​(Representation of the Prophete Muhammad (Mohammed or Muhammad) (570-632) (face covered) preaching to members of the tribe of Abd al-Muttalib (Abd al-Muttalib) Miniature from “Siyer-i Nebi” (Siyer i Nebi) epic poem about the life of the Prophete Muhammad wr

​On Saturday, October 25th, the Islamic Center of Boston presented an interfaith dialogue opportunity through its Interfaith Bookclub, focusing on the book by Ekram Haque titled Muhammad: Son of Abraham, Brother of Moses, Successor of Jesus. Responses were shared by Rev. Dr. Ian Mevoarch of the Common Street Spiritual Center, Fr. Carl Chudy, D.Min., of the Metrowest Interfaith Community, and Our Lady of Fatima Shrine. Shaheen Akhtar, a member of the mosque, moderated the event.

Although the war seems far from our country in the US, our spiritual, familial, and cultural ties to the land of Israel and Palestine are shared by many in our communities. We were grateful for the presence of those who shared their voices, helping us all to put words to our own grief. Dr. Eman Ansari, a doctor and mother in the metrowest area, is Palestinian with strong connections to that land, particularly through her father. Hani Murad, who worked with the United Nations many years and lived in Gaza, also recounted his life there through several wars.

Rabbi Mimi Micner of Temple Beth Torah shared the experience of her family and the trauma of World War II. Cantor Vera Broekhuysen, serving Congregation Beth El of Sudbury River Valley also shared her own family experience from the Netherlands to their migration to the United States.  As is the case in all interfaith relationships, we first seek common ground in grief and anxiety we all hold in these times, although for different reasons. The Irish poet Padraig O’ Tuama truly resonates when he says we need to "find a way of navigating our differences that deepen our curiosity, deepen our friendships, deepen our capacity to disagree, deepen the argument of being alive." 

Shaheen Akhtar, Interfaith Liaison for the Muslim Community at Large, in her remarks emphasized the need to come together, reach out to one another, and have a dialogue, especially at this particular moment in history.  This gathering of Palestinians and Jews, with the support of their co-religionists who are their neighbors and friends, is not an exercise in homogenizing distinct and painful histories, often driven by contradictory narratives and deep seeded bias. Instead, it is driven by something deeper and more profound, a need to listen and love in the search of a common ground to begin together, to be heard, and to begin to heal. It is what looms larger than our differences that beckons us all. 

Introduction

I am grateful for the opportunity to respond to this extraordinary resource in the faith of my Muslim friends and neighbors. This distilled work of a much larger scholarly edition of The Six Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad to the Christians of His Times provides an easy grasp of the desire of the Prophet himself to build bridges of collaboration and friendship with communities who were not Muslim. My approach is to share three elements: First, the impact of Muslims in my life that have had a profound effect on me; second, how I understand the Six Covenants from a Catholic perspective; and finally, I think the insight and prophetic vision of the Prophet in the work of honoring the religious pluralism in the communities where he found himself inspires us to understand the power of the interfaith movement in helping to create diverse and vibrant democracies in our divided world today.

Some Encounters with Islam

At the start of my theological studies in the early 1980s, I had the extraordinary opportunity to work an internship for two years in one of our centers in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Sierra Leone is predominantly Muslim. As a cultural and religious minority, I found myself immersed in the lives of African Muslims, woken each morning by the call to prayer and the insistent cadence of children sitting in small circles in villages and repeating lines from the Qur’an. We collaborated with our Muslim friends in the development of schools and healthcare. We prayed for each other in times of great tragedy. I came to appreciate Islam through West African eyes, intertwined with the rich, complex culture of Sierra Leone.
In southeast Asia, where I worked for thirteen years, Islam and the lives of Muslims in the Philippines were quite different. There, in the middle of great injustice with landless farmers, I teamed with a local Imam to console a group of women who were on the fifteenth day of their hunger strike seeking land promised to them by the government and after a para-military group killed their husbands. I realized I needed my Muslim brother at that time to try to make a difference in the lives of these women in some way.

