Monastic Encounter

Quite a lot has happened for us in MID-GBI since July 2006, and we seem to have a feeling that there is still life in the old MID! We are encouraged by the prayerful and practical support of many communities, both of the UMS and beyond, who feel that the work we do in dialogue and in circulating MEB is well worth supporting. We thank everyone concerned.

It is very rare for us to have a visit from someone of another religion, but as Ireland is now becoming more multicultural, we hope to have contacts in future. Some years ago we had a Japanese Buddhist monk, Raido Kimura to stay with us for 3 years, and we were all impressed by his devotion to meditation and enthusiasm for manual work, mostly house cleaning.

We have added a new Interfaith section in our library and we have just had one of the books read in the refectory at Dinner, the book by Yossi Klein Halevi: “At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: a Jew’s search for hope with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land”. I got the name of the book from MEB.

Ed. Thanks to Mt Melleray for this very encouraging report, inspiring to the rest of us.

Br David Hodger reports from Caldey Island: “Apart from Christians of all denominations, we sometimes have Buddhists. In 2005 we had a visit from the Thai Buddhist community who have a monastery in Birmingham. They stayed overnight and brought their own food and alms bowls. We had a dialogue with them and found we had much in common. Monasticism is of course common to most of the major ancient religions, and monastic practices are similar. They also joined us in choir for Compline, both monks and nuns.

M Abbess Ninian reports: Contacts with followers of other religions come largely through our little retreat house and though not in numbers are a small contribution that we can make to interreligious dialogue.

In September 2003 we had a Jewish girl from Israel staying for a few days. She was not a practising Jew but we did have interesting discussions. She taught at a Steiner school and therefore had some familiarity with Christianity. She came to Compline, (and as Providence would have it, the short scriptural lesson was the Shemah— “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one God”— I think it made an impression on her). She also came to Mass on Sunday – feast of the Exaltation of the Cross!

In January 2004 a young African practising Muslim came. She too was happy to discuss religion. She also had had contacts with Christianity; her best friend from childhood days was a Catholic.

We have been visited by two lapsed Muslims, one from Iraq, the son of an Imam, the other a girl from Morocco.

Buddhists are more common, but they are usually Western, and usually lapsed Christians. Two of them were lapsed Catholics who subsequently returned to the Church. We have also had a follower of Krishna, again a British person – and one or two Messianic Jews.

St Cecilia’s supports the idea of a meeting of “Women-of-the-veil” and have offered to send a Paper for the day. (See Future Events)

On August 5^th 2006 some of the community and oblates of Minster Abbey took part in an outdoor service of prayer for the Middle East situation held in Minster a the Museum and Centre, by the Jewish community of Margate, Kent. The Minster community invited them to hold the service at the Abbey next time and they hope to do so. The Rabbi gave permission for the prayers to be used. Anyone wishing for copies of this service, please contact Sr Benedict, Minster. Minster also sent us a copy of the URC Synod Interfaith Advocates Report, which can be read at their web site: www.urc.org.uk

Sr M Laurence, MID Contact Person, reports: In late autumn 2006 a Sixth Form teacher-friend at Slough Grammar School brought her students to see us and ask about our life here at Burnham Abbey. Three of the Sisters represented the community. The bright and stimulating school group was composed of Christians, Muslims, a Sikh and a Hindu. We learned a bit about their studies and daily Assembly: they were evidently comfortable with one another’s Faith traditions. The group asked not only about our daily timetable etc. but also how each of us had heard and responded to God’s call, and there arose a wide range of ideas and exchanges on the nature of Faith and Scripture, of intercessory prayer, of God’s working in the world, and life after death!

It was—at least for us—a refreshing and worthwhile example of interreligious dialogue, and a sign of hope for the future of a multi-faith society. (See also below: the report of Sr M Benedict, SPB, on a course on Islam)

Abbot Timothy Wright, Vatican Adviser on dialogue with Islam, and involved in Catholic/Shi’a dialogue, is preparing in conjunction with Heythrop College another Catholic/Shi’a Muslim Conference in 2007. No details are known yet.

Sr Rita Elizabeth, MID contact, sends the following report: The Sisters attended a Vigil for Peace in Portsmouth’s Anglican Cathedral. Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics and atheists were invited to show their commitment to peace and their solidarity with each other in the light of the conflict in the Lebanon and alleged terrorist plan to bomb transatlantic flights. Community representatives from the city council, police, education and health services were also invited.

