An Interfaith Experiment

I attended a meeting of "Interfaith Leaders" tonight at the Al-Farooq Masjid (14th St. Mosque) in downtown Atlanta. I know and respect several of the organizers of this event and so, though I had serious (and valid) reservations about the selected location, I felt it was important that I attend. I am glad I did but I did not escape unscathed...

The speaker, Leland Russell gave a thought-provoking presentation about the importance of Interfaith Efforts on a Global scale. Kemal Korucu of the Instanbul Center commented that the interfaith movement being exhibited by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia during last Summer's conference and Tony Blair's Faith Foundation and others are examples of the "leaders catching up with the people;" that the people have been doing interfaith work for a long time and it is just now being given importance by government and those in power. He also commented that these issues are "too important to leave up to political leaders; they'll just mess it up."

It occurred to me that the truly good, powerful and influential movements in history; the Renaissance, the American Revolution, the Civil Rights Movement, Abolition... have all begun with the people. Ben Johnson made the assessment that "if this is a God-given movment, nothing can stop it." There was the general sentiment that our efforts were in fact, being influenced and guided by God. Kemal made two other comments which I found most insightful; that we are working toward "Unity, not Uniformity" and that the reason interfaith work fails-per Dr. Johnson is "Because we don't focus on God." Another gentleman, whose name I did not get, mentioned the importance of emotional maturity when it comes to interfaith work. I had had discussions about this particular topic with Dr. Godlas some months ago.

Of note was the fact that violence has been declining all over the globe and that we may be living in the "most peaceful time in our species existence." Why doesn't it feel that way?

We discussed the need for "Think and Do Networks" and "Cross-Boundary Leadership." We split into small groups to discuss questions exploring where there are examples of successful networks, what is missing in Atlanta, and obstacles to collaboration.

In our small group we discussed the existing networks; Interfaith Disabilities Network, Interfaith Network to Combat AIDS, Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Other important and successful networks are the American Jewish Committee, Habitat for Humanity, and various Affordable Housing organizations. We determined that we needed greater awareness across the communities, greater collaboration, and to expand what is already occurring.

After we reconvened, we discussed what each of the small groups came up with. There were a lot of productive insights. There was also a lot of talk of the importance of "Doing" vs "Talking." Ironically, we left the 4 hour meeting having done nothing but a lot of talking... In this, I was quite disappointed, and may have brought up this fact if I had not been distracted by an incident that occured during our refreshment break...

Al-Farooq segregates men and women- one of the primary reasons I am uncomfortable going there. I find it quite offensive to be cloistered in a side-room on in a balcony behind glass and lattice-work, no matter how beautifully designed. However, I was attending an important interfaith meeting with both men and women and hoped that this issue would not raise its ugly head.

I had just begun to feel at ease- was even beginning to question my previous aversion to the place somewhat, when I received a wake-up call from an employee of the Mosque...

I had brought two women friends with me- one Muslim and one Adventist. We took our delicious samosas, strawberries, cookies, dates, and coffee into the hallway. Our hands full and the hall getting even more crowded we spotted the marble stairs we had come down. We sat down to share our thoughts about the discussion and enjoy our snack. We were deep in conversation about the various levels of interfaith work that need to occur, what role the community leaders play and the role of emotional intelligence and maturity needed for certain interfaith efforts- that God must be the focus, not the tiny details, but the big picture and what kinds of "doing" make a better world... when we were interrupted.

A man came down the stairs and began berating us for sitting on the "men's side" of the mosque. He was becoming increasingly aggressive with us. We calmly explained to him that we were guests of the masjid, that we were having a meeting and were not allowed to bring our food into the meeting room and there were not chairs available to us so we were sitting on the stairs. He was adamant that we should move, that very instant, that somehow, our being there was encroaching on the men's territory. His body language became a visible force as he walked into our space, where we were sitting and his voice rose. We explained that we only had a few minutes left and would be going back into the meeting room and would finish eating and leave, but he was not satisfied. As we made our way back to the hall to throw our plates and cups he followed us, continuing to reprimand us, trying to force us, with his body, into the cramped hallway leading to the meeting room.

I don't believe he would have left us alone if it had not been for the larger group we were joining. I could help but think that if it had been one of the Christian, Hindu or Jewish guests being accosted how put-off with the mosque and, by association, Islam, they would be. What did my Adventist friend think? At that point would they even be interested in continuing the interfaith conversation? Upon our return when we began to discuss the need for "safe, peaceful environments" for the interfaith conversation I couldn't help but note the irony as my blood boiled and my hands shook. My friend Heidi commented, "I think I'm more of a feminist than I gave myself credit for..." as she tried to keep the coffee from spashing out of her shaking cup.

I tried to shake off the incident, his chauvanistic attitude, ignorance and poor manners in order to be a productive participant, but it was not easy and I know I was not as "with it" as I usually am.

While I still feel it was important that I was there I will think long and hard before I ever step foot in that mosque again.

Melissa