The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad to Christians of His Time - Early Christian Perceptions of Other Faiths

My own experience brings me to empathize deeply with the desire of the Prophet Muhammad as a man of faith, who was sent by God not only to Muslims; he was, as the forward by Charles Upton states, sent as a mercy to the whole world. [21:107] The original intent of the Prophet was not to create a strict Islamic State but a confederation with the People of the Book, Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and others. Muslims, as the founders of this confederation, would retain their pre-eminence, but all the peoples of the greater ummah were to enjoy the rights accorded to citizens of that confederacy—rights that were extended, under certain circumstances, even to pagan polytheists. (1)

In this work, these covenants were extended to the monks of Mt. Sinai, Christians in Persia, Najran in Saudi Arabia, Assyria, other Christian communities in the eastern land and its west, Arabs and non-Arabs, near or far, known or unknown. In the words of the Prophet from Sahih Bukhari, “Whoever oppresses a Jew or a Christian, I will testify against him on the Day of Judgment.” (3)

The treaty of Najran, for example, is proof of how Islam conferred upon the scripturalists not only social and religious freedom but also granted them the power to decide their civil matters through establishing judicial autonomy, which was not only pertinent to personal status but also covers civil, penal and all life affairs. Religious freedom and an independent judicial system laid the foundation of a true confederacy, with a constitution through which different religious groups became integral to a political arrangement using a social contract. Integrating non-Muslims into political life and becoming real contributing players marked a milestone in the history of human rights. (25-38)

Between 622 and 632 CE, the Prophet's covenants envisioned a pluralistic religious state where all faith communities who accepted the social contract in these documents would enjoy common rights and duties. This principle was the basis of actual Muslim political theory and practice for many centuries, at least until the fall of the Ottoman Empire. (6)

I emphasize the bond of Muslims and non-Muslims to form a social contract based on our common faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph. Toward the end of the Prophet’s life, he showed a mediating position where both Jews and Christians were given conditional acceptance if they submitted peacefully to Islamic rule and paid tribute to the Muslim community for their protection. (A History of Christian Muslim Relations by Hugh Goddard, p.31)

The Contemporary Interfaith Movement for a Vibrant, Diverse Democracy

In the 21st Century, this social contract, inspired by the Prophet Muhammad, is needed more than ever. As Christians in this country, we have a shared responsibility and influence that cannot be underestimated. I firmly believe that the transformative power of the interfaith movement is a vital part of societal transformation in the United States. It's not just about dialogue between religious believers; it's about infusing new energy into democratic ideals that respect our diversity through the evolving interfaith and religious-secular solidarity for the common good. We, as a collective of believers and nonbelievers, are the ones who shape our communities and nation.

As we prepare for elections nationally and locally for 2024, where entire populations of Americans perceive the nation in starkly different ways, it is helpful to explore why religious institutions collectively are crucial to a vital democracy. Each religious community and its adherents express unique visions of the divine cosmos, the light of God reflected in everything, the spirituality and values expressed in our communities, and their unique shaping to a culture we all share. However, only one interfaith voice brings many voices together, a different and formidable power whose potential has yet to be tested.

Jurgen Habermas, a secular philosopher, suggests that religion can remedy contemporary societal issues. It can inspire moral solidarity and political action, bridging social and economic divides. Members of a religious tradition share moral vocabularies (e.g., “Love your neighbor”) and narratives (e.g., parables) that impart concern for the vulnerable with profound meaning and inspire not just individuals but entire communities.

The purpose of these essential encounters always begins locally, with national and global implications. The words of Irish poet Padraig O’ Tuama truly resonate when he says we need to "find a way of navigating our differences that deepen our curiosity, deepen our friendships, deepen our capacity to disagree, deepen the argument of being alive." 

