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Abstract
Dialogue between different faiths is increasingly being used as a means of harnessing religions’ capacity to promote coexistence and shared values. The effectiveness of dialogue is rarely considered and in any case is hard to measure. This paper wants to consider some international initiatives that have arguably achieved limited success and discuss why they failed and whether this failure is to be linked to the initiatives themselves or whether it is symptomatic of the top-down interfaith venture. Questions such as the role of political alliances, the possibility of the trickle-down effect, intended audience, personal motivations and finances will be considered.
Notes
1 Renamed the International Union for Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue and Peace Education in 2010.
2 Both initiatives are dealt with in Abdullah II Citation2011, 257–263.
3 For a more detailed presentation of the two case study initiatives, please see: Markiewicz (Citation2016) and Hardy et al. (Citation2017).
4 Post-doctoral research was supported by the European Union [Erasmus Mundus PEACE II project].
5 Feldtkeller Citation1998, 301.
6 The Royal Academy for Islamic Civilization Research (Aal Al-Bayt Foundation) 1992.
7 “Home: The Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute For Islamic Thought”.
8 “2018 Templeton Prize Laureate King Abdullah II of Jordan.”
9 Interview with King Abdullah II Citation2005.
10 bin Muhammad Citation2006, xviii.
11 There are a number of different translations of the Amman Message in use. All quotations in this article are taken from: RABIIT Citation2008, 3–15. This is the same translation that can be found on the Official Website of the Amman Message (www.ammanmessage.com).
12 bin Muhammad Citation2006, xxxvii.
13 Ibn Majah, Sunan, Kitab al-Fitan, Hadith no.4085 as cited in: bin Muhammad Citation2006, xxvi/xxxix.
14 The Three Points of the Amman Message, as listed here, are adapted from: RABIIT Citation2008, 16–21. Quotations signify original wording.
15 The Amman Message, 2008, vii.
16 See bin Muhammad Citation2006.
17 “About RISSC”.
18 “Promotion of the Amman Message – About”.
19 Al-Shalabi Citation2017, 144.
20 Cf. Krüger Citation2018; Keenan Citation2018; Pandey Citation2018; Luqiu and Yang Citation2018.
21 “Bericht der Bundesregierung zur weltweiten Lage der Religions- und Weltanschauungsfreiheit” Citation2006, 25. According to Pew Research Center, as of 2014, 14 Countries in the MENA region criminalized apostasy. See Theodorou, Citation2016.
22 “The Marrakesh Declaration”.
23 Mumisa Citation2016.
24 Gutkowski Citation2016, 213.
25 Al-Shalabi Citation2017, 144.
26 A Common Word Between Us and You: 5-year Anniversary Edition Citation2012, 72–73.
27 bin Muhammad Citation2010, 8.
28 The Amman Interfaith Message, Citation2005, 11.
29 The cartoons were considered blasphemous, as they depicted Mohammad. In Islam, the depiction of sentient beings is forbidden. A number of the cartoons also contained unflattering depictions of Mohammad.
30 Benedict XVI, Citation2006.
31 See “Open Letter to his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI: Written and Signed by Leading Muslim Scholars and Leaders” 2006.
32 See bin Muhammad Citation2012, 131.
33 “About the Covenant”.
34 Fahy and Bock reach a similar conclusion in their 2018 study. See Fahy and Bock Citation2018 (See Key finding 3, p.73).
35 See Hauser.
36 See Müller Citation2009, 145: “Jüngstes Zeugnis staatlicher Lenkung des öffentlichen islamischen Diskurses in Jordanien – mit weit darüber hinausgehender Reichweite … ” (author’s translation).
37 Gutkowski Citation2016.
38 Canon Anthony Ball in discussion with the author. March 13, 2013. Worth (West Sussex).
39 Fahy and Bock reach a similar conclusion in their 2018 study Beyond Dialogue (See Key finding 6, p.77).
40 International Crisis Group Citation2005, 16.
41 International Crisis Group Citation2005.
42 Greenslade, “The good news about bad news - it sells”.
43 Samir Khalil Samir SJ in discussion with the author. February 28, 2012. Beirut.
44 Winter, Timothy aka Abdal Hakim Murad in discussion with the author. July 26, 2012. Cambridge.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sarah Markiewicz
Sarah L. Markiewicz is a Researcher and Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Germany. Her research interests include interfaith relations and intercultural communication and she has been involved in projects run by the European Union, Robert Bosch Foundation and United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Her books include World Peace through Christian Muslim Understanding and Muslim Identity in a Turbulent Age: Islamic Extremism and Western Islamophobia.