In this article I intend to discuss ways of overcoming Arab
anti-Semitism and Israeli Arab-phobia and Islamo-phobia. I believe
that my comments are relevant for a large variety of conflict
contexts. My experience and knowledge come from the Middle East,
from the Holy Land, and I will focus on this part of the
world.
The nature of this experience leads to a second point. This article
is based on many years of practical experience in using the
approach it portrays, in active work for the building of human
peace (between human beings and not just leaderships and
politicians) in the Holy Land and the Middle East through
interactive interfaith dialogue, mainly in the framework of the
Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA)
(www.interfaith-encounter.org). The ideas in it were not developed
in an abstract way, as theoretical concepts, but as an ideological
infrastructure for action. They have supplied the basis for IEA
activities and are constantly going through intensive field testing
in hundreds of events with thousands of people. The ideas are
supported by concrete successes on the ground.
The third point of introduction is also derived from the nature of
my experience. Prejudices and fears, mistrust and even hatred exist
between Jews and Arabs, or as we prefer to look at them: between
Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze. Yet regardless of other
factors that are probably very important when analyzing these
phenomena, the main factor that makes it possible for these
negative attitudes to prevail is ignorance - both in the sense of
knowing very little, if at all, about the "other" and in the sense
of ignoring the "other." Consequently, getting to know each other
in a deep and positive manner is the way to prevent the possibility
of these phenomena. My main focus - in my work, in my life and in
this article - is on how this can be done in a most effective way,
through interactive interfaith encounter.
Finally, an introductory word about religion: the human desire for
better connection with the Divine (or whatever one chooses to call
this super-reality, which is beyond words anyway) and for meaning
in and of life is a very powerful force. The different paths in
this quest are organized in what we call religions, which makes
religions a very powerful force with an ability to influence humans
and to mobilize them to make and take more out of themselves and go
beyond where they would otherwise go. Being a very powerful force
by itself does not make religion good or bad. Like the less
powerful forces, it can be both used and misused. What makes the
difference between the two is the human who works with the force -
as the Jewish sages of the Talmud say: "If he is worthy, the Torah
becomes for him a drug of life; if he is not, it becomes for him a
drug of death."
How Do We Overcome Prejudices and Fears?
So how do we make sure that religion is for us, and others, "a drug
of life"? And how do we overcome the prejudices, fears and even
hatreds, and replace them with respect, trust and even friendship?
It is beyond the scope of this article to describe in detail that,
at least for the Abrahamic religions, the second question is really
part of the first. I will just say that as all of these religions
claim to lead humanity in its quest to God - it is clear that
religious leaders have to overcome prejudices and fears and to
build respect and trust in order for their leadership to be
effective. For me, the answer to both questions is by being engaged
in intensive interfaith encounter.
Getting to know each other at a joint
workshop
But who says that this answer is the correct one? Experience does.
Negative attitudes towards the "other" have important root causes,
but, at least in the case of the Holy Land, there is one factor
that makes it possible for these causes to induce the negative
attitudes, and without this factor they would just disappear. This
is very similar to the fact that, despite the root cause of the
force of gravitation, the computer I use for the writing of this
article does not fall down to the floor when there is a table
beneath it. In our activities of the IEA we find again and again
that, in the case of the human relations in the Holy Land, the
equivalent for the lack of a table is the lack of real knowledge of
the other, simply ignorance. Profound understanding of the other
opens the door for mutual respect, trust and even friendship -
despite the disagreements that continue to exist.
Imagine a group of Muslim and Christian Palestinians coming from
Nablus, Ramallah or Bethlehem, to meet a group of Israelis in an
interfaith encounter. Most of these people, in both groups, have
never met the other before, and nearly all their knowledge about
the other comes from the media. During the height of the second
intifada that meant that they "knew" for sure only one thing: that
the other was trying, or at least dreaming, of killing them. Still,
when they agree to follow the guidelines of the interfaith
encounter, they go through the process of discovering the humanity
of the other through a deep and sincere discovery of the other's
religion and culture. It is amazing to see how quickly they
connect, how fast they actually overcome prejudices and fears and
replace them with respect and friendship. At the end of the second
day, after they have met each other, taken part in two thematic
conversations and witnessed the Muslim and Jewish prayers, they all
sing and dance together, or tell jokes at a social evening. When
the time comes to bid farewell on the third day, they hug each
other with tears and wish the next encounter would come
rapidly.