It is not a given that pluralism leads to a more profound unity. An increase in diversity in the community ordinarily leads to a decrease in social trust. It is a work that needs to be continuously engaged positively and proactively. The covenants of Muhammad were not just written words but hard-fought relationships that were tested over time. (Robert Putnam, Diversity and Community in the 21st Century, 2007)

As we look at presidential elections this year, our politics, like interfaith collaboration, require specific ground rules. First, we should not expect perfection from ourselves, others, or even the place we come from. We should not claim innocence or speak only from our scars. We should recognize that truth and love can be increased when we persist in finding ways to connect. Finally, our highest hope should be to grow together, creating a civic space to form a diverse community of hope. (From a People’s Supper, Faith Matters Network).
 
Written as a response to a project of the Interfaith Book Club of the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland on October 26, 2024 by Fr. Carl Chudy, D.Min

 

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, Bishop of the Diocese of San Antonio, Texas, profoundly stated in light of upcoming presidential elections: “Christians are not a social club that gathers on Sundays to receive nice-sounding catchphrases. We are to be a constant influence in society. Our identity as children of God involves a lifelong journey of struggle and testing. We are called to repent and continually transform our lives, thoughts, attitudes, and actions to live in a kingdom of justice, peace, mercy, fidelity, harmony, and unity.” (America: The Jesuit Review, 03/05/24)

Considering our shared responsibility and influence as Christians in society, I firmly believe that the transformative power of the interfaith movement is a vital part of societal transformation in the United States. It's not just about dialogue between religious believers; it's about infusing new energy into democratic ideals that respect our diversity through the evolving interfaith and religious-secular solidarity for the common good. We, as a collective of believers and nonbelievers, are the ones who shape our communities and nation.

When we view the interfaith movement in the U.S. as more than a commitment between different religious communities, we recognize its potential as a potent catalyst for reshaping our shared culture. By prioritizing the common good, we unlock the transformative power of religions. As Fr. Pawlikowski, a scholar in Jewish Christian relations, succinctly states, “Religions enable us to rise above situations where power fosters an environment of inequality.”

Our National Discontent
Amidst the spiritual, psychological, political, and social upheavals that have further polarized the United States, pluralistic solidarity's urgency and healing power have never been more crucial. The recent 2020 presidential elections, marred by contentious disputes over the electoral results, have inflicted deep wounds on our democracy. The threats against poll workers and the attempts by certain lawmakers to undermine the election results in Congress have eroded public trust in our electoral process, our democracy and the essential institutions that sustain it. This erosion of trust is a pressing issue, a call to immediate action for change.

The tragic insurrection culminating from these events at the nation’s capital on January 6, 2021, gathered over 10,000 people in Washington, DC. Rioters smashed through barricades and ransacked the US Capitol, intending to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's election. As Trump supporters stalked the halls of Congress and lawmakers fled to safe rooms in fear, the country seemed united in its disgust. (ABCNews, Thursday, January 6, 2022)

As we prepare for elections nationally and locally for 2024, where entire populations of Americans perceive the nation in starkly different ways, it is helpful to explore why religious institutions collectively are crucial to a vital democracy. Each religious community and its adherents express unique visions of the divine cosmos, the light of God reflected in everything, the spirituality and values expressed in our communities, and their unique shaping to a culture we all share. However, only one interfaith voice brings many voices together, which is a different and formidable power.

Democracy Requires Interfaith Solidarity
Jurgen Habermas, a secular philosopher, suggests that religion can remedy contemporary societal issues. It can inspire moral solidarity and political action, bridging social and economic divides. Members of a religious tradition share moral vocabularies (e.g., “Love your neighbor”) and narratives (e.g., parables) that impart concern for the vulnerable with profound meaning and inspire not just individuals but entire communities.
On the other hand, a purely secular discourse devoid of religious influence offers a less robust foundation for collective action. It presents a more abstract view of the individual, emphasizing less the individual’s social relationships and responsibilities. In this sense, both the secular and the religious are complementary and essential in a dialogue between religious communities and secular civic institutions. (Dr. Michelle Dillon, Postsecular Catholicism, 2018)

The purpose of these essential encounters always begins locally, with national and global implications.  The words of Irish poet Padraig O Tuama truly resonate when he says we need to “find a way of navigating our differences that deepen our curiosity, deepen our friendships, deepen our capacity to disagree, deepen the argument of being alive.”  It is not a given that pluralism leads to a more profound unity. An increase in diversity in the community ordinarily leads to a decrease in social trust. It is a work that needs to be positively and proactively engaged. (Robert Putnam, Diversity and Community in the 21st Century, 2007)

As interfaith community members, how do we reconcile our profound differences while working towards a more peaceful and just world? We must not shy away from difficult questions. Two significant ways of seeing this in action are a national program, The Faith in Elections Playbook, and the other is a local program organized through the Xaverian Missionaries USA, The Metrowest Interfaith Community.

