An earlier Viewpoint submission brought attention to the anti-Islam piece that appeared in the Primary Source recently. The piece, which sought to portray Islam as a monolithic worldview dominated by misogynistic and violent ideologies, was clearly intended to spark controversy rather than intelligent dialogue or debate. While the piece may have gone largely unnoticed by most students, it was a vibrant topic of discussion amongst students participating in the Pathways to Faith interfaith dialogue seminar.
During the class that took place immediately after the Source publication came out, a Jordanian Muslim student arrived with the article in hand, distraught over the misrepresentation of his faith and the irresponsible use of both religious scripture and world events to paint Muslims as violent and intolerant people. This sparked an hour-long discussion about religion, the use and misuse of religious doctrine, the role of freedom of speech in a pluralistic society, and most importantly, the need for real dialogue amongst people of different backgrounds.
The Source publication is a prime example of the necessity for interfaith and inter-group dialogue on campus. College campuses in America today are among the most diverse places on earth. It is here that students from all different racial and ethnic backgrounds, religions, social classes and worldviews come together to live and learn in a community. However, that community often remains fragmented, as likeminded individuals band together, forming a cocoon of complacency in which ideas go unchallenged and identities are unconsciously reinforced rather than re-examined.
While there are clearly many benefits to finding a community of like-minded people to learn and grow with during college, there are also many disadvantages to this widespread system of self-segregation into homogenous groups. Here are just a few disadvantages:
Disadvantage 1: You are stunting your personal growth.
A diverse college campus presents tremendous opportunities for experiential learning. Limiting yourself to socializing with others who are just like you is like throwing away the best chance you may ever have to learn about ways of living, thinking, and being that are different from yours. What better time than college to explore new ways of experiencing the world?
Disadvantage 2: You are stunting your professional growth.
If you plan to assume a leadership position in the world upon graduating from Tufts, an understanding of the diverse cultures, faiths and ideologies that make up the world is essential. More than book knowledge, a deep understanding of how other human beings understand and navigate their place in the world is priceless. And there is no textbook that can give you that insight.
Disadvantage 3: You are stunting the intellectual growth of our nation.
The United States is one of the most diverse societies on earth and of all time. Over 300 languages are spoken here, with people from all over the world flocking to our shores each year. Along with the diversity, however, America has always suffered from the presence of hate crimes, hate speech and discrimination, perhaps more now than ever. By isolating ourselves into enclaves of similarity, we are only contributing to the climate of ignorance and mistrust that leads to acts of hate and discrimination.
Disadvantage 4: You are stunting the movement towards the peaceful coexistence of humanity.
As the conflicts rage on in Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Northern Ireland, the Sudan and countless other parts of the world, we are left to ask ourselves: what can we do to solve these crises? Unfortunately, the answer most of us come to is: nothing much. However, as facilitators of interfaith student dialogue at Tufts, we beg to differ.
There is quite a lot that we can do as individuals to reduce inter-group tensions in our own country as well as those abroad. The first step to taking action on any issue is understanding. Accurate knowledge is necessary in order to correctly frame a problem and then work to find a solution.
When problems are incorrectly and simplistically framed as "ethnic" or "religious" conflicts, then it becomes harder to unpack the real issues that are dividing us and understand how those issues can be resolved. But more important than educating ourselves with data and facts, is educating ourselves by listening to the diverse narratives of our classmates, whether they be fellow citizens or international students. It is through hearing and truly accepting another person's narrative and experience that one can begin to break down the barriers of ignorance and mistrust between us.
We cannot afford to throw away the opportunity for dialogue. The future of this country and this world will depend on our ability to understand and communicate with one another in a global context. And what better place to start than right here at home? Make a move, break out of your comfort zone, explore some different pathways on your journey through Tufts. After all, if not now, then when?
As for The Primary Source, the authors of the article expressed their interest in hearing from "peaceful Muslims" in regards to the issues raised in their article. While the sincerity of their request is dubious, nonetheless it is an invitation to dialogue. Pathways recently took them up on their offer and invited them to come and engage in dialogue with our class, which includes students of various faith backgrounds. The authors responded by saying that they would be interested in such a forum and would seek out a time that works for their staff. We welcome them and hope they will take us up on our offer to make something productive come of this situation.
For more information about Tufts' Pathways interfaith dialogue initiative, visit www.tuftspathways.org.
Najiba Akbar and Shai Fuxman are Pathways co-facilitators.
