Two women, a Christian and a Muslim, are hoping their friendship will inspire others to move past fear and get to know one another. They've started a Christian Muslim Dialogue program and are speaking at churches and mosques and to other groups about each faith's views on Jesus, women, violence and prayer and meditation.
The Rev. Susan Sims Smith is an Episcopal priest and executive director of the Interfaith Center, an outreach ministry of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Little Rock. She and Sophia Said, a Muslim who serves as associate director of the center, kicked off the dialogue program last month at St. Margaret's as a new outreach of the center. They will be speaking during a four-week program at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock next month and invite the public to participate.
They offer the program in many forms -- a one-hour talk, a half-day discussion or in four weekly sessions. They'll have a short session with the United Methodist Women of First United Methodist Church in Russellville in November, and will also speak at the start of International Week at Arkansas Tech University. They've also been invited to speak to the Daughters of the King group at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock and are hoping for more invitations.
The two women met a few years ago and bonded over a shared interest in meditation and dreams as a way to connect with God.
"I thought, 'I've just met my sister,'" Sims Smith said about their initial conversation. She said their friendship has been a gift -- "unexpected, deeply respectful and curious."
They've learned through experience that cultivating a deeper relationship with someone of a different faith isn't easy. There is often fear on both sides -- fear of the unknown, fear that becoming friends will somehow compromise their own faith. Sims Smith said one of the first times she invited Said to speak with her at a Christian church she was asked by several people, "Where did you find such a nice Muslim?"
Getting past stereotypes and misunderstandings, as well as recent religious conflicts around the world, particularly involving the Islamic State, prompted the women to begin this new dialogue program.
"We are living in a time that antagonism of faith is becoming worse and worse," Said stated. "It's really fueling hatred of other faiths."
A friend of Said's told her about how his children were taunted at school after the Boston Marathon bombing last year. Such incidents are common, she said.
"It's one of the reasons Susan and I are doing this important work," she said. "Someone has to do something."
Sims Smith said they hope to reach beyond the misunderstandings of each faith, but to do so they realize they must address what's happening in the world today.
"Christians seem to be really uneasy and many don't feel Muslims are coming out strongly enough about saying that ISIS and other groups are not reflective of the core of Islam," Sims Smith said. "There's a lot of condemnation now. We need to articulate clearly to change minds. At the 9/11 service we stood on the stage and said a prayer where a member of each faith admitted to mistakes their faiths had made. Violence exists in both faiths and we need to address these issues before they can even listen to us."
Said has been speaking to groups in Arkansas for the past four years as part of the Interfaith Center's work, and she said her hope is to share her experience with the Muslim faith and to find what the faiths have in common. The native of Palestine said she was drawn closer to Sims Smith through their shared love of Jesus.
"I heard and saw and felt her love for Jesus Christ," she said. "I thought how can this Christian woman love Jesus more than me? I love him and wait for his return. ... If we all look more on what is beautiful and common in our faith it will bring us closer and these relationships will allow both faiths to come together and fight religious intolerance."
During the Christian Muslim Dialogue, Sims Smith said, the women don't avoid difficult questions or topics.
"We do speak very directly about the difference in our faiths," she said. "In the areas we are the same we celebrate that, but we don't shy away from our differences. We don't want to pour all the colors in the same can of paint and say we're all the same. We want to find a way to help each other deepen our faiths."
Both women said the goal isn't to dilute anyone's beliefs just for the sake of getting along, and they acknowledge that sometimes the conversation can be uncomfortable.
"Fear is the big thing to overcome," Sims Smith said. "When you articulate fear there are going to be hurt feelings, but we have to learn how to tolerate discomfort to grow."
John Wills, administrator of the Arkansas House of Prayer, an interfaith place of prayer on the grounds of St. Margaret's, said opportunities for such dialogue are important.
"When tough questions arise, this is essential," he said.
At the House of Prayer he has seen an interest in more interfaith dialogue, with people starting to ask questions about how to behave or interact with those of a different faith.
"People are waking up and seeing it's not just me and my faith," he said.
The Christian Muslim Dialogue at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral will feature four one-hour programs beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 and continuing on Nov. 12, 19 and Dec. 3. The church is at 310 W. 17th St. and the program will be held in Morrison Hall. Information is available online at trinitylittlerock.org.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the program at their house of worship, organization, business or group can contact the Interfaith Center at theinterfaithcenter@gmail.com. Information is also online at interfaith.itssm.org.
Religion on 10/25/2014