Moving Beyond the Myths in Interfaith Relations

Attentive listening to the hopes and concerns of other Christians and people of other faiths in the Middle East is one of the most important features of the Synod of Bishops which is moving towards its conclusion on Sunday. Over these last few days, participants are hammering out a list of propositions and a concluding message which will be read out to the gathering and made public at the weekend. While the main theme of the two week meeting has been focused on ‘Communion and Witness’ of the different Catholic Churches in the region, the complex question of relations with Islam has been at the heart of the discussions, both in the synod hall and in the smaller working groups.
As a professor teaching Christian-Muslim relations at London’s Heythrop College, Jesuit Father Damian Howard is one of the experts at this synod – he told Philippa Hitchen why it’s essential to move beyond the myths and hear the Muslim perspective on problems facing the Middle East….

Listen…..

“This is a very charged political area,” he says, “and there are a lot of myths flying around with a strong political agenda….Truth is always more complicated and nuanced and sometimes we prefer to stay with the propaganda and myths, but that’s a trap we mustn’t fall into.”
Speaking of his work at Heythrop College, he says “Muslims, on the whole, think they understand what Christianity is because the Koran gives them a picture of Christianity. So one of the first things we do is say, well, if you want to adhere to that narrative, that’s fine but in this place I’m going to have to tell you that Christianity is something very different. That’s a very interesting and exciting process…”