The terrorist bomb attack which occurred in Nairobi on the 7th of August this year affected all Kenyans in one way or another. If we did not personally have family or friends among the casualties, the majority of us know someone who did. But, although it was a terrible disaster, some unexpected good resulted from it: it brought out the best in many people and created a solidarity among Kenyans we did not know existed. People of all races and religions banded together to help the injured and the dying.
This unexpected solidarity made us think again about the nature of Kenyan society, a society which is multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious. Ideally, this diversity should make for a more interesting society: living with people of many different backgrounds ought to enrich our lives. However, the opposite appears to have been true in the last seven years or so. We have lived with the so-called "ethnic clashes"¾which made many more victims than the bomb attack. We have also seen the periodic surfacing of prejudice against Asians which at times has even resulted in acts of violence and killings. Such happenings make us very much aware that occasional manifestations of solidarity are not a strong enough foundation on which to build a harmonious society. Much more is needed to eradicate prejudice among people of very different backgrounds.
In this issue of WAJIBU we wish to explore the contribution inter-religious encounter can make towards the creation of solidarity between people of various backgrounds. The need for solidarity among people various religions are obvious. Nowadays there are few nations where all people profess the same religion and therefore contact with persons adhering to a religion different from one's own is much more frequent. Such contact must not remain superficial if all are to work together for the common good and if misunderstanding and even discrimination are not to occur. The danger of discrimination, and even outright hostility, is an ever present reality. In Kenya, the deregistration of certain Muslim NGOs after the recent bomb attack is an example of such discrimination.
Speaking at a symposium in Germany early in March this year, Konrad Raiser, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, gave another reason why (as he put it) "the demand for interreligious encounter and cooperation is indispensable for the society of the future." He said that there was a growing danger that religious affiliation would be misused to legitimise political, national or ethnic interests. "Therefore." Dr. Raiser added. "Christian churches must work with a certain urgency to overcome their own deep-seated reservations and inhibitions about interreligious dialogue."
Although some interreligious dialogue is taking place in our region, the "deep-seated reservations" that Dr. Raiser mentions are very much part of the picture. These reservations exist among members of all religious communities. For example, people may fear that if they make a thorough study of the faith of their neighbours, the certainty about the truth of their own faith will be shaken. There may also be a fear of syncretism, the reduction of religious beliefs to their lowest common denominator.
Such fears must not be disparaged or ridiculed: they must be faced honestly. We should not be afraid to know the truth, even if the truth may sometimes make us feel uncomfortable. Christians often quote the saying of Jesus: "the truth will set you free." If God is one and the Father of us all, he cannot wish his children to believe a lie. At the same time, our search for truth should not blind us to the fact that our understanding is limited and that therefore there is need for humility on the part of all of us as we engage in dialogue. Such humility is all the more fitting as we come to realise that adherents of most religions have at times displayed aspects of intolerance, and even fanaticism.
The basic requirement of all religions is love: love of God and love of neighbour. It is love of neighbour which is the most important reason for encounter and dialogue with people of a faith different from our own. In Kenya, far too many of our neighbours are suffering at the hand of their fellow citizens. For their sake¾and in order not to make a mockery of our professed love of God¾we must seek unity of purpose with all people of good will. We will find our faith strengthened and our lives enriched in the process.
NOTE TO OUR READERS
WAJIBU has published an earlier issue on interfaith dialogue, namely Volume 4, no. 1 (April-May 1989). This issue is still available and may be obtained from the publisher.
Apology. We apologise to our readers for the mix-up on the back cover of the last issue. It was supposed to give you the information on the contributors for Volume 13, no. 2. Instead, you got the information for the contributors of Volume 13, no. 1. We are supplying the missing information on the back cover of this issue.
ABOUT OUR CONTRIBUTORS
Fr Luigi Clerici, Dr. theol. (Gregorian University), a member of the Swiss Bethlehem Missionaries, worked for some time as a missionary in Japan. Since 1974, he has been in Africa (Zimbabwe and Kenya). He has lectured in systematic theology in numerous theological schools for some 35 years. More recently, he has given courses in the history of African evangelization. At present, he lives and teaches at the Marist Centre in Langata, and lectures at the Scholasticate of the Apostles of Jesus and at Hekima School of Theology. His research on the Mombasa martyrs has been published in a number of missiological journals.
Robert Gikonyo holds a B. Sc. from the University of Nairobi. He runs a waste disposal company with some of his former fellow-students. He has a great interest in the preservation of the environment and a deep concern for the welfare of Kenya.
Farhana Hassanali completed her secondary education in November 1997. She did her A-Level examination in June 1998 and is beginning an undergraduate course at the University of Reading. Her hobbies include reading, cookery, embroidery, creative arts, badminton and swimming.
Fr. Mathew Haumann,MHM, is a missionary priest who has lived in Kenya for many years and has also worked as a missionary in southern Sudan. He is now back in the Netherlands, the country of his birth. He has published two volumes of short stories in Dutch, based on his experiences (many of them with society's marginalised).
Mr. Harold F. Miller is a volunteer with the Mennonite Central Committee.
Mr. T.S. Nandhra has served Kenyans for more than 45 years, both as a civic leader and through his social and political activities. He has been a board member for various medical and educational facilities and has been chairman of the Sikh Temple, the Sikh Supreme Council as well as of the Hindu Council of Kenya. He is a succesful architect and has many landmarks in Kenya. He is the proud father of three sons and one daughter, all active in various professions.
Hershil Shah is 13 years old. He is a student at St. Mary's School.
Andrea Useem is an American free lance journalist living in Kenya. She is a member of the Editorial Board of Wajibu..
Fr. Joseph Wainana is the National Pastoral Coordinator for the Kenya Episcopal Conference. Ordained a priest in October 1986, he holds a B.A. in Theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in the Vatican, Rome (1987). He is currently studying for an MA in Religious Studies at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Karen. Before coming to Nairobi, he spent nine years in parishes within Nakuru district, including Kabarnet, Nakuru (Christ the King Cathedral), Njoro and Elburgon.