The Vigil took place between 12 noon and 1.00 p.m. on August 30^th 2006, and arose out of discussions between the Cathedral Dean and representatives of the Muslim community.

The idea of the silent vigil was that people could pray or reflect in their different ways but side by side —standing together in mutual support and witness to unity because of the real tensions in this country and in our world.

After some introductory words from the Dean and the coordinator of the Portsmouth Interfaith Forum, Taki Jaffer, the period of silent prayer was started with the lighting of a candle and concluded with the striking of a gong. The vigil was very well attended and the sharing of the house in silent prayer was a precious experience.

Sr Agnes Wilkins wrote a book review on Dr John Watson’s latest book “Listening to Islam” with Thomas Merton, Sayyid Qutb, Kenneth Cragg and Ziaudin Sardar (See MEB January 2006 for our review and details.) Sr Agnes’ review was published in the Egyptian international newspaper “Watani International” in which Dr Watson writes a fortnightly ‘Coptophile Column’.

Sr Agnes is a member of the Committee of MID-GBI and attends meetings and conferences whenever she can. See below for her report of a Catholic/Shi’a Conference in November 2006.

D Christopher Greener continues with interfaith contacts, carrying on the work of Fr Peter Bowe. This includes his input in the Sarum College Conference in September. (See report) He hopes to take up some local interfaith contacts this year (2007)

Abbots Francis and Aldhelm continue to attend committee meetings and give us their strong support. Abbot Aldhelm also shared the platform with D Christopher at the Sarum College conference in September. (See report)

Sr M Catherine is secretary of MID-GBI and provides minutes to all our meetings. The community supports MID by encouraging Sr M Catherine in her work for MID and by holding us all constantly in prayer.

D Dunstan is a member of the Committee. He has contributed articles and book reviews to MEB and our web site.

The two communities continue to host and encourage interreligious dialogue. There was an Interfaith service during Advent, on the theme of Light, with offerings from representatives of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Brahma Kumaris, Baha’i and of course from ourselves. Sr Esther and Br John did a prayerful liturgical dance accompanying the Lucernarium hymn: “Phos hilaron”. One especially pleasing detail was that the Muslim representative brought the two Hindus who had never been before. The Hindu contribution was a very beautiful guided meditation. The entire affair was a very varied and very prayerful experience.

Following our EGM, Sr Lucy paid a very interesting visit to the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in Westbourne Park, London and had a guided tour there, with Saeed AbdulRahim. The Centre offered us a delicious lunch as part of the visit, during which Sr Lucy met and spoke mainly with Western converts to Islam and joined a mixed group of women for the Midday Prayer-time, in the women’s gallery above the mosque.

Sr Valeria represents the non-UMS communities on our Committee. Various CSMV communities are engaged in interreligious dialogue at the local level, throughout the country. We hope to hear more from them in future editions.

West Malling continue to be a great support to MID-GBI through their photocopying and circulating of our Monastic Encounter Bulletin. Sr Mary Mark is mainly responsible for this task and also attended the Extraordinary General Meeting. West Malling support the idea of a meeting of “Women-of-the-veil” and have offered to host the meeting.

THE LOTUS AND THE CROSS was the title of a Buddhist-Christian one-day conference at Sarum Anglican Theological College n Salisbury. Two Christian monks, both members of MID-GBI, gave a talk each on the Prologue of the Rule of St Benedict. The other document used as a basis for the conference was any document of the Dalai Lama of similar length on the subject of moral discipline.

Dom Christopher Greener, Douai Abbey, writes: “The monastic interfaith day at Salisbury gave us the opportunity to sample Buddhist life and culture. The day was well organised and the time-table was kept—this probably being more of an English cultural need than a reflection of our counterpart Buddhists. The day finished with Evensong in Salisbury Cathedral. It was certainly a curious experience seeing six robed Buddhist monks in the Cathedral choir stalls.

Abbot Aldhelm Cameron-Brown, the other Christian monk giving input adds: “I decided I could best comment on the two subject-documents for the day by talking of our experiences of Buddhism in India.

There were eight or nine Tibetan monks there, from Tashi Lunpho monastery. One of them spoke at some length on their monastic vows. They also showed us some of the music used in Tibetan services, starting with vocal chants in which they seemed to be singing from the bottom of their stomachs! Then they displayed various instruments including those extraordinary horns, some seven feet long. When they blew these, in that rather small hall, the sound was truly amazing, almost deafening to ears unused to that kind of sound.”

