Inter-Faith Dialogue

I have read about a conference of Muslim and Christian leaders being held at New Haven, Connecticut to promote inter-faith dialogue in the newspapers recently. This brought back memories of my encounters with two elderly Malay Muslim gentlemen more than twenty years ago.

The first was Pak Osman, the father of a friend. He was from Batu Kurau, a small village near Taiping and he sold fruits for a living. He was a devout Muslim and had performed the Haj three times. In my country, the people who have performed the Haj are well-respected among the Muslim community and addressed as Haji.
In my country too, some of the Muslims do not wish to discuss religion with non-Muslims, ostensibly because they (the non-Muslims) do not know enough of the Muslim religion, so I was surprised when Pak Osman started discussing religion with me.
He was wrongly informed that I was a Christian and wanted to know more about the religion and was taken aback that I do not believe in religion. We ended up discussing religions in general (or the lack of it) and our different customs and beliefs.
We had a fruitful series of discussions during the evenings, after I had finished my work, at his roadside fruit stall situated close to the Taiping Bus Station from which I have gained an insight into the Muslim religion and the Malay culture.

The second was a gentleman from remote Pasir Mas, Kelantan whom I met when I attended a two-week course in “Fresh-water fish breeding” at Bukit Tinggi, Pahang in 1983. He was a rice farmer and had performed the Haj twice but I cannot recall his name now. He did not have a formal education and could only read and write in Jawi but he surprised me with his wide general knowledge which he gained from reading Jawi newspapers.
I remember, with mirth, that the first thing he wanted to know was whether man has really landed on the moon or was it merely Western propaganda. (The moon is sacred to the Muslims). I suspect that must be the opinion of some of his friends back in rural Pasir Mas but he clearly had his doubts.
He knew about the conflict between Cuba and America, the “Cold War”, the Falklands War, the fall of the Shah of Persia, communism in China and Mao Zedong, etc and his questions often had me stumped.

The two gentlemen impressed me with their views, their thoughts, their ability to discuss (and not argue), their willingness to listen, their openness and their open-mindedness about others’ cultures and religions (they never once claimed their religion to be the best). It was indeed a pleasure and an honour to have met them.

Through the years, I have had other Malay Muslim friends, as well as friends of others faiths and races, but none with whom I have discussed religion, beliefs and customs or world events. Is inter-faith dialogue useful? I believe so.