January 25, 009
Dear Peacemakers and friends,
Greetings of peace and love from Manila!
In the face of the continuing threat to the peace and wellbeing of the suffering people of Mindanao (Philippines) and Gaza we, members of the Sowing Peace network in Metro Manila, turned to one another for support and encouragement. It is easy to lose heart in the midst of the prevailing violence everywhere. Our efforts at peacebuilding seem puny and effete and our words, no matter how forceful and compelling in their condemnation of the violence, seem to only exacerbate our feelings of helplessness and frustration at not being able to stop the war and end the killings.
In the midst of all these, we have taken recourse to returning to our selves to seek and find that which we have in our power to harness—our human spirit and our capacity to build relationships. So, while holding images of the maimed, dead and dying in our hearts, we stepped-up our efforts to build--and to keep on building--relations hips in places near and dear to us.
Last Thursday, in the midst of the heat and the din of the mid-day traffic, twenty-four Muslims and Christians (of various denominations) successfully completed the last of the 12-session series of workshops on *GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING ON MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE* in Quiapo (that they started in June 2008). This was a capacity-building program that our Peacemakers' Circle CC designed and launched in partnership with the *Australian
Embassy's Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding
(SGIDU) program*.
The workshop was held at the Golden Mosque compound in the heart of Quiapo, Manila. Quiapo is one of the four grassroots Muslim-Christian communities that the Peacemakers' Circle CC is currently serving under the mantle of the *URI Moral Imagination Program* and in keeping with the spirit of the *URI Preamble, Purpose & Principles (PPP)*. The other communities are Tala in Caloocan City, Maharlika Village in Taguig City, and Salam Compound in Culiat, Quezon City. Metro Manila is composed of 14 cities and two municipalities and the Muslim population in the metropolis is said to now total over 1.5 million.
What was heartwarming about that whole-day training in Quiapo last Thursday was *the willingness of the Muslim and the Christian participants to see goodness in each other--and in each other's faith*--*and to recognize and accept their own respective human frailties and imperfections that got in the way of the true practice of their own faith*. It was moving to hear a
passionate Muslim leader lament what he perceived to be disunity among Muslims and the inability of the Arab nations to take prompt action in aid of the suffering in Gaza. It was likewise moving to hear a passionate Christian leader speak of the fear among Christians that disabled them from responding to the challenge to love their neighbors as themselves.
At the end of the day, the Muslim and Christian participants of the workshop agreed to unite and form a MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKERS' ASSOCIATION OF QUIAPO. *They said that* *they may not be able to stop the war in Mindanao or in Gaza but they could contribute to peace in the world by strengthening their friendships and working together to collectively address their local concerns.* They chose their leaders and scheduled another meeting for next Thursday to discuss ways forward in promoting their cause. In the midst of all these developments, our Peacemakers' Circle CC reiterated its commitment to accompany and support them in their journey. We have been doing the same for the MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKERS' ASSOCIATION OF TALA in Caloocan City since 2005.
Much work for peace is being done on the ground here. We continue to strengthen our relationships with the women leaders of various organizations that compose the *Sowing Peace network*. Some of the members of the network are: Balay Rehabilitation Center, GZO Peace Institute, Center for Peace Education of Miriam College, Binhi, Bethlehem Mission, etc. Last Wednesday we got together over potluck lunch to renew our commitment to support each
other in the pursuit of peace in our country and the world. Each of us presented the various projects that our respective organizations had lined up for the year and expressed ways in which we could support those projects.
One that is up and coming is the visit this Wednesday of *Maria Christina Eggers from the Katharina Werk Organization (KTW).* Maria Christina is a long-time leader of KTW who has been in-charge of organizing the annual International Peace Camp in Switzerland. For the past seven years the Peace Camp brought together Israelis and Palestinians and people from other
countries.
What I find really interesting about Maria Christina is the fact that *she is German and a descendant of a Nazi soldier*. The painful history and the stigma that she and her people carried over the years moved her to dedicate her life to building peace in the world. *She sees the war in the Middle East partly as a result of the terrible violence done by the Germans to the Jews during World War II and is now atoning for it by helping to build bridges of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. * She now lives in Jerusalem where she has established "Beit Catarina", a center that offers a safe space for meditation, dialogue, peacebuilding workshops and friendly
encounters between Israelis and Palestinians who seek to find an end to the violence in that part of the world. *She also visits and accompanies groups from both sides who are trying to build paths to peace*. She was in Jerusalem when the recent violence in Gaza broke out.
Our Peacemakers' Circle CC will be hosting a dialogue session with Maria Christina on January 28. Her visit is being facilitated by Angelina Herrera of BINHI (Seed) organization, and organized by the remarkable women leaders of the Sowing Peace network. We look forward to hearing *how this descendant of a Nazi soldier is helping to heal wounds and build peace between Israelis
and Palestinians. * We also hope to explore *ideas* with her *on* *how to help our war-ravaged people in Mindanao return to healing and wholeness once again.*
On Thursday, I will be giving a workshop-seminar on "*Religion Beyond Borders: Christian-Muslim Relations*" to a group of about 80 college students of a Jesuit university here. I hope to be able to inspire them to participate in the *global effort to transcend boundaries while being rooted in the effort of peacefully and respectfully addressing our differences. *
The road to peace is long and difficult. We need to be patient and kind to ourselves and take time to listen to each other. There are "miles to go before we sleep." Meantime, we at the Peacemakers' Circle CC continue to come together regularly every Tuesday (for our *weekly Inner Work Support Circle*) to pray for the victims of war in Gaza, Mindanao, Zimbabwe and
elsewhere in the world, and for peace, justice and healing to come about in our midst.
