Some (Nissa Rebela) do not want a “halal” neighborhood or another Muslim place of worship, while others (Al Baraka) ask to settle there permanently by purchasing the… prayer hall! The City Hall obviously does not really know what to do and thus hesitates… Each party claims its rights while denying them to others. How, then, can we break out of this impasse that risks poisoning relationships between people living in the same city? But in truth, don’t each of us come from somewhere? This requires some reflection…
The attempt to reconfessionalize our society, secular and pluralistic, where everyone has the right to a religious confession, the freedom to choose and practice it appropriately (concerning the conditions of its exercise respecting republican laws), could only have harmful consequences for all.
All progressing fundamentalisms, which in some cases have become the dominant cultural element, block cultural expressions, stifle creativity, and silence all humanity!
They generate xenophobia, intolerance towards others, ambiguity in relationships, despotism, and sometimes resort to violence to assert themselves when relationships with Islam (religion) need political, cultural, and ecumenical actions.
States governed by the rule of law respect the dignity of all their citizens, which is the essential condition for establishing equality, freedom, and solidarity. But this first fight must be accompanied by action on cultures.
A culture of citizenship, political maturity, reciprocity, and dialogue must replace selfish tribalism, exclusive fundamentalism, and violence as a means justified by any end.
Unity is a shared construction and not the dominance of some over others. We must reflect, with the demands of faith and reason, on contemporary issues of meeting religions, cultures, and churches. We must know how to put questions in perspective, sometimes even by reversing those same perspectives.
Indeed, we are often centered on ourselves, not inclined to reach out to others. Such an attitude prevents true encounters and mutual enrichment, and regardless, we have much to offer each other.
We live in an era where anything is possible: meeting or opposing each other, building and loving, destroying and hating. We must seek communion while keeping our respective roots.
Ecumenism can be the answer to all of this: a service to humanity in opposition to all forms of tribalism.
As the Apostle Paul, who brought the “Orientale Lumen,” the message of Christ, to Rome and the world, said, we must be “totus tuus.” This is the true sign of dialogue from each to others worldwide.
