?


From your own correspondent

South London April 2004

Constantinople and the Crusades March 2004

Constantinople and the Crusades

‘so much courage, so little honour’

I have been reading around the Crusades as I have been travelling – they hold a fascination for me - Umberto Eco’s latest novel ‘Baudolino’ about the forth Crusade, under Barbarosa and the Frankish invasion of Constantinople (1204) 

This  weakened the city and contributed to its collapse and paved the way for the eventual Turkish / Selcuk takeover, under Sultan Mehmed II (the Conqueror) on 29 May 1453.

The determination of the westerners to conquer and colonise the lands of Byzantium was disastrous for the interests of Outremer. It was more disastrous still for western civilization. Constantinople was still the centre of the civilised Christian world. In the pages of Villehardouin we see reflected the impression that it made on the knights that had come from France and Italy to conquer it. They could not believe that so superb a city could exist on earth; it was of all cites the sovereign. Like most barbarian invaders, the men of the Fourth Crusade did not intend to destroy what they found. They meant to share it and dominate it. But their greed and their clumsiness led them to indulge in irreparable destruction….

Georges Tate ‘The Crusades & the Holy Land’ (1996,Thames&Hudson)

The Crusades that initially were meant to be all about liberating Jerusalem from Islam, in the complexity of the Middle East, became a pretext for the occupation of a ‘Christian’ city – Constantinople. It is a challenge that feeds into the current context, a sobering warning with Bush’s current ‘crusade’ against Terror, and those nations that harbour terrorists. Saddam Husein was seen by many Muslims as modern day Saladin. And Israel is perceived to be a crusader state. There is a real danger of polarisation, Crusade and Jihad. And a need for much wisdom and openness to dialogue.

The triumphs of the crusade were the triumphs of faith. But faith without wisdom is a dangerous thing. By the inexorable laws of history the whole world pays for the crimes and follies of each of its citizens. In the long sequence of interaction and fusion between Orient and Occident out of which our civilization has grown, the crusades were a tragic and destructive episode. The historian, as he gazes back across the centuries at their gallant story, must find his admiration overcast by sorrow at the witness that it bears to the limitations of human nature. There was so much courage and so little honour, so much devotion and so little understanding. High ideals were besmirched by cruelty and greed, enterprise and endurance by a blind and narrow self-righteousness; and the holy war itself was nothing more than a long act of intolerance in the name of God, which is the sin against the Holy Ghost’

Steven Runciman ‘A history of the Crusades’ vol 3 (1954)

Mission is also in the mind. It is about right attitudes as well as right action. But we need a ‘crucified mind, not a crusading, or coercive mind ‘ Mission is about ‘crossing boundaries, not crushing them.’ It is about serving, not sacrificing people.

Kosuke Koyama (1974) What makes a missionary ?

In the words of the protest song: ‘when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn?’

From your own correspondent

March 2004

The Royal Academy of Arts has an Exhibition running from 22nd Jan – 12th April 2005 called
Turks: a Journey of 1000 Years - 600-1600 AD