Q. What role does inter faith dialogue play in the relationship between Christianity and Islam?

R. I think that interfaith dialogue plays a crucial role in the relationship between Muslims and Christians. Unless we meet and get to know each other how can we find out how close we can be, what we share and what we can learn from one another. In my own interfaith encounters it has been the meeting with someone from another faith community that has made the biggest impact and changed my perceptions.

As you probably already know, interfaith dialogue is well developed in the UK with most cities having their own interfaith group in which Muslims, Christians and members of other religious communities explore differences and similarities and a common humanity. Many of these groups belong to the Inter Faith Network for the UK: www.interfaith.org.uk

Globally there are many examples of Muslims and Christians working together for better understanding and enhanced relationships. Here are some examples that might interest you:

The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding: http://cmcu.georgetown.edu

The Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations: http://macdonald.hartsem.edu

The Monastery of Deir Mar Musa in Syria: www.deirmarmusa.org/

Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam in Israel: http://nswas.org

Muslim-Christian Marriage Support Group: www.mcmarriage.org.uk

Three Faiths Forum: www.sternberg-foundation.co.uk

Arab Group for Muslim-Christian Dialogue: www.agmcd.org

The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought: www.aalalbayt.org/en/conferencesandsymposiadialogue-c.html

A Common Word: www.acommonword.com

Christian-Muslim Forum (UK): http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/

As interreligious dialogue can only ever be between individuals with certain faith positions, intra-religious dialogue is also important. Each religion is so diverse it cannot be represented and so tensions within faith communities can also greatly benefit from meeting and listening to each other.

Farid Esack, Muslim scholar and activist, once said (during an interview we had with him) that:

At the end of the day Allah will not ask me what I achieved in life, or whether I changed the world. I will only be asked about whether I did what I could do. That's the only question that will be asked of us. You were given so much time, so much money; these are the talents that I gave you. What did you do with them? Not whether you changed the world's problems. Whether you brought about gender equality, interfaith understanding, harmony, solved the problems of the Balkans, Jews and Muslims. You won't get asked any of these things. What did you do with what I gave you? That's all that we are responsible for. And so we are accountable to God at the end of the day and that's it.

Maybe this quote seems to contradict the response to your enquiry but for me it shows the richness of interfaith openness, making us vulnerable to wisdom and truth wherever they arise.