A National and Local Experience
Today, an essential interfaith organization in the country, Interfaith America, and a leading cross-partisan democracy nonprofit, Protect Democracy, launched the Faith in Elections Playbook. The Playbook, which will serve as an anchor for faith-based engagement throughout the 2024 primaries and into the general election, is a step-by-step guide for people of faith to bridge community divides, uplift trustworthy information; support voters with food, water, and a peaceful presence; recruit poll workers; build relationships with local election officials; and offer houses of worship as polling sites.

The Faith in Elections Playbook project represents a unique partnership between one of the United States’ leading interfaith organizations and one of its most influential civic institutions, which sees faith as a foundational American strength. Its interfaith advisory council members represent a wide range of faith traditions, including Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, and multiple denominations of Christianity, including Catholicism and Evangelicalism. The work has already begun across a cluster of community groups, including faith communities, colleges and universities, and other sectors.

A more local program involved in this tremendous national challenge is the Metrowest Interfaith Community, facilitated by the Xaverian Missionaries in Holliston, Massachusetts. It is a collaborative network of religious leaders, congregants, and others representing diverse faith traditions, including our friends and neighbors who don’t identify with any specific faith tradition. We attempt to unite members of our congregations, communities, and the larger public in the interfaith dialogue of life, religious experience, and the common good.

In our community, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Baha’i, and the “spiritual but not religious, began forming a multifaith and multi-spiritual community in 2018. Our first interfaith program occurred in the evening at our local synagogue, Temple Beth Torah. It was October 27th, and earlier that afternoon, there was an antisemitic terrorist attack that took place at the Tree of Life – Or L ‘Simcha Congregation synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.  As we filed into the synagogue that evening, our plans for the joy of interfaith solidarity turned into Shiva, a period of mourning together.

Grief is often too heavy for one person or even one community. That evening, we helped lift the grief of our Jewish neighbors together. Our work in addressing the great divides of antisemitism and Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism became an integral part of our interfaith journey together. At the heart of much of the resentment and animosity of our political divides today, as we look to electing a new president and local officials,  is an expression of these deeper divides in our human community. Collaborating with our civic institutions, the interfaith movement is a healing balm in a divided country.

Ground Rules
As we look to presidential elections this year, our politics, like interfaith collaboration, require specific ground rules. First, we should not expect perfection from ourselves, others, or even the place we come from. We should not claim innocence or speak only from our scars. We should recognize that truth and love can be increased when we connect with people correctly. Finally, our highest hope should be to grow together, creating a civic space to form a diverse community of hope. (From a People’s Supper, Faith Matters Network).

One of the hardest things we can do as humans is to love our enemies past the harm and hurt they have caused.  Valarie Kaur , author, and member of the Sikh faith has given us a book that can help us to do this work and a compass that lays out the steps in doing this.
 
In See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, Kaur provides us with a book that is part memoir and part how-to manual on how to practice what she describes as “revolutionary love”. She defines revolutionary love as the active decisions humans make to wonder about others, our opponents, and ourselves. This act of wonder, she says, will help make the world a better place. Failing to wonder ultimately leads to violence against people who we consider as the other.
 
Valerie offers us a road map compass that helps us to reach new layers of dialogue. And this allows us to see beyond the hurt to a new level of forgiveness and compassion. Many members of the Sikh community were targeted in the days immediately following the attacks of 9/11.  In the book, Kaur talks about the loss of her uncle, a member of the Sikh community.  He was killed the day after 9/11.  Why? Maybe because they looked different, maybe because they wore turbans, maybe because some people are racist, ignorant, or maybe even afraid. She writes about how the whole community came together to offer their prayers, sympathy, and support.
 
