Thanks for the intro Fatima! Here goes my first try at blogging…

I generally don’t fall into the category of people who quantify the immeasurable (”She’s a 9.5″, “I have more Facebook friends than you”, “Norway ranks the highest on the Happiness index according to a recent study”). But when it comes to something like a friendship, especially between people who have few commonalities, the best measure of the relationship’s quality is how many hours you have spent together in intentional conversation.

It is easy to allow cordial relations to pass for friendship. But being able to greet someone and treat them well in a three minute conversation says nothing about whether or not you two have overcome differences, affected one another, and are working to affect others.

For a leader, challenging friendships are especially hard to come by. Friendships with an influential friend stand to be beneficial and in challenging a leader the friend stands to lose not just a friendship but also the benefits that that particular relationship affords.

I think that what prevents people from changing, from sixty-year-old presidents to sixteen-year-old students, is that we don’t make the time for the kind of relationships that will be challenging. Different people have different amounts of time but everyone feels busy.

Simply, we have to go out of our way for our ways to change. The extent to which we are open to our own growth is perhaps best measured not by a vague, fleeting gutcheck (”Am I feeling tolerant towards others today?”) but by an honest evaluation of where we spend our time and whom we spend it with.

- Madison

One of the perks of our job (besides the free coffee in the kitchen) is that Aqila and I often meet with many inspiring and interesting folks. My second day on the job, we trekked over to American University and met with Dr. Akbar Ahmed. Another day, it was Imam Magid of the ADAMS Center. Add on phone calls with congressman and ambassadors’ offices, you can lose yourself pretty quickly in thinking that you are a big deal. At the same time, however, you can walk away thinking, “Wow! I have a lot to learn.”

I’ve had a lot of “Wow! I have a lot to learn” days since I’ve started working here. A few examples include: When Kathryn’s phone rings, it is probably best to let Kathryn answer the phone. Or when meeting with a leading Islamic studies scholar, you might want to brush up on Rumi BEFORE the meeting.

It’s good to have days like these because they remind us that we haven’t figured everything out yet. There are still things that we don’t understand, even things on which we had previously thought to have a pretty firm grasp.

Often when we think about dialogues, especially interfaith dialogues, the tendency is to think that you need to have everything locked down and figured out beforehand. We tell ourselves that dialogues are for experts and scholars, people who have studied and written and talked about this already, not for ordinary folks like us. We still have a lot to learn.

Here’s the truth: everyone still has a lot to learn, but people who have a lot to learn are just the people for dialogue.

-Scott

It’s hard to believe that I have only been here at Buxton for a month. I already have been fortunate enough to learn so much and meet so many inspirational people! This is my first attempt at blogging, so here it goes!

My experience so far at Buxton has taught me a lot about not only Christianity, but also my own religion, Islam. In the beginning, I was nervous and wondered, “Will I clash with the other intern’s views?” I have found the exact opposite to be true. After every discussion that Scott and I engage in, I walk away from the conversation much more informed about the topics we discuss. While we may not see eye to eye on everything, I know that there is a mutual understanding that we are here not only to become more knowledgeable, but also to appreciate each other’s religion and views. Building mutual trust with others is incredibly important because it sets a strong foundation that will allow you to tackle the difficult issues when they arise. Life is much too complex to expect agreement on all issues, but we can learn to value other’s opinions.

I recently attended an event at which an Iranian, who had converted from Islam to Christianity, spoke to a large group of Evangelical Christians. I went to the event with an open mind; everyone is entitled to his or her own beliefs. During her talk, she stated her views on Islam including calling it, “a religion of violence.” It was not easy to sit and listen to an individual tear your religion and beliefs apart, however, I am very glad I attended this event. Even after reading parts of her book, which in my opinion misrepresented both Islam and the Quran, I felt as if I walked away from the talk much more informed about faith. Although I would not necessarily label this event the ideal experience of dialogue, it made me realize the significance of educating yourself on other people’s beliefs and opinions. Something else that reinforced this was a comment made by Imam Mohammad Magid of the ADAM’s Center in Sterling, Virginia about the importance of reaching out to others of different faiths. While visiting with him, he said, “It’s not dialogue if you agree with the person you are talking to.” It is vital to keep an open mind, especially when participating in interfaith dialogue.

My time here at Buxton has already given me hope that Muslims and Christians can work together peacefully. I recently attended a talk given by Ambassador Doug Holladay (one of the founders of Buxton) at The Falls Church. He spoke about his faith journey and life and gave meaningful advice. I walked away from the lecture feeling very motivated and inspired by Doug’s words. It reminded me of something the Dalai Lama once said, “I am interested not in converting other people to Buddhism, but in how we Buddhists can contribute to human society, according to our own ideas.” I strongly believe that together, people of different beliefs can accomplish something that not one group could do alone. Talking to members of other faiths only makes us stronger in our convictions, and if we let it, can help broaden and shape our worldviews and also empower us. This is something that I am aiming to do everyday.

Ramadan is nearing its end and Laylatu-l Qadr (the holiest night of the month) is coming up soon! Ramdan Mubarak!!

Until next month,

Aqila