A Muslim Contribution to Confidence-Building

The organizers of this meeting deserve my profound thanks for bringing me to this cradle of civilizations. Though this is my first visit to the beautiful Macedonia, I have been fascinated with this part of the world since my childhood. It was that young son of this soil whom we remember as Alexander the Great who linked my homeland, Pakistan, with the culture and peoples of not only this country but also the intervening collage of different cultures. This linkage resulted in the evolution of a unique civilization comprising Hellenistic, Iranian, and Buddhist elements soaked in the local colors of my soil. This was the birth of Gandhara Civilization, which had such an enduring legacy that even today its blazing trail can be felt and seen in the culture of Northern Pakistan. Thus, Macedonia became an integral part of our history and culture. My arrival here, therefore, is both a part of this trialogue and homage to our common culture. I feel as if I have been to this place many times, even though it is actually my first visit. Whatever has been said here so far is indeed reassuring, in that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam show tremendous respect and love for humanity, follow the same God that Abraham worshipped, believe in elevating the oppressed and in saying what is true even under the most discouraging circumstances, and honor each individual as reflective of divine essence. It is reassuring that we can say that all three religions are in harmony and have much more in common than is perceived. I would be happy if the world outside this room would also demonstrate the same contours of love and respect for one another. This seems to me like St. Augustine's City of God, but what about the City of Humankind, the real world to which we will soon return and discover that either this was an illusion or the world outside is a nightmare? We know that this is not an illusion, nor is the world out there a bad dream; both are real. We have looked at these three great religions through the scriptures but not through the ways in which their respective believers put these divine words into practice. It is one of those ironies of history that the people who should have been closer to one another are at odds, invoking the same God, the God of Abraham, to fulfil our narrow and shortsighted wishes. We do not perceive God as the Sovereign of the Universe, as Sustainer and Nourisher of all God's creatures. We look at God through glasses colored by the vicissitudes of history. A seventeenth-century poet, Nasir Ali Sarhindi, showed a male Hindu worshiper kneeling before an idol and complains to this god how much trouble he went through in making it, putting it at such an honorable place, bringing it flowers and food every morning; in return, it has not given him a single wish. The poet has the idol say: Mera bar Surat-i Khesh afridi Barun az kheshtan akhar chih didi [You have given me your own face, You could not see beyond yourself.] This is our dilemma: We have reduced the status and image of God according to our worldly desires, hopes, and fears that unfortunately do not accommodate those who believe in the same God but whom history and geography have placed in different cultural milieus. The past existed for those who lived it, and history exists for us. However, we should not forget that we are here because of forces that we did not choose but that have placed us on this shrinking globe. As a Muslim, I am proud of my heritage. As a historian, I look at the past to understand the complexities of human nature as demonstrated through our actions. Today, as a participant in this trialogue, I am disturbed to see how these three great traditions are being recruited for profane purposes. I believe it is the duty of those of us who are well informed to educate the real world, so that, if some self-seekers hijack a religion, it deserves to be rescued, not maligned. …