Dialogue/Trialogue
In our times, there are several attempts to
promote understanding and even cooperation among various faiths. There exist
various forums for Muslim-Christian dialogue. Where Jews are included, these
forums are referred to as ‘Trialogue of the Abrahamic Faiths’. Other inter-religious or inter-faith
forums exist which include adherents of others religions such as Hinduism and
Buddhism.
These attempts at bringing together adherents of
various religions are sometimes based on the idea that what people should
stress is faith and a common belief in God as a necessary bulwark against the
pervasive godlessness and secularism that have gripped the world. These attempts
may be useful in that in place of ignorance for others’ beliefs, some
understanding would be sown. This may help to remove suspicion and even strife.
These attempts are questionable however when they
aim at bringing religions together in common acts of worship and ecumenical
service. Baldly stated, ecumenism often gives rise to confusion and hotch-potch especially when, from an Islamic standpoint
much of what passes for religion and religious practices belong not to the
history and practice of religion but to the practice of paganism. Islam cannot
be regarded as just one other religion among religions. Truth must be distinct
from falsehood.
Some forms of dialogue can in fact lead to
secularism and limiting the scope of the moral and legal code of Islam. Some
Christians in predominantly Muslim lands have promoted with great skill and
much success the doctrine of common citizenship, common aspirations, and common
nationalism among adherents of different religions. In the process, the moral
and legal code of Islam – the Shari’ah – has been
reduced to a few matters of personal status. In the process, the only winner is
secularism under which religion becomes a personal matter. This is one of the
sources of tension in Muslim-Christians relations. There is naturally a feeling
of injustice on the part of Muslims that they are not allowed to live their
lives completely according to the Shari’ah in these secularized
states. (top)