Daily Times

My eyes fell on the following in my e-mail:

“Dear Tammy,

I want you to know that my Christian neighbour’s dog bit my Muslim cat.”

Well, not exactly. The aforementioned is a bit of literary license at work. But sentiments and passions run wild as I continue to write for Daily Times. The words of Charles Dickens come to mind: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”

So it was a relief to receive a personal invitation to a Ramzan Iftar Banquet for those inclined toward interfaith dialogue. The invitation was extended by one of the 138 signatories for “A Common Word Between Us and You” (October 2007).

It was a year earlier when 38 Muslim scholars hastily planed a door jamb and sent it to the Vatican. “An Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI”, was their response to the remarks he made at a September 2006 lecture at the University of Regensburg. His words produced quite a bit of uneasiness in some quarters. Obviously, the discomfort of his words continued to cast a shadow. The following year, a total of 138 religious scholars added the weight of their rank to “A Common Word Between Us and You”.

Having never attended an interfaith banquet I did not know what to expect. I pulled a simple black dress from the armoire and pulled a pair of feminine low-heeled shoes out of the closet. Little did I anticipate how the evening that awaited me would contain all of the elements needed for vibrant memory: high drama, fun, an excellent menu, and a final highlight moment.

Seated at a table near the front of the room I watched as people streamed in to choose their seating. Looking for a familiar face, I saw a member of the Muslim community who is a very active voice within the Dallas interfaith corridor. I greeted him. The tables were beginning to show a nice intermingling from representative faiths. At one side of me were three Christians and on the other side were four Muslims. Introductions were made and I was beginning to enjoy myself.

As we nibbled on a plate of date fruit, I politely noted that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) liked to eat an odd number of dates. A man at the table responded, “The Prophet (PBUH) would eat three dates.” Smiles all around and good cheer was in abundance. I made a mental note. How hard can this be?

But then came the startling moment of high drama. A microphone was being passed around for each individual to introduce themselves. A Christian minister stood and said, “We all worship Allah.” I temporarily lost my hearing. It was kind of like when a grenade goes off near a person and the eardrum ruptures. Two other things happened at the same time. I had an unnatural impulse to leap across two tables of food to tackle the minister and wrestle the microphone from his hand whilst simultaneously beating him with the heel of my shoe. Instead, I felt my feet lock around the legs of my chair. My sanity returned and I dipped a piece of bread in the hummus that was being passed around. Delicious! Later, I issued a simple statement to my new acquaintances. “I am a Christian. I will remain a Christian for the rest of my life.”

The fun-filled moment came when cell phones were passed to show pictures of children. Mother monkeys always think that their baby monkeys are pretty. Human mothers are the same. We love our children. We think we gave birth to a gifted genius. One of the Muslim sisters is pregnant and expecting her first child. A mysterious gift of God is hidden in her womb. I think she will be a loving mother.

The highlight of the evening came at the end of the banquet. The scholar-in-residence gave me the grand tour of his office. I was able to run my fingers across his Brill’s Encyclopaedia of Islam, his assorted reference books in Arabic and transliterations of the Quran. More than one of his selections also resides within my own small library of Islamic studies.

Reflecting on the evening and what came into my e-mail the next day, it is good to make a few observations.

Interfaith relations between Muslims and Christians cannot be based on theological tenets but only on shared universal values. Far be it from Allah to have begotten a son. And Christians are Trinitarians. We hold to a doctrine that celebrates both the distance and nearness of God to his creation. The God who is highly exalted sent his son to be near to us.

The God of the Muslim is not the God of the Christian. There is little need for a comfortable lie for us to learn how to get along properly. This just takes common sense!

Truth is never opaque. Only our intentions remain so. We must shake hands and find common ground in universal values such as justice, kindness and peaceable behaviour. Those who claim to truly worship God must come away from the experience better human beings. Everything else is suspect.

Prior the Ramzan Iftar Banquet I received an e-mail from Lawrence. He is a Pakistani Christian who now lives in Scotland. He admits to deep past wounds due to his experience as a Christian residing in Pakistan. He was unhappy that I attended the banquet. I sought his permission to quote a snippet of our private conversation. Here is what he said about eating with Muslims: “It is like sand in your meal. Try to enjoy your meal with sand.”

The meal was delicious. I did not detect any sand. The masjid (mosque) incurred a financial burden to bring a diverse talent pool together to break bread. We found common ground in our humanity. Leaving the parking lot I glanced out the car window. The shadows of night cast a velvet hue across the parking lot. It was time to head home.

The writer is a freelance columnist. She can be reached at tammyswof@msn.com