Yousif Al-Hassan
Each time interfaith dialogue is discussed, some members of the public start to cast doubts on its purpose and view it as a conspiracy against Islam or an attempt to stop the spread of Islam.
Some members of society support the view that Muslims should recognize the legitimacy of other religions or, in some cases, engage in activities that are against Shariah just to make people of other religious backgrounds happy.
There is a group of people who strongly believe that interfaith dialogue is nothing more than an attempt by powerful countries to control Muslim lands and force them to participate in dialogue. Another group sees this dialogue as a way of appeasing the enemies of Allah and believes that Muslims should never go down this road no matter what the benefits and advantages might be.
Regardless of the viewpoints held by the above groups, we should still participate in interreligious dialogue and staunchly support it for several reasons. The most important reason is that Muslims have strong faith and are not afraid of engaging in this dialogue with other religions. The second reason is that Islam can stand firm in the face of any such dialogue.
Just because the Muslim nation has been facing many problems that have undermined it does not mean that Islam is weak. Islam is strong and will always be and nobody can doubt its ability to weather any raging political or religious storm. Saying no to interfaith dialogue gives the wrong message to others and makes us look as if we are weak or frightened of participating in dialogue.
Muslim intellectuals and leaders can enter into interfaith dialogues for years without having to relinquish any of their Islamic values. Islam has been spreading for centuries and the number of Muslims is increasing rapidly, a fact that proves that this religion is strong. We should follow in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who entered into dialogue with the Jews of Madinah, although he knew that they were wishing him ill and that they would break their promises.
Interfaith dialogue will not turn Muslims into Christian or vice versa. It will promote understanding because it seeks to clear up any misunderstandings or ambiguities the participants might have about the other religion. This misunderstanding is the reason why there is so much political and religious tension in the world today. If we understand the other and they understand us, there will be no religious conflict in the world.
