Interfaith Lessons from Southern Spain
There is renewed interest in exploring interfaith themes and dynamics. If we are to survive as a planet, we must foster peace, justice and collaboration. As Hans Kung noted, “No peace among nations without peace among the religions. No peace among the religions without dialogue between the religions.”
On a sunny Tuesday in May, a group of professors, health care professionals and pastoral leaders gathered in Cordoba at the Museum of Three Civilizations housed in a medieval tower on an ancient Roman bridge crossing the Guadalquivir River. They had traveled to southern Spain as part of a seminar to visit Jewish, Muslim and Christian monuments and use them as a context to discuss the commonalities and differences between Jewish, Christian and Muslim health care ethics. We walked into the museum and entered a room of wax figures representing Averroes, Maimonides, Alfonso X (the Wise), and Ibn Arabi. A recording was triggered as we entered the room, and Averroes began to speak. As leader of the group, I was apprehensive that my cohort of sophisticated participants would be off put by the exhibit. To my surprise, within a few minutes, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. All were tearing up as these visionary men spoke.
Averroes (a Muslim) expounded on the rich complementary relationship between science, philosophy and revelation, explored the equal dignity of women and men, and the importance of a society being built on freedom of inquiry, reason and belief. Maimonides (a Jew) continued with more discussion of the relationship between reason and revelation and the importance of creating a society where people can develop their potential as participants in divine life and reason. Alfonso X (a Christian) recounted some of the accomplishments of his reign such as translating the Qur’an and the Talmud into Latin, creating the first school where Jews, Christians and Muslims would study side by side, and the formation of laws that respected the private property of each faith community and their right to practice their religion without interference. The most moving was Ibn Arabi’s (a Muslim) words about the relationship between God and love and the unity between God and those who give expression to God in art, love, scholarship and political leadership. The end quote suggests that God’s heart takes on all forms and leads people to God in many different paths.
Our world has become more interdependent. In many places, Jews, Christians and Muslims live in greater proximity and have more reason to interact in business, politics, education and social life. For some, this is a new phenomenon that creates stress and anxiety. The belief in one God, central to monotheistic traditions, includes the risk of religious imperialism. If there is one God and that one God has chosen us (Jews), sent God’s Son (Christians), or sealed prophecy (Muslims), what does that mean for other religious communities? Are they to be converted, conquered, shunned, considered inferior, or welcomed as fellow monotheists who are in relationship to the same God and have complementary approaches to spirituality, morality and community?
There is renewed interest in exploring interfaith themes and dynamics. If we are to survive as a planet, we must foster peace, justice and collaboration. As Hans Kung noted, “No peace among nations without peace among the religions. No peace among the religions without dialogue between the religions.”
Medieval Spain offers many lessons about interfaith relationships. Leaders, scholars and ordinary citizens of Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia) were imaginative and creative about fostering fruitful and respectful relationships between Jews, Christians and Muslims. Positive forms of convivencia (as it is often called) did not always prevail. At the end of the 15th century, Christian forces had taken possession of the entire Iberian peninsula and expelled Jews and Muslims. But prior to the 15th century, there are many examples of collaboration that merit our study and consideration.
Building relationships of trust, collaboration, and respect take work and care. There is an art to fostering cultural cohesion that also includes a healthy appreciation for diversity. This is never easy. It involves scholars who are able to interpret formative texts in ways that emphasize passages of inclusivity and deemphasize triumphal or exclusionary passages. It requires political leaders who are convinced that diversity enriches rather than diminishes a society. Finally, it requires citizens who are willing to embody and live respectful lives. Often neighbors who know and care for each other lead scholars and politicians. But where long-term distrust exists, theologians and politicians must lead the way.
Travel to Cordoba, Toledo, Granada and Seville is a powerful way to inspire dialogue amongst fellow pilgrims – whether they are pilgrims of one faith tradition or an interfaith group. Toledo boasts some of the best preserved Jewish sites in Spain, historical examples of interfaith work, and the fruitful influence of Jewish, Muslim and Christian artists on select monuments. Granada includes the breathtaking UNESCO monument, the Alhambra Palace. It is a fitting expression of the magnificence of Muslim civilization in Al-Andalus and the capacity of architecture to embody and evoke deep spiritual themes. Seville includes the third largest cathedral in the world, built over the grand mosque and still using the minaret as a bell tower. The adjacent Jewish quarter and the Alcazar underscore the continued presence and influence of Muslim and Jewish communities even after the reconquest of this region by Christian forces.
Of all cities on the “camino” of interfaith cities in southern Spain, Cordoba is the queen. This was once the largest city in medieval Europe with a library boasting over 400,000 volumes. It was a center for medicine and scholarship. The historical center today still evokes the spirit of 10th century Al-Andalus and brings to life the people, places, events, and cultural practices of a more inclusive society.
The jewel of Cordoba is the Mezquita – the Mosque-Cathedral. When the Muslims first came to Cordoba, they shared the church of St. Vincent with the Christians. This, in itself, suggests the early Muslim interest in fostering a spirit of coexistence. As their needs increased, they purchased the rest of the building to begin construction of a more suitable space. Abd al-Rahman I began what is arguably one of the most beautiful mosques and certainly one of the most unique religious sites in the world. The original structure used remnants of Roman and Visigoth pillars and stone work to create two-tiered arches decorated in red and white stone forming a vast space for prayer and reflection. The interior opened out into a traditional Muslim courtyard – the Patio of the Orange Trees - used for ablution prior to prayer. Successive caliphs used the same architectural style and added to the footprint of the mosque. When the Christians took over Cordoba, they converted part of it to a church and, in the 16th century, erected a large gothic cathedral in the center. Today there is controversy over whether to allow Muslims to use the space for prayer or reserve the building for Christian worship alone. Even with the gothic cathedral in the center, the interior still looks much as it did in medieval times with a vast sea of red and white arches that form a meditative horizon for prayer and reflection.
Cordoba and other cities in southern Spain, serve as powerful catalysts for using history to inspire change and transformation in contemporary pilgrims. Contemporary Christians, Muslims and Jews meet here their counterparts from earlier generations as they wander through the narrow streets, patios, shops, synagogues, mosques and churches of former ages. They see the beautiful monuments that were the creation of shared artistic and spiritual perspectives. They gain insights into how neighbors separated by a few feet of stone pavement collaborated to create cultural institutions that for many years supported one of the richest civilizations in history – where science, religion, philosophy and politics were complementary and protected the dignity of all men and women.
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