She also writes in detail about the 2012 Oak Creek Massacre in Wisconsin. A lone gunman brutally attacked a Sikh Temple. Six people were killed, and 4 others severely injured. The motive for this was apparently white supremacy.  Again, people from other religious communities, people from the area, from around the state and around the country came together to offer prayer and support.
 
Ms. Kaur also talks frankly about the verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse that was inflicted upon her by some members of her family, a cousin, and a long-term fiancé. Despite all the hurt and harm, she is now a strong, whole, and loving person.
 
In her book she challenges us ” to see no strangers by telling us to wonder about others, to grieve our hurts and fight through them.  She challenges us to tend our wounds and the wounds of our opponents by paying attention to our rage, by listening and by reimaging what these relationships and the world might be. 
 
And then she challenges us to love ourselves. In order to love ourselves, we must learn how to breathe. Breathing is life-giving and creates space in our lives to think and see differently. Then we must learn to push through our grief, rage, and trauma. Having pushed through, we can find and transition to healing, forgiveness and even reconciliation”.
​
A few weeks ago, our Metrowest Interfaith group was invited to a local Sikh Gurdwara to attend their worship service and participate in their Langar, a free community meal that is an important part of living out their faith.  The meal is prepared and served by volunteers in the spirit of equality and hospitality.  It was an amazing experience to witness their community and faith in action.
 
Although I couldn’t understand all of the worship service; the music, movements, singing, chanting, and prayers were beautiful. The service evoked feelings of warmth, peace and well-being.  One of the prayers was as follows:
 
“I have forgotten my envy of others Since I found my sacred company.
I see no enemy. I see no strangers.  All of us belong to each other.
What the divine does, I accept as good.  I have received this wisdom from the holy.
The One pervades all.  Gazing upon the One, beholding the One, Nanak blossoms forth in happiness.”
                                             --Sri Guru Granth, Raag Kanarra
 
There are 3 main beliefs of Sikhism:  Remember God’s name with every breath; Work and earn by the sweat of the brow, live a family way of life and practice truthfulness and honesty in all dealings; and to share and live as an inspiration and support to the whole Community. 
​
As a person deeply interested in interfaith dialogue and relationships,  the Sikh community has given me tools to make better changes in my life and to look beyond negativity and use Valerie’s compass as a way to make better connections and to look at and hear each other’s stories without judgement, and to make lasting systemic changes.

Recently, in the high holy days of our Jewish neighbors in town we were invited by Rabbi Mimi Micner to Temple Beth Torah’s celebration of Tashlich. For us Gentiles, that refers to casting away our sins of the past and with the new Jewish year, beginning with a clean slate and a pure heart. This is done ritually with prayer, song, the blowing of the shofar, and casting stones into a body of water, ridding ourselves of the burdens of the past year.

For me, it was one of the most spiritual experiences I ever had. My Catholic faith is often like a roller coaster with both highs and lows. My biggest battle is recovering from religious trauma and the conflicts I often feel with leadership in my own church. So, it makes sense to take the stones of burden I wish to release and let go, every stone is every hurt. As I did so Rabbi Mimi read a beautiful poem that seemed freeing to me as I cast my stones.
​
It seemed powerful that it is possible to cast harm into deep water, that the ritual expresses a real possibility to be free of hurt, and the space it provides for something new, something hopeful. The stones sank deep into the Divine heart we all share. As a Catholic, I felt so close to Jewish friends who welcomed me, a stranger in their midst. Casting stones made me think of the possibilities peoples of all faiths hold in their hands.
 
