Pope Francis says that "Dialogue helps people to humanize relationships and overcome misunderstandings". We are very clear about it in our daily relationships, even if we admit that we do not always know how to do it. But are we equally clear when we refer to terrorists, suicide bombers, extremists? It gets more complicated.
The recently published report on religious freedom in the world, commissioned by Aid to the Church in Need, concludes that extremist Islam is the main threat to religious freedom and the main cause of persecution. But it affects not only practicing Christians, but also Western societies with Christian roots, even if they are today atheist: one in five countries has suffered radical Islamist attacks. There are 38 out of 196 countries in the world where serious violations of religious freedom have been recorded.
It is clear that extremism, in general, generates violence. Studies show that religion is a great factor of intra-group cohesion, something positive, but it can also increase inter-group aggressiveness towards those who do not belong to the group. Hence the urgency of deepening our faith in order to know how to give a reason for it, but above all, to base it on a strong personal relationship with Jesus. If we Christians reduce religion to an ideology or a social group, we run the risk of falling into fundamentalism.
Not only is it possible, but education for dialogue, as Pope Francis says, is urgent and necessary. Other historical moments have shown us that Muslims, Jews and Christians can live together peacefully. Today, in the face of extremist Islam, we hear many questions about this possibility. Can we dialogue with terrorists? Should we respond with a welcoming response to the current drama of so many people displaced by war? What is clear is that not all Muslims are terrorists, and that it is in the face-to-face, from the story of the lives that coexist, when the encounter is created. It is also very clear that our criterion should be that of Jesus: what would He respond today in these situations? "Every time you did it to one of these, my younger brothers, you did it to me." (Mt 25:40).
Francisco: "Dialogue breaks down the walls of divisions and misunderstandings; it creates bridges of communication and does not allow anyone to isolate himself, shutting himself up in his own little world. To dialogue is to listen to what the other person says to me and to say with docility what I think".
