Bro. Michael Broughton, FSC, spoke of his experience
with students who had parents with different religions and were left confused.
He reiterated that this was intensified when there was a lack of
collaboration or a break-up between these parents. Thus closer inter-religious networking and a deeper understanding of the
different religions was essential in serving people's needs. Serving as a legal aid in JAYMIAH [Muslim Missionary
Society], Mr Mohd. Noor Marican shared on the importance of being knowledgeable,
clear and explicit in religious-legal matters involving marriages, divorces and
even burials. Contending that this
status required a rootedness in one's own beliefs, he convincingly proffered
that it was important to be uncompromising, yet objective and lucid in the
practice of one's religion. This
status would effectively enhance inter-religious dialogue. In her presentation Sr Theresa Seow, FdCC, using
various transparencies with newsprint captions, highlighted the 23 years of
Catholic-Muslim dialogue that was initiated by Vatican II and zealously perused
by Pope John Paul II since his pontificate. It was heart-warming to know that
religious leaders were tangibly seeking to overcome barriers and that there were
dimensions in both religions where dialogue and mutual agreements could be made.
Captain Makdoom in his contribution to the gathering
offered that he was happy to have had an opportunity to share some time of
prayer and meditation on a previous session with Catholics.
He expressed a hope that there could be future occassions of shared
spiritual time together that built Catholic-Muslim dialogue and helped Muslims
understand Catholics better ~ and vice-versa. Speaking
from the Catholic scene, Fr Colin Tan, S.J. spoke about his work in the Refugees
Relief Center. He appealed for a
closer collaboration with the Muslim community particularly in giving aid to
those in Indonesia and Moloccus where there were a number of Christian and
Muslim refugees seeking aid. The
formal Dialogue came to a close with a call from Mr Abeerali for a committee,
consisting of Muslims and Catholics, to be formed to organise these gatherings
as a regular event. He
envisioned even large-scale gatherings on an annual or bi-annual basis.
Mr Abeerali reiterated that these occasions were to facilitate
uninhibited dialogue on a religious rather than a secular plane ~ a dialogue
which built friendships and a “reservoir of trust” between Muslims and
Catholics. In a typically Singaporean style the gathering
concluded with a meal. Though the meal was a simple one, it was uniquely swathed
with lots of inter-religious bantering and chatting, cultivating a hope of
fostering future mutually enriching encounters.
Update:
On the 28th June 2001, there was a follow-up of the Catholic-Muslim dialogue
session where Maulana Imran Hosein and Rev. Fr.
William Goh
presented a joint session on the two perspectives
of Jesus. The session was well-attended by a
large number of Muslims and Catholics. Questions were asked of both and
the overall interaction left a positive atmosphere.