Interfaith and Intrafaith Dialogue

Introduction

In these selections of the Radix retrospective display, students reflect on the power and potential of interfaith connections and imagination 

Selected Artwork and Writing

The Peacemaking and Healing Power of Interfaith Friendship

In “The Best Two Letters in the Game of Scrabble," Shoshana Iny writes about outreach efforts that occurred between her synagogue and a neighbourhood mosque when each community faced tragic news. She suggests that just as Q and U rely on each other as letters (including when playing scrabble!), faith communities need one another's support and dialogue. She writes: “I did not expect members of the Imdadul Islamic Centre to come to my synagogue and hold hands, forming “rings of peace” around our temple, standing in solidarity with a tragic attack on fellow religious minorities. And when a terrorist attack followed in a New Zealand mosque in 2019, members of my synagogue went to Imdadul Islamic Centre to reciprocate our humanity.” (Winter 2024 pg. 16-17). 

Talking about the Tough Questions within Religions (Intrafaith)

Shaminder Singh Bhullar candidly addresses concerns within his community about modern deterrents to fully practicing as a faithful Sikh. He points out the paradox that while adversity such as discrimination and racial profiling can make it harder to opt into certain practices, religious individuals and communities tend to grow stronger and wiser when they nevertheless choose to face such difficulties. He writes: “Is it worth being a Sikh anymore, or has it become a liability? Being raised with cut hair, I have not had to endure the same racial profiling and racism that many of my baptized Sikh friends have. I have heard recent stories on the internet about young Amritdhari (baptized) boys suddenly cutting their hair for their safety; their relatives are telling them to shave off their beards and remove their turbans. I'm sure that such discussions and crises are going on in many Sikh households across the country. I have this theory that Sikhs as a people have only advanced and been strengthened when they have been faced with a major crisis; this is the case for many different faiths (“Get Up, Stand Up,” Feb. 2003 pg. 3).

The Value of Taking Time for Cross-Faith Spaces and Conversations

After visiting a local mosque with McGill Chaplaincy in 2009 (before MORSL existed!), Celeste Pang writes: “I would encourage everyone to explore different communities, cultures and faiths through real‐life, physical exploration. Get out there on a dark and freezing cold night and hop on a bus! Walk in and ask questions. It’s worth it" (A Visit to the Mosque” Feb. 2009 pg. 6).

In "A Rock Walks" (Summer 2016, pg. 6) by Sara Parks, she describes how joining a pilgrimage from Old Montreal to Kahnawake First Nations enrich her life: "Walking pilgrimage is a spiritual practice that highlights one’s vulnerabilities and, ideally, makes one sensitive to and supportive of the vulnerabilities of others. I find that every pilgrimage, that is, every intentional journey, changes the pilgrim permanently. Just as having the canon of Western literature in my readily accessible repertoire allows [my past English teacher] Ms. Winter to continue to influence the meanings I derive from everyday experiences, so too does a pilgrimage leave one with new narratives through which to read the world. If I hadn’t gone on that pilgrimage, I might never have noticed that Michael Loft’s dream for the Hochelaga rock came true this summer. However, after walking 34 K with Kahnawake as my destination, and the scent of Mike Loft’s sage smudge lingering on my shirt and in my hair, the relocation of the monument writes a story that’s been added to my canon." 

A Tool for Working through Interfaith Tensions

In “Radicalism Defined” (Spring 2015 pg. 4-5) Wing Yu Alice Chan challenges negative connotations around the idea of radicalism within religion. If something is radical, what this means is that it is intended to change or revolutionize value systems and social structures for the better. "Why is it that changes in one group is acceptable, while changes in another group are not?" she asks. It doesn't seem fair to favor religious groups that include radical elements while discriminating against others if we assume they are all well-intentioned. She wonders how interfaith dialogue can help address such problems: "If we begin interfaith dialogue at the root (or radix), can we address grievances, tensions, and concerns in a radical and positive manner? Is this pure naïvité, or is it a realistic and long-term solution that is only realized in the long run?” ―Wing Yu Alice Chan, “Radicalism Defined,” Spring 2015  

Imagining Interfaith Peace as a Spiritual Practice

In a brief, poetic essay, "Holy Habit" (Fall 2016 pg. 22) Madeleine Gottesman explains that while she sometimes resists the daily religious practices others try to entice her to take seriously, what really feels holy and valuable to her is taking time to imagine a better world. "Imagining a new world in the realm of possibility is my holy habit," she writes. "It's true dreaming may leave me vulnerable to the world's harshness, yet more importantly, it opens me to beautiful nuances that expand my accordion core." She continues:

"No longer will the cruelty of others mangle our blue veins into a red.

"No longer will we grip our egos as a lifeline.

"May our speech habits elevate our fellow folks.

"May the notion that beauty relates to everything breathe through me as much as it breathes through you.

"This holy habit of dreaming makes me hopeful, motivating me to tread outside hindering habits to chase change: so dream and hope I may."

Interfaith Relevant Poems

Interfaith themes show up in students' poetry.

“The Chasm of Connection” by Benjamin Rudski (Winter 2024 pg. 10) 

A vision in the fog.

I am brought to a chasm.

Deep beyond comprehension.

Deeper than the ocean.

Deeper than the human soul.

Extending endlessly left and right. Infinite depth.

Beyond the chasm,

There is the Other.

I call out.

A cry! A desire to connect.

Nothing. Silence.

Division beyond hope.

I stand alone.

No connection.

An island in this sea.

“Why, God, have You brought me here?”

An answer to my prayer!

A bridge appears!

A beautiful creation.

 

"Untitled" by Daryn Tyndale (Summer 2016 pg. 18) 

The road less travelled calls to me

Through whispers in the wind,

“Go,” she says, And I am off

On a journey whose end I never wish to reach.

Through stenciled city skylines with flashing lights aglow

Through countryside lit by watercolour sunsets

I will wander across oceans,

I will stumble between borders,

I will make the map my canvas,

And leave no land unpainted.

 

"Unknown Feelings" by Dalia Ramirez Cote (March 2013 pg. 20)

These other thoughts, your

Insular fields of memory,

Often shared, now common good.

Who taught me to realize -

Early enough, it felt too late

How brutal, such complicity.

They make mistakes and hurt others

You and I both,

To be a part of it.

 

I thought I had been well trained in living; a

Good Life -

Capitals for emphasis, these

one time offers of false comfort and

the pretense of a belief in

universals and definitions.

 

Venture into states of paralysis; lost my footing.

I don’t know when I’ll be back.

Reconstruct and boundaries, put the words together.

You know what I mean.

Forgotten playgrounds, they’ve turned into battlefields,

All I can say is: I’m sorry