An afternoon was held at Heythrop College, University of London, with Abbot Timothy Wright, OSB of Ampleforth Abbey, Mohammed Shomali of the Imam Khomeini Institute, Qom, Iran, and Scott Thomas of the University of Bath, on Wednesday 22 November 2006.

Sr M Agnes of Stanbrook Abbey attended this meeting and reports: Dr Anthony O’Mahony, Director for the Centre of Christianity and Interreligious Dialogue, introduced and directed proceedings. The main speakers spoke in turn, mostly concentrating on the history of their particular Catholic/Shi’a dialogue. Scott Thomas who lectures on International Relations and the Politics of Developing Countries, spoke about how the nature of international politics has changed over the last decade. It has become much more faith-bound. He is a follower of the philosopher Alisdair McIntyre who asks the question: “What does it mean to be a Catholic in international politics?”

Many questions to all speakers came from a very varied audience. Len Harrow, the publisher, for instance, wanted to know what IS dialogue. This evoked very interesting responses from the speakers on how they saw the basic principles of dialogue. Abbot Timothy Wright, for instance, spoke of the ‘Dialogue of Spirituality’. As monks-nuns-spiritual people we are committed to a search for God, in which language is not much good. We must recognise that people around the world do not express things in the way we ourselves do. We can find “seeds of the Spirit” or “rays of the Word” among the billions of people who believe in the same God as we ourselves. ‘ Dialogue’ is a cold word, he said. Dialogue must be part of our daily spiritual life—not just something we read about in books.

Anthony O’Mahony said that when we sit down to dialogue with another, we make a decision to engage in a process. We try to maintain a relationship and try to understand people as they understand themselves. Trust is necessary to face problems and challenges.

It has to be said that a certain amount of discouragement was expressed by several participants. It was felt that Muslims in general are not really interested in how Christians perceive themselves. Appreciation was expressed of Mohammed Shomali who is not of this ilk. It was recognised that this dialogue in which we are engaging will take some time to filter down to Christians and Muslims in general. The increased Muslim presence in Britain was seen to have its advantages in that it has brought religious issues to the forefront of public debate.

(Abridged report: Sr Lucy. For a full report, please apply with SAE to Sr M Catherine, Chester)

In place of the Annual Meeting of MID-GBI, which had to be postponed in May 2006, an extraordinary general meeting was held to update the members about what has been happening in MID-GBI and to discuss future prospects. The day combined a business meeting in the morning and a “meeting for dialogue” in the afternoon. It was held at St Mary of the Cross, the Anglican Benedictine community at Edgware, who offered their monastery as a venue for this important meeting and provided us with a splendid lunch. We joined the community for Midday Prayer before our afternoon session.

Representatives attended from Chester, Cockfosters, Prinknash, Ramsgate, Stanbrook, Turvey, and Worth, together with members of the Anglican communities of Alton, Burford, Burnham Abbey, Fairacres, the Sisters of Bethany, Tymawr, Wantage, West Malling, and the home community of Edgware. Sr JohnMary Northcote. r.a. represented Westminster Interfaith. Apologies were received from Fr George Guiver, CR, Mirfield, Sr Philippa Mannweiler, OCR, Brownshill, and Br Herbert Kaden, OSB, Turvey. Sr Lucy chaired the meeting.

After a short period of silence and prayer of offering, the morning was devoted to a business meeting as follows:

v Everyone met the new MID treasurer, Mr Adrian Jones who briefly explained his role in MID-GBI.

v Explanation of how the European DIM General Council approved our Draft Constitution in June 2006.

v Clarification of membership of MID: full membership and proposed associate membership. The role of Coordinator was also discussed.

v It was proposed and decided at the meeting to include in the MID-GBI Committee a representative of Anglican communities NOT member of UMS in grateful recognition of their strong support of MID-GBI.

v Since June 2006, Abbess M Thérèse Zelent of Edgware has been representing the UMS Anglican communities on the Committee. This will be a pattern for the Committee in future.

v Provision was made for another possibility: that the Coordinator in future might be an Anglican monk or nun from one of the UMS communities. An addendum was added to the Constitution allowing, in that case, for the appointment of a Roman Catholic delegate monk/nun to liaise with the RC Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

v A further proposal was made and accepted, to take the word “monastic” in its widest sense and include in membership of MID-GBI the oblates of each community. Benedictine Oblates are attached to their monastery in a way that is quite unique in the Church, and very unlike the “Third Orders” and affiliated members of other religious orders. The time seems right to include them in the work of interreligious dialogue, particularly as we are moving more into dialogue with Islam and Judaism, who do not have a monastic order as such, but would readily recognise the dedication of lay oblates. Oblate Directors will be invited to inform oblates of this, so that those interested in helping their community in this work may do so.