The relations that were built have survived, in many cases that we
know of, even some very difficult challenges that, unfortunately,
were not rare in the last few years. In the context of our
conflict, I believe that it is very encouraging to realize that
once we overcome the ignorance between the different groups, we
build a barrier that does not allow the root causes to induce
prejudices, fears and hatred. Another optimistic thought is that if
the fears and hatred can be overcome so easily - the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is probably not as deeply rooted as we
think.
Describing the Process
How does it actually work? What is the content of the process? What
is its framework? The content is composed mainly of interactive
interfaith dialogue. It is important to stress that in the case of
IEA, interfaith dialogue is not our goal but our vehicle to achieve
the goal of true coexistence. We find that our work to overcome the
conflict is most effective when we do not discuss the conflict.
Instead, when we come together we encounter each other - whether
religious or not - through the aspect of our respective religious
traditions. As an alternative to political discourse - which very
often tends to be very superficial and divisive - we offer the
interactive inter-religious discourse, which gives a lot of space
for relaxed exchange between participants and is very effective in
supplying the deep and positive interaction that is needed to
overcome the attitude of ignorance. It invites its participants,
religious or not, to come to the conversation from a deeper place
in themselves. It reveals many similarities between the different
traditions, which creates a basis for a sense of connection. But
perhaps most important: it allows for a sincere joint conversation
about the differences, and in this way its participants train
themselves to accept the other as "an other" - someone who is
different. In this way we promote our ability to develop
friendships that are not conditioned by agreement.
In terms of framework we work with two main models. The first model
can be described as a kind of positive shock treatment.
Participants come together for two or three days of very
concentrated encounter with the other, away from their homes.
During these days of intensive encounter they engage in long and
deep conversations about the perspectives of the different
traditions on the theme selected for the retreat, they have the
chance to witness the prayer of the other and sincerely share their
views, feelings and deliberations. They also have the opportunity
just to have fun together or chat informally on lawn or during
meals. Through this encounter they overcome many of their
misconceptions about the other and most of their negative
attitudes. This model is a very powerful first exposure to the
other and, in the current reality, in many cases is our only
option.
The second model is the ongoing work of groups from different
religious contexts in a given area or city, that come together for
regular interfaith encounters with each other. The work of the
group starts as a joint center for interfaith encounter but
develops a strong sense of one community in its participants. This
mini-community both exemplifies to the larger communities how it is
possible to coexist in harmony with respect for each other's unique
identity, and as a growing seed of such relations that hopefully
will grow to include the whole of the larger community.
Dialogue While the Occupation and Terrorism Continue?
Some may wonder: how is it possible for Palestinians to engage in
relaxed dialogue while occupation continues and for Israelis to do
the same when terrorism continues? We believe that this kind of
work is the only way to overcome both in a sustainable way. In such
a small land as the Holy Land, total separation between the two
peoples is not a long-term option. Yes, it is possible to disengage
here or build a wall there. It is even possible to use a window of
opportunity to sign an agreement, named after this or that European
city. But none of these moves, and no political arrangement, can
ensure a sustainable and enduring end to occupation and terrorism,
and their replacement by peace, without the real building of good
relations between the two peoples. And when the respectful and
friendly relations are built, political arrangements will be able
to endure and ensure true peace between the two peoples.
To conclude: what I am saying is that by gaining true, deep and
sincere knowledge about each other, we build in ourselves a
"security fence" that, instead of separating us from one another,
defends us against negative attitudes. What is left to peacefully
develop in our hearts are mutual respect, friendship and love.
These, in turn, will create room for a growing harmony between the
communities and will build a solid foundation for the
sustainability of future political agreements between them.