EYEWITNESS  FROM  BETHLEHEM

ARTICLES & REFLECTIONS WRITTEN BY TOINE VAN TEEFFELEN

THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN INTER-RELIGIOUS RELATIONS IN PALESTINE.

By Fuad Giacaman

When the Holy Father, John Paul II, visited the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, the first time ever a Roman Pope visited a mosque, it was a moment of deep significance for the relations between Christians and Moslems. Both Christian and Islamic leaders applauded the gesture and felt that the Pope’s visit and words spoken during the occasion – religion should “sow the seeds of peace in people’s hearts” – heralded a new era of further strengthening the largely harmonious relations between Moslems and Christians in the Arab world.

The Pope’s words were spoken in Syria but had also a message for Palestine. Palestine is characterized by a centuries-old living together between Moslems and Christians in which daily life, history and politics have created an intricate and dense web of relations between the adherents of both religions. However, in our case, too, it is not superfluous to plead for a further strengthening of relations. The fabric of Palestinian society, including religious and cultural relations, has been put under tremendous pressure due to the ongoing occupation and suppression by Israel. In order to promote national unity under such difficult circumstances, we should not retreat from the religious area that is so important for the personal identity and development of Palestinians. To keep mutual relations harmonious, it is wise to conduct a pro-active policy of encouraging especially young people not to be ignorant and to know about each other’s religion, that is, not to experience the other’s religion as something strange or to view the religious other in stereotypical terms. Palestinian youth should feel at ease in the presence of each other’s religious heritage.

Moreover, learning about the religious heritage of the Palestinian land helps young people to acquire another important educational goal - a sense of appreciation of the beauty of Palestine. If you ask any young Palestinian nowadays about his or her opinion of Palestine’s history, the answer is: “Palestine means suffering.” For instilling a feeling of national belonging and identity, it is imperative that young Palestinians also appreciate the rich diversity of their history. Among other things, this religious diversity as expressed in the many buildings, gardens and monuments of Palestine for which the country is world-famous. Learning about the religions of Palestine fosters a sense of pride in one’s culture and history.

How to develop such learning? The educational system is a prime venue to reach young people, so here we have to look first. What does the new Palestinian National Curriculum say about the need to teach religious diversity? In fact, the philosophical principles of the new Curriculum are in complete agreement with what we say above. The Curriculum, too, underlines the need of students knowing about the religious-cultural diversity of the Palestinian land. Indeed, in various subject fields, including social studies and the National Education Curriculum, the new Curriculum sets cautious steps towards implementing these principles. This is not easy in a country where learning about cultural and religious diversity has never been a priority in education. An introduction of some new curricular materials is certainly not enough. Teachers have to be trained, extracurricular materials have to be developed, new pioneering initiatives have to be tested out, parents and students have to be won for the new approach. It is a long process.

It is therefore now the time for NGOs and private organizations to follow in the courageous footsteps of the new Curriculum. The private Freres School in Bethlehem was encouraged by appeals of Mgr Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch and international president of Pax Christi, to take new steps on the road of strengthening Moslem-Christian living together in education. We have embarked upon a project in which students from town, refugee camps and villages, Moslem and Christian, learn about each other’s religions through simple “do”-activities, such as storytelling, drama and musical performances. In other words, students learn about each other’s religion with less emphasis upon doctrines and more on a natural and enjoyable process of becoming acquainted with different lifestyles and cultures. The Freres School has developed a set of easily applicable learning materials that can be used in and outside the classroom. Presently we are inviting educators to give their comments so as to improve quality and broaden support. We appeal to other educators, NGOs and others who have an opportunity to do so, to follow our mission and help increase the diversity of young Palestinians’ experiences, and their mutual understanding of the Islamic and Christian religions.

Fuad Giacaman

Principal Freres School, Bethlehem

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