Christian and Muslim demonstration in Amman, Jordan. (AFP/File)
Christian and Muslim demonstration in Amman, Jordan. (AFP/File)
Followers of the Abrahamic faiths ought to be natural friends. They should do business together, vacation together, study together — and enjoy peace and prosperity together.
The first and most effective means to fight against extremism is for diverse communities to refuse to be divided. Here’s how to do it.
First, learn from those different from you.
Before, during and since the time of Prophet Muhammad, diverse communities have lived together in various ways in the Middle East. Surely, we wouldn’t settle to know one another less in this modern era?
Today, the kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the UAE and others are blessed by expatriate communities that bring their own beliefs, cultures and traditions to the region with them. But working together is never enough to know one another. Expatriates must learn to love their host countries and their hosts must learn to love their guests. This can begin by asking questions over meals in each other’s homes.
Second, enjoy cultural tourism.
Because of Vision 2030, many of the most glorious and interesting parts of Saudi Arabia are easily accessible to foreigners for the first time. Westerners should travel to the Middle East for reasons other than business and people in the Middle East should continue to travel to the West. Every trip should involve some cultural exchange. For instance, Christians can visit mosques and Muslims can visit churches. Learn to look in awe at what makes others proud.
Third, help those in need, together.
Tragedies affecting millions, like the coronavirus disease, or affecting whole communities, like last month’s collapse of a housing complex in Surfside, Florida, have a way of reminding us of the frailty of common humanity.
There is nothing more powerful than when a Christian helps a Muslim or a Muslim helps a Jew or when diverse groups of people in the US, Europe or the Middle East decide to come together to serve others on the other side of the world, with whom they have no personal connection or self-interest.
Our children ought to learn from us to help those different from them. Then they will take this blessing, and its lessons, with them for the rest of their lives.
Fourth, ensure our individual religious life is a blessing to humanity.
When Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was recently interviewed about the wide-ranging economic and social progress of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 on its fifth anniversary, he also spoke about the modern application of certain religious traditions. He said that some practices ought to be disregarded “unless a clear benefit is derived… for humanity.”
Theologians, scholars and clergy can argue about the nuances of their religions, but almost everyone must agree that religion at least ought to be a blessing to all humanity. It should serve to advance the values of kindness and tolerance, as well as human, spiritual and material progress.
There is nothing more powerful than when a Christian helps a Muslim or a Muslim helps a Jew.
Saud Al-Sarhan & Johnnie Moore
This can begin with each of us deciding to be a blessing to those who look, think and believe differently than we do. People who live these types of lives are the people we want as our neighbors, business partners and friends. We will find more of them as we become more like them.
Fifth, continue to learn the best of our history.
Those who would like to divide the world along religious, political or ethnic lines abuse the grievances of history to provoke retribution and enmity. Sometimes, well-intentioned people become obsessed with these grievances and fixated on historic tragedy without ever learning the rest of the story or better stories from history.
The Abrahamic faiths have beautiful history to draw upon, where the coexistence of our communities was common within the Islamic world and outside of it. That history is reflected in our authoritative books and it is confirmed by archaeological evidence.
We should teach our children the good stories first, and that begins with us learning them ourselves.
We think of the first Hijrah, when followers of the Prophet were forced to flee Makkah in response to growing persecution. Those persecuted Muslims were saved by a Christian king in Africa.
These days, it is not the Muslims who face threats of eradication in the Middle East and Africa, but Christians do hear such threats from terrorists like Boko Haram. Those outside of the Abrahamic tradition also deserve protection. We can fight terror by befriending the Sabians and Yazidis of Iraq, who narrowly survived Daesh genocide. When it comes to preserving precious communities that are clinging to existence, the Abrahamic tradition should make no distinction: All faith groups matter.
What if one effect of the spirit of tolerance inspired by Vision 2030 is the opportunity to return the favor of that ancient Christian king who saved Muslims because of his Christian faith? Though, this time, from the world’s most important Islamic kingdom arises an opportunity for a Muslim monarchy to save some of the world’s most threatened religious minorities: Chaldeans, Syriacs, Mandaeans, Yazidis and other persecuted groups.
Whether making such a grand gesture or something far simpler, like dinner with a neighbor, surely if we follow this path — to quote Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa of the Muslim World League — we will “wipe out” extremist thinking, ensuring that we are among those that the Gospels (the “injil” in Islam) say are “blessed” because they are “the peacemakers.”
• Saud Al-Sarhan is a Saudi writer and former Secretary-General of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Johnnie Moore is president of the Congress of Christian Leaders and the founder of The KAIROS Company.
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News’ point-of-view