NB. All the proposals affecting issues of membership and altering the approved constitution will need to be ratified by the DIM/MID European General Council at their next annual general meeting in May 2007

In the afternoon Saeed AbdulRahim, our invited guest, spoke to us of what we can all contribute to dialogue with Islam. He spoke with great feeling and joy of the “commonalities” we find in the Qur’an and in the Christian Scriptures and frequently mentioned “the Prophet Jesus, blessed be he” and “Her holiness the lady Mary”, which his Christian hearers found very moving. He had many suggestions about what we might do in dialogue with Muslims, including the production of a book outlining the teachings of our faiths on characters and themes which appear in the Bible and Qur’an; a meeting of women of the veil, Christian and Muslim, who would be willing to talk about the issue of why we wear the veil; a meeting of monastic men and Muslim men; visits to our local (or London) mosques to get the feel of the Muslim place of worship, etc., etc. His evident kindness and goodness, as well as his desire for peaceful dialogue with Christians, shone out in everything he said. After his talk there was a short period of time for questions and answers before we ended the day, as we had begun it, with a period of silence and a closing prayer bringing together in thanksgiving the themes of the day.

Saeed is a good example of someone who understands the importance of dialogue. After the horrors of 9/11 he gave up paid employment to devote all his time to Christian-Muslim dialogue.

Everyone agreed it was a very good meeting, and we all expressed our gratitude to our speaker and hosts,

Another Sister and I have been fortunate to have the opportunity of attending a course arranged by “Christians Aware”, of ten two-hour lectures on Islam. At the time of writing we are half-way through the course.

It is held in Ealing and designed as “the first steps in understanding Islam”. It is given by Dr Chris Hewer, the St Ethelburga Fellow in Christian-Muslim Relations. St Ethelburga’s Church, which was restored after being bombed, is the Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in London. Dr Hewer is well versed in the study of Islam and has had much experience in Christian-Muslim relations in Birmingham.

He presents Islamic belief as it is in the heart and mind of a practising Muslim, and as we go along, he notes where Christians differ and also where there is common ground. Islam traces its descent through Abraham and Hagar’s son, Ishmael, and like Judaism and Christianity, worships the One True God (Allah is an Arabic word and so is also used by Arabic-speaking Christians.) Many Old Testament figures are revered as prophets, as also is Jesus.

We have also had an overview of Muslim history and the life of the Prophet Muhammad. At different times, Christianity and Islam have been either closer or further apart from each other.

St Francis, in the first draft of his Rule, had a section for a Brother living among and serving Muslims. St Francis himself visited the Bible lands out of his concern to work for peace at the time of the Crusades.

We are enjoying this chance to gain some knowledge and understanding of Islam—so relevant at a time when reaching towards those who hold this faith as fellow religious human beings is so important; as is praying for many situations where Muslims are involved and sometimes, sadly, in conflict with, Christians.

The book arising from the course and published by SCM, Understanding Islam by CTR Hewer, is strongly recommended. (See Book Reviews)

“Ships that Pass in the Night? Interreligious Encounters” by D Dunstan Keauffling, OSB, Ramsgate

I recently visited an old school friend of mine in a nursing home in Forest Gate, East London. It is an interesting place with a broad multi-cultural community. It is also a place which amuses me as, despite the vast variety of ethnic and religious clothing displayed, among others, by Hindus and Muslims, some people still manage a double-take as this particular Benedictine monk walks by. It is a friendly area and I often think that if the circumstances of my life were different I would like to live in this community of so much variety. I recall once having a lively conversation with a man who ran a gift shop selling everything from statues, two feet high, of Ganesh and Buddha to statues of equal height of the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Virgin Mary along with crucifixes, rosaries and prayer wheels. He even sold what I was looking for which was a pocket torch.