Thank you for your patience and kind attention. May Peace Prevail on Earth!
Sincerely,
Marites G. Africa
The Peacemakers' Circle CC
Manila, Philippines
In memory of Taha Basman
By Marites Guingona-Africa
January 24, 2009
A good man was laid to rest the other day. He passed away in the still of the afternoon sheltered by the love of his family who stood by him throughout his illness. TAHA BASMAN was a devout Muslim who pioneered interfaith dialogue among his Muslim brothers and sisters in Metro Manila. He slipped away gently from this world leaving in his wake the garden of friendships he had nurtured with people of diverse religions and spiritual expressions for over a decade, and the seeds of peace in the hearts of Muslims and Christians that he had sowed.
We, at the Peacemakers' Circle, remember Taj (as he was called) fondly. He was there in the early years when our dream of creating a "common ground," a "safe space" for people of diverse cultures and beliefs was first coming to be. He was the first Muslim who introduced Islam to our growing circle of interfaith friends in 1999. Two years later, with his friendship and support, the foundations of The Peacemakers' Circle were built. He was the pillar of peace in Islam for us as he introduced the five pillars of Islam and its six articles of faith to us.
It was from Taj that I first learned how to relate with Muslims in ways respectful of their culture and beliefs. As a Catholic Christian endeavoring to build bridges of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation among people of diverse religions and faith traditions, I valued growing in mindfulness of the need of Muslims for prayer time and space during our meetings, for halal food, for fasting during the month of Ramadan, for self-determination and other particular needs that I used to not be aware of.
Taj and Ann (his wife of twenty three years) were inspiring exemplars of peace in Islam. They were one and inseparable in their passion for and commitment to interfaith peacebuilding. When not attending to their eight children, they devoted much time, energies and resources to nurturing their interfaith relationships. We at The Peacemakers' Circle have been blessed with the gift of their friendship and support in creating the kind of interfaith bridge-building organization that we envisioned ourselves to be.
When 9/11 happened and the world reeled in its wake, Taj and Ann found themselves at the center of a whirlwind of interfaith dialogue projects and activities that called for Muslims to bring forth the ways of peace in assuaging the fears and anxieties of the world ignorant of Islam. Taj was there, always speaking graciously (and humorously!) of the goodness of Islam and embodying its peace before many groups of people who yearned to make sense of it all. And with him, The Peacemakers' Circle grew in strength and relevance to the times.
It is with deep gratitude and fondness that we at The Peacemakers' Circle remember Taha Basman, our dear friend, co-founder, incorporator, and esteemed colleague who has given so much of himself to the promotion of Islam in his journey through life along the path of peace.
Thank you, Taj! And may Allah the all merciful and loving guide you onward towards peace and joy eternal in paradise!
[Note: Comm. Taha Basman died of sarcoma, a malignant tumor of the connective tissue, on January 22, 2009 at the age of 57. The tumor that grew in his legs metastasized to his lungs]
Invitation to a Memorial for Taha Basman
Dear Peacemakers and friends,
Please join us
this Friday - January 30th, 2009
3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
@ Ugnayan hall, 3/F PhilDHRRA Partnership Center
(#59 Salvador St., Varsity Hills, Loyola Heights, QC)
for a gathering of friends in the interfaith movement as together
Please join us
this Friday - January 30th, 2009
3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
@ Ugnayan hall, 3/F PhilDHRRA Partnership Center
(#59 Salvador St., Varsity Hills, Loyola Heights, QC)
for a gathering of friends in the interfaith movement as together
we remember
Taha Basman
Taha Basman
Sharings and Reflections are welcome.
Refreshments to share would be appreciated.
Refreshments to share would be appreciated.
Please confirm your attendance through Orlan 920-7622 or 0918-7822805 / 0906-3286441)
PCFI in Mayapur
Philippine Interfaith Teams join Pilgrimage of Global Interfaith Leaders & Youth in Mayapur, IndiaNovember 27 – December 05, 2008
The Philippines was represented in a global gathering of interfaith leaders and peacebuilders held in Mayapur, India last November 27th – December 5th, 2008. This was the second global assembly of the United Religions Initiative (URI), an interfaith organization of grassroots Cooperation Circles around the world composed of members representing diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions who are striving to promote enduring daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.
While participants in URI's projects have included leaders such as the Dalai Lama, URI's primary constituents are common citizens working on a grassroots level in their own communities. These individual community and spiritual leaders connect to the URI network through one or more of URI's 400 local groups based in 70 countries worldwide, called Cooperation Circles. Developed to directly assist and further the work of these interfaith Cooperation Circles, the 2008 Global Assembly in Mayapur brought together 300 global interfaith leaders, from 44 countries, as well as the first interfaith youth delegation in an unprecedented grassroots global gathering. It aimed to address questions and share experiences of respected and recognized leaders in grassroots organizing, in order to further the work of world wide interfaith peacebuilding.
The Assembly's theme was 'Pilgrims of Peace: Many Paths, One Purpose.' Members of Cooperation Circles from around the world, all of whom are working on interfaith projects, spoke face to face, learned from one another's successes, built further alliances within the URI network and further worldwide interfaith cooperation. For more info, visit: http://www.uri.org/
The Mayapur Assembly was attended by representatives from the Philippines belonging to the Cooperation Circles of The Peacemakers' Circle Foundation, Inc. (Metro Manila), Kalinaw-CC (Cebu), Pakigdait, Inc. (Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte), Bohol Goodwill Volunteers, Inc. (Tagbilaran, Bohol) .
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