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| www.daveandrews.com.au |
Here's an excerpt from an inspiring New Year message from Dave Andrews. Dave works and lives in Brisbane, Australia. He is part of the 'Waiters Union' there, facilitating and celebrating community. Among other things, he has a particular enthusiasm for respectfully working with people of other faiths.
I’ve
been preparing to face the New Year by watching An African Answer, a documentary that traces the efforts of Pastor
James Wuye and Imam Muhummad Ashafa, in bringing peace after the post-election
blood-letting in Kenya’s Rift Valley. Some of the best answers to questions
about how we can create peace in the midst of war are being forged in Africa.
I
first encountered James Wuye and Muhammad Ashafa when The Imam and The Pastor told their story of moving from leading
militias killing one another to leading peace-making initiatives in Nigeria.
They have visited Australia and they have become a model for the peacemaking
initiatives I am taking this year with Nora Amath, a Muslim colleague and close
friend.
Nora’s Mosque in Kuraby was the first one burnt
down anywhere in the world after 9/11, so we have decided to reach out to all
the faith communities around the Mosque, in the hope of negotiating a Memorandum
of Understanding to affirm a working relationship committed to personal
respect, mutual regard, community harmony and a willingness to address issues
of concern that may arise. It is our deepest prayer that all our faith
communities will be sincerely committed to:
·
Make an
effort to relate respectfully
to all people regardless of their faith.
·
Listen to
what others have to say.
·
Not tell
other people what they believe, let them to tell us.
·
Respect
other’s views, even if we disagree with their views.
·
Be honest
and sensitive in what we say.
·
Speak
positively of our faith, not negatively of other’s.
·
Not try and
force people to agree with our own views.
·
Not treat
people as a spokesperson for their faith
·
Not judge
people by what other people of their faith do.
·
Acknowledge
both similarities and differences between our faiths.
·
Share our
faiths with sincerity, transparency, mercy and compassion.
·
Be honest,
if an event includes sharing our faith. Not bait and switch.
·
Serve
without strings attached. Not exploit the vulnerability of people.
·
Witness, but
not convert. Never try to induce or to coerce a conversion.
·
Respect the
choice of faith others make. Accept them without resentment.
·
Encourage
positive relationships between faith communities.
·
Encourage
constructive relationships with the wider community.
·
Use
our wisdom, knowledge, skills and resources to serve people.
·
Discuss
problems arising face to face so we can solve them peacefully.