But Forest Gate on this particular autumn day was slightly different. We have recently had a large amount of public debate, sparked off by Jack Straw, concerning the full veil worn by some Islamic women. It was no surprise to me to find far more women, and young women at that, wearing the full veil. But this was not the only change, there was a new shop which had just opened on my route from the nursing home to the station. It was called simply, “The Islamic Bookshop”. I nearly walked by but it suddenly occurred to me that most of the reading I have done on Islam has been written by non-Muslims and it might be worth my while reading a book on Islam by a Muslim.

As I closed the door, on entering the shop, the young woman behind the counter bid me a good afternoon and asked how she might help me. This is a greeting I have received countless thousands of times in my life, the difference on this day being that the woman greeting me was a Muslim wearing the full veil (niqab) and this would be the first conversation I would have with such a woman. At first it was a little disconcerting as I wanted to see the mouth that was speaking to me but I soon become used to the communication from her eyes, which shone and danced and smiled behind her veil as she bobbed around the shop talking animatedly about this or that author and recommending several speakers who had made CD’s and DVD’s and were very well thought of.

I left the shop with two books and new perspectives with regard to the veil. Hitherto I had had the feeling that, like it or not, Muslim women wearing the full veil were being oppressed or at the very least protected, kept separate from society. This young woman in the shop seemed anything but oppressed and, working on her own as she was, her veil offered her scant protection and separation. Things are not necessarily as we perceive or as the history books describe them.

When I arrived at the station I went to sit on one of the benches. The particular bench I sat on was already occupied by two women. They were Muslims and wore veils though not full veils. I would guess from their ages that they were mother and daughter and they were clearly deep in silent prayer from time to time making a simple obeisance. It made me want to pray as well and I silently began the ‘Our Father’ praying for the two women next to me, for the young woman in the shop, for my friend in the nursing home. There were three people on the bench, they all believed in one God and they were all praying to one God.

I do not want to make any big issues about whether or how we might have been praying together but this I can say: I felt a great surge of good will towards these women, the witness of whose actions had made me want to pray. The incident reminded me of an occasion when I had gone to Gatwick airport to meet someone. As I was meeting them at the North Terminal I took the opportunity of praying midday prayer in the multi-faith chapel. It did not occur to me that it was midday on Friday until I opened the door of the chapel to find it packed with Muslims. I sat at the back and opened my breviary and enjoyed the atmosphere of prayer in the chapel. When they had finished their midday prayer they prepared to go and there were shy smiles and nods towards me as they left, perhaps recognising, if nothing else, a fellow pray-er. When I had finished I left and as I passed them in the terminal there were the same shy but friendly smiles. Before we had gone into the chapel we were fellow human beings sharing the fact that we were travelling; now we were fellow human beings sharing the fact that we had been praying.

These incidents I do not consider as events of dialogue but they were most certainly what I would describe as “encounters”. They were encounters that left me with the feeling that I wanted to know and understand these people and that knowing them I wanted to like them. They were encounters that made me realise that, as well as our common heritage as human beings, we shared something profound in the realm of faith. How often do we miss these encounters with people of other religions as we pass like ships in the night? How much good will is not so much lost as never found for want of these encounters?

I came across what I think is a very thought-provoking and interesting article in a recent edition of the British Jesuits’ magazine: The Way (July 2006, Vol 45, No 3). Written by Christian Salenson, a priest of the diocese of Nimes and sacramental theologian; he is also director of the Institut de Sciences et Théologie des Religions at the Institut Catholicque of Marseilles. The article is a reflection on the Tibhirine monks’ experience, up to, including and after the events of 1996, when seven of the monks were abducted and later executed by Islamic fundamentalists. Christian Salenson bases his article around two very pertinent and valuable questions:

Salenson explores the almost unique position the monks held, that of being a Christian community in an almost exclusively Muslim land with no prospect of recruiting from the local population. He talks of the precariousness of the foundation, in terms of age, numbers, role; he says “what is strange is that such precariousness is rarely considered as a form of evangelical poverty, something which offers a chance of great gospel authenticity.” A very real condition of this is when dialogue is happening with their neighbours, and its “cost”. Salenson continues “… a willingness to be haunted … opening ourselves up to the possibility of encounter, and accepting the possibility that we ourselves may become displaced.” Salenson goes on to talk of the many issues around dialogue with reference to the Tibhirine experience with interesting insights, above all what he calls “the sacrament of difference”. Although he ends his articles with warnings of the risks of relativism, on which I would have appreciated more clarification, I highly recommend this article.

