Interfaith Dialogue

 Interfaith Dialogue

Shortly after I arrived where I currently live in Mbungoni, I was welcomed by my neighbor and Village Elder, Musa. Slowly I began to know his family members. His oldest son to his current marriage, Ramadan, became one of my students and we began to know each other well. Rama is deeply ingrained in his Muslim faith and loves to share it with me. In fact, he can tell me more about the bible than I can. What I admire about the Muslims here, is that they strive to live in peace and harmony with all. They do not often get involved with gossip or being angry with others.

When the religious month of Ramadan arrives, they fast from sun up to sun down, no food or water. They go to the mosque and pray three times per day, and at sundown when they break their daily fast, they would have me over to join them for supper where all the men sit down on a mat and are served by the female members of the household. Musa, as most African men, is the “man of the house” and whoever he commands, they obediently and respectfully do, without question. They have held on to the religious belief in “the order of a family”. God is over all the family, the husband leads, provides and protects, the wife comforts, teaches and nurtures and lastly the children respect and love the parents. As with any family there arises problems with one another, but with the boundaries established in this model most learn to live well together.

His family is a bit complicated because Musa is the third husband to his wife and she is the fourth wife of his. She brings seven children and he brings six into the mix with none being an off spring of from the two of them together. Though some are scattered around or outside the country, I have been met them all, mainly because some have had to return and live back in the house. His family is as dysfunctional as most are, but under the model mentioned above they are able to work though the difficulties. Musa has made many bad choices throughout his life which he acknowledges, but right or wrong, family is most important and respect allows it to remain glued together.

I do struggle with the notion of more than one wife, but I have learnt that in the Muslim faith you are allowed up to four. One of the beliefs for this is that if a man can manage that many wives and children, he exhibits strength, respect and is in high regard from others.

Interacting between different faith groups nourishes us as we navigate through this era of diversity. It acts as a peace builder and strengthens our own faith as we learn about other faiths.

Another challenge for me has been accepting the notion of bringing so many children into the cycle of poverty. Musa tells me that children are a blessing and that God will protect them.  Africans believe that bearing children is an expectation, even to the extent that if a marriage does not produce a child within the first couple of years, it is acceptable for the man to bear a child from another woman, then bring it home as their own. We on the other hand, tend to have children that meet our financial limitations and our convivences. Would it make sense for us to bring children into the world and live a life of suffering? I guess that all depends on what lens you are looking through.

If anything, I can say that I have been able to view other religious and cultural beliefs with less judgement and more acceptance, even though I do not understand them. There contains much loveliness in the way others live if we are able to open our minds to them.