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The imam and the pastor
By Katherine Marshall
FAITH IN ACTION
The unlikely and inspiring Nigerian duo Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye were in Switzerland last week at the Caux Forum for Human Security. Their partnership is unlikely because they were militia leaders on opposite sides of the conflict in northern Nigeria and lost not only friends but parts of their own bodies as combatants (James wears his artificial arm proudly). It is inspiring because they are powerful exemplars of the possibility of reconciliation.
Pastor James and Imam Ashafa were at Caux to launch a film called An African Answer (it will be released in September). An earlier film, The Imam and the Pastor, told the story of how they overcame their own hatred and joined forces, and their subsequent joint work in Nigeria. The new film is about their work in Kenya to help dampen the fires of violence that erupted there after the 2007 election.
Kenya's conflicts are centered on ethnic differences, not religious ones. So the imam and the pastor approached local communities in Eldoret not in their religious roles but as specialists in conflict resolution.
The film is instructive, showing how the duo went about their work. Each man led a group of one of the ethnic communities, the Kalenjins and Kikiyus. They first undertook a classic effort to draw out some positive views each held of the other. Then they delved into the grievances, and there were plenty. Land topped the list, but there was also much resentment about attitudes and respective tendencies to stick to their own communities, including separate Christian churches.
The first visit seemed to bring some greater consciousness of the complexities of the sources of conflict and produced a committee with a mandate to monitor the fragile peace. A second visit some months later delved deeper and sought ideas for common action. A plan to unify the ethnically separated markets in a town emerged.
And then, the film shows, members of the communities wrote down their grievances on pieces of paper and burned them in a ceremonial fire. This ritual was aimed at catharsis and symbolized a commitment to consign the bitterness of past hurts and longstanding grievances to the flames.
The two Nigerians seemed to lead the Christian reconciliation rituals without a trace of concern for religious difference - indeed a sense pervades the images that the unifying power of faith is far greater than any specific difference in beliefs or teachings. Forgiveness, love of neighbor, and commitment to address and resolve conflicts were powerful bonds.
A jarring but realistic feature of the film is the dominance of men. Women play only marginal roles. That's an honest reflection of the social norms in the communities concerned and is another reminder of how important it is to bring women into central roles in work for peace. They have so much to offer.
An African Answer shows how much religious leadership and communities are contributing to the rising movement of peacemakers, working at grass roots and linked together more and more by technology. Pastor James and Imam Ashafa are untiring examples of the potential for reconciliation and the depth of resources that faith traditions can bring. More power to them.
Katherine Marshall is a senior fellow at Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, a Visiting Professor, and Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue.
By Katherine Marshall |
July 19, 2010; 12:28 PM ET
| Category:
Faith in Action
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Posted by: seren1 | July 21, 2010 8:00 AM
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You call this African solution? Islam propagated by the 7th & 8th century Marauders. Christianity spread by the European bigots with monetary rewards. These two faith have brought more misery that one continent can handle. SO you will do Africans a big favor and keep this drivel out.
Posted by: Secular | July 19, 2010 7:14 PM
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"Pastor James and Imam Ashafa are untiring examples of the potential for reconciliation and the depth of resources that faith traditions can bring.”
Here are but a few of the deep resources that “the Muslim faith” brings along for reconciliation.
Don’t take Jews or Christians for friends. If you do, them Allah will consider you to be one of them Quran 5:51
Allah turned the Sabbath-breaking Jews into apes Quran 2:65-66
“Those (Christians and Jews) are they whom Allah has cursed.” Quran 4:52
Have no unbelieving friends. Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them Quran 4:89
Jews and Christians are losers Quran 5:53
Should I keep going?
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | July 19, 2010 1:12 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
Against a world of division, the work of the Imam and the Pastor, you describe in this article, is a breath of fresh air.
Both of them have risen above petty religious doctrine and theology to bring reconciliation and healing to a divided community in Kenya.
Both the Koran and the Bible contain xenophobic, prejudicial and contentious statements.
The New Testament drips with prejudice against the Jews. The Old Testament against women.
But Books also contain important truths. The Imam and the Pastor have focussed on the positive, rather than the negative in their religious beliefs.
Thank you for letting us know about their work. I will be definitely ordering a copy of "An African Answer".
Now the here comes the tired old feminist chesnut. The article laments the dominance of men in the peace project. Surely, one would have thought that the process is an on-going one and women will join in.
Meanwhile, hats off to the men, for taking this courageous initiative and bringing peace to community, which benefits men, women and children.