Casting Away
 
We cast into the depths of the sea our sins
And failures and regrets.
Reflections of our imperfect selves flow away.
What can we bear,
With what can we bear to part?
We upturn the darkness, bring what is buried to
Light.
What hurts still lodge,
What wounds have yet to heal?
We empty our hands,
Release the remnants of shame,
Let go fear and despair
That have dug their home in us.
Open hands, oping heart –
The year flows out, the year flows in.
(Marcia Falk)

​



​Sri Ramakrishna’s cryptic phrase, “As many faiths, so many paths” (Bengali, যত মত, তত পথ) is often cited to affirm that all religions are true and valid paths to reach life’s ultimate goal. The word, মত, refers not specifically to “faith” but to “way of thinking” (which a “faith” generally provides). What Sri Ramakrishna was saying in effect is that every way of thinking is a pathway to understanding or to knowledge.

This needs some qualification, of course. It is difficult to imagine every wayward and random thought leading to any sort of profound knowledge. Only the way of thinking that (1) is backed up by an authentic source (śruti), (2) does not contradict reason (yukti), and (3) can be verified by direct experience (anubhūti) becomes a pathway to knowledge.

Affirming that all religions are valid paths does not imply that every religion is a unified single path. No religion is monolithic, that is, in no religion does everyone think alike or do things in the same way. Over the course of centuries, most of the world’s religions have developed varied ways of thinking within their own traditions, hence the presence of many sects, denominations and theologies; hence also robust debates and disagreements within every religious tradition. Every world religion is better imagined as a network of crisscrossing pathways which are distinct but never stray too far from one another—and may look like a single highway from 30,000 feet high.

Although Vedanta is often spoken of in the singular, there are many different schools of thought within Vedanta, every one of which identifies itself as Vedanta. The three major divisions are nondualism (advaita), qualified nondualism (viśiṣṭādvaita), and dualism (dvaita). Every one of these has its own subdivisions. The more you dig, the more intricate and nuanced the variations become.

What set apart these pathways in Vedanta are the differences among them, sometimes very subtle, in the way they conceive of the embodied self (jīva), the transcendent reality (brahman), and the world (jagat). The world phenomenon (saṁsāra, literally, “that which is constantly changing”) can be viewed through different lenses. Each view provides new insights and new ways to understand ourselves, the purpose of life, and how to achieve it. These different lenses are, in other words, frameworks for easy understanding. Each presents a worldview, a kind of window, through which we can look out at the canvas of life.

It is possible to look at the world around and see it as a Cosmic Mystery (māyā) or as a Cosmic Person (virāṭ) or as a Cosmic Sacrifice (yajña) or as a Cosmic Union (yoga) or as a Cosmic Play (līlā)—at least five different windows through which to look out and make sense of what we see. Not all of these windows may resonate with everyone and they don’t have to. Perhaps one way of thinking may make more sense to someone than other ways of thinking about the same thing.

Whichever of these ways rings true for me (and this can be quite subjective), it ends up becoming my worldview. It makes my life meaningful and purposeful. It is helpful to recognize that a different way of thinking may be equally meaningful to someone else. The ways of thinking are many, but what is thought of is one and the same.

We are free to move from window to another, enjoying the gamut of views, but over time, we may find ourselves spending more time near one window and eventually moving our desk next to it—that window, then, becomes special for us, our personal favorite!

It is important to keep in mind that each of these windows is only a means to understanding saṁsāra and the way to get out of it. As Sri Ramakrishna said:
“God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole.” (Gospel, 111)

Every way of reaching the roof is distinct but, no matter which way we choose, the end result is the same. In precisely the same way, each of the five “windows” that provides a way of thinking about the world is distinct, but no matter through which window we see, the end result is the same—namely, a framework that helps us understand the interrelationships between the individual, the world, and the divine reality that pervades and transcends them both. Every framework suggests practices, or the kind of “stairs,” which help us “reach the roof.”

We cannot of course reach the roof if we insist on taking one step on the stone stairs, the next on the wooden stairs, and then on bamboo steps. That won’t work. The stairs are different and distinct. Hence we cannot combine concepts associated with one window with those in another, or search for ways to “reconcile” one with the other. These efforts serve no useful purpose. They only result in confusion and frustration. We cannot simultaneously look through two windows which are far apart.

It’s not the windows that matter but the view they provide, the Truth they reveal. That Truth is one, no matter which window we look through.