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Imam-Priest Dialogues in the Philippines Produce Impressive Results |
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Written by Marites Africa and Global Staff
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Tuesday, 06 November 2007 |
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Page 2 of 3
The Muslim program framework and contents for the “Intra-Imam Training Workshop” were largely conceived and designed by Dr. Abdulhusin "Jo" Kashim, a distinguished Muslim lecturer on international relations now turned peace advocate and lecturer  on "peace jihad." The program included the basic teachings of Islam and verses from the Holy Qur'an that encouraged Muslims to engage in dialogue with their Christian counterparts and build bridges of mutual respect and understanding with them. Dr. Kashim was assisted in crafting the workshop design (and in conducting it) by Dean Mashur Bin-Ghalib Jundam of the U.P. Institute of Islamic Studies, Aleem Said Basher of the Agama Islam Society, and Imam Ebra Moxsir of the Imam Council of the Philippines.
This Intra-Imam Training workshop for Interfaith Dialogue was a success. Its proponents take pride in the fact that this is a "first of its kind program", and are pleased to be able to contribute this to the endeavor of Muslim-Christian relationship-building in Metro Manila. It was well-received by the imams who participated in it, and the process yielded from them valuable suggestions for improvement.
Its counterpart, the “Intra-Priest Training Workshop,” was likewise well-received by the distinguished priests who participated in the program. This was designed by Marites Guingona-Africa, a Catholic laywoman, based on her M.A. thesis on MAKING SPACE FOR INTERFAITH DIALOGUE: A Formation Program for Catholics in the Philippines. Also integrated into the workshop were principles of the Moral Imagination in Peacebuilding, learned from the workshop currently being undertaken by the Peacemakers' Circle team, led by Dr. Kashim, Marites Guingona-Africa, Lee Collano and Akmad Wahab. This team works under the United Religions' Initiative's Peacebuilding Program which is conducted by Dr. John Paul Lederach (world renowned lecturer and skills-builder on Conflict Transformation), and Dr. Herm Weaver (gifted musician and advocate of peacebuilding through the moral imagination and beyond.)
Fr. Andre De Bleeker, CICM (Maryhill School of Theology), Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, S.J. (President of the Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue), and Fr. Carlos Reyes (Executive Secretary of ECID) contributed their expertise to this training on interfaith dialogue for Catholic priests. They gave excellent presentations on the Teachings of the Catholic Church on Interfaith Dialogue, on Muslim-Christian Relations in History, and on the contributions of the Catholic Church to Interfaith Dialogue in the Philippines.
On the 24th of October, the forty imams and priests who underwent the series of three separate training workshops were brought together for the first time, and this first meeting was prepared for with a sense of apprehension by the facilitators. Although they were hoping that this first meeting would result in friendships among the two groups of religious leaders, they did not know how this would actually turn out. However, according to Marites Africa, “The whole-day workshop turned out to be a heartwarming success! The imams and priests who participated in it seemed very eager to carry on with working together in the endeavor of promoting ongoing dialogue and collaboration among them. How heartwarming it was to bear witness to priests and imams laughing, eating, and singing together "LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME!"
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 25 November 2007 )
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