Catholics in Interreligious Dialogue: Monasticism, Theology and Spirituality. Ed. Anthony O’Mahony and Peter Bowe, OSB. Gracewing 2006. ISBN 0 85244 640 3

The book is a series of papers given at a conference held at Heythrop College of the University of London, concentrating on the monastic contribution to interreligious dialogue. The papers include those given on the day itself, as well as some specially commissioned later. Contributors include Peter Bowe and Anthony O’Mahony, the editors, and Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, then President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, who has written the Preface. The other contributors, all working in the field of interreligious dialogue, are Pierre de Béthune, OSB, Eoin de Bhaldraithe, OCSO, John Flannery, SJ, Ian Latham LBD, Jean Owen Maynard, Judson Trapnell (who has since died alas, though still a young man), Steven Saxby and Agnes Wilkins, OSB. There is a good variety of articles which cover monastic involvement in dialogue with Hinduism, Buddhism and, more lately, Islam. Pierre de Béthune gives a very useful overview of DIM/MID from its inception to the present day, while Peter Bowe considers where we are now, and where we might go in the future. Others have written on topics such as Charles de Foucauld and Islam, Thomas Merton and Islam, the Cistercian Martyrs of Tibhirine, Henri le Saux and Bede Griffiths in India, and the Jesuit encounter with Buddhists in Tibet. These are all excellent articles, interesting, inspiring and deep, which will hopefully encourage us as we discern our way forward into the future. Such a book will inform and be of interest to any people (not only from monasteries) coming new to the world of interreligious dialogue.

“Understanding Islam. The First Ten Steps” by CTR Hewer SCM 2006 ISBN 0 334 04032 9

This admirable book has evolved from the course given by Dr Hewer. It leads us, in a scholarly, well-informed, accessible and compact way, through a description of Islam from its beginning until today, and is written from the mind and heart of a committed Christian who knows the mind and heart of the believing, practising Muslim.

We have an overview of life as it is seen and lived in the world of Islam. It is unfolded step by step and is a journey into a different world—but one which is also recognised by the Christian as the world of a fellow-believer in the One God.

As one eminent reviewer says: “It should be on the shelves of all who want to know more about Islam”. It has favourable reviews from eminent Muslim scholars as well as Christians interested in interreligious dialogue. A valuable addition to the interreligious dialogue section of any monastic library!

This meeting will be held at St Mary at the Cross, Edgware, beginning at 11.30 a.m. and continuing into the afternoon. Those able to stay overnight (please contact Abbess M Therese if you wish to do so) will have an opportunity to take part in the Chanting of the Divine Names organised on a regular basis in a Sufi Muslim household in London. We will be introduced and accompanied by Saeed AbdulRahim, the speaker from our EGM.

v The MID-GBI Annual Meeting for 2007: date, venue, type of meeting, speaker (if necessary)

v A meeting of “women-of-the-veil”, proposed at our EGM. Several women’s communities have expressed interest in taking part or helping in other ways.

v The DIM/MID European annual general meeting, to be held this year in Midlet, Morocco.

At our EGM it was proposed that we hold our annual meeting during the school holiday period, hoping that in this way teaching monks who are also interested in interreligious dialogue and supportive of MID-GBI may be able to attend.

NB The Coordinator would be grateful to hear from any teaching monks

of suitable dates in mid- or late July or in August.

In 631 a group of Christians from Najran came to Madina to discuss with the prophet the nature of Jesus, whether he can be more rightly described as the son or the slave of God. No agreement could be reached.

When it was evening, the Christians started preparing to pray and wanted to go outside in the desert to erect an altar. But Muhammad insisted that, rather than going away to worship God, they should perform their prayers in the holy mosque itself, which they did.

From Jalal al-Din Rumi, d 1273 (taken from “Listening to Islam” by John Watson)

A man in Damascus gave some money to four colleagues—a Persian, an Arab, a Turk and a Greek. The Persian said, ‘Let us spend this on angur.’ ‘No’, said the Arab. ‘I want to spend all the cash on inab.’ The Turk made his own demand: ‘The money must be spent on ‘uzum’. The Greek shouted above the hubbub, ‘We must buy istafil’.

Now they began to fight each other—because they did not know that each one of them was talking about grapes.

Many thanks to our contributors and supporters. Please send any reviews, reports of conferences, or articles for the July 2007 edition of MEB, and /or for our web site, to Sr Lucy at Turvey Abbey..