A – Z of Things Unseen: I is for Interfaith
In this edition of our A to Z, Mohammed Ali Amla, founder of Christian Muslim Encounters – an interfaith network that seeks to bring together academics and activists in shaping dialogue and research – discusses his life journey and lessons he has drawn from interfaith encounters.
Encountering his white neighbours as a little boy was the start of engaging with other faith communities, which Ali sees as opportunities to demystify “the other” and educate one another in shared values.
For Ali, the crux of his interfaith foundations lies in the prism of his Islamic faith – he is inspired by Quranic scriptures and prophetic traditions of co-existence and says that “if we all embodied the prophetic nature, we would become interfaith activists naturally”.
For Ali the future of interfaith work in Britain lies in the hands of communities and future generations, who need to inspire, have compassion, educate and champion their shared human values.
The A-Z of Things Unseen explores an eclectic mix of concepts through the eyes of 26 people from a range of different faiths – as well as some doubters.
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great guide and no more mixed messages
Hi Ali for some reason there seems to be no sound
I am a Quaker. We believe there is ‘that of God’ in every human being. And that God can therefore speak to us through any person whatever their ‘label’ Human life is sacred so most of us are pacifists An early Quaker, William Penn(1644-1718) who went on to be a founder member of Pennsylvania in the USA thought that ‘devout souls are everywhere of one religion’. He describes the variation in religious belief and practice as a ‘mask’. These ‘divers liveries they wear here make them strangers’ to each other. He was convinced that ‘when death has taken off the mask they will know one another.’ Thank you Ali for sharing and for looking behind the mask.
Jim Paris
Very helpful.
Am trying to help set up just such a conversation in Liverpool.
I found the summer meeting in Lanc Uni a bit frustrating in that there were lots of academics but examples of such interaction as you suggest might be possible. Difficult to know where to start
PL
PhilipLodge
Never thought about really embracing the idea of ‘the other’. Insightful Ali, well done.
Vicky Backhouse
This is a wonderful presentation of your own experience. Well done.
Haroon