MANDALAY (Myanmar): A Mandalay inter religious seminar highlighted the beauty of Islam and the need to overcome prejudices and build mutual understanding between faiths.
Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng of Mandalay Archdiocese joined 60 Catholic priests, nuns and seminarians, Buddhists monks and Muslims at the Dec. 8-10 seminar organized by the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue office of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar.
Keynote speaker Jesuit Father Thomas Michel, an American now working in the Jesuit.jpg)
Indonesian province, presented the teaching of the Qur’an and gave an introduction to the history and development of the Islamic faith.
U Wayathami, a Buddhist monk, told ucanews.com that the seminar helped overcome prejudices against Islam.
“What we think and hear about Islam is often wrong. Instead, the seminar taught me about the values and richness of Islam,” he said.
Participants at the seminar ⇒
U Myo Win Aung, a Muslim, told ucanews.com
that the beauty of the different religions resembled “different flowers in the garden.”
“If we focus on the word of God, we will have a peaceful world,” he said. “But most people stick to their own community so it may be difficult to see the richness of another person’s religion,” he said.
Franciscan Missionary of Mary, Sister Josephine Kyi, said that the seminar had opened her eyes.
“We see the similarities and differences between Christians and Muslims and we learn together here which brings us closer,” Sister Kyi said.
Father Mark Tin Win, seminar organizer and secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, added that the seminar had helped promote a “conversion” or a change in attitude.
“We can never become peace builders if we lack mutual understanding and fail to overcome our prejudices,” Father Tin Win told ucanews.com.
On the final day the seminar, Muslims answered questions from Catholics and Buddhists.
The seminar then concluded with a visit to the Mandalay mosque to learn about the prayer of Muslims.
Seminar presenter, Father Michel, who was formerly secretary of the Jesuit secretariat for Interreligious Dialogue in Rome, now lives in Turkey. He has also given similar seminars on ‘Islam’ in Yangon for the last three years. UCAN