When Islam And Christianity Meet A Case Study: Sololo
Loading...
Date
2003
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
In the year 2001, 1, together with a confrere of mine, spent two months in
Marsabit, where we joined the religious community of the parish in their evangelising
and pastoral work. One day before our departure, we went to bid farewell to some
families that had been especially close to us during our stay. A mother of one of those
families looked really sad. She pleaded with us to come back in the following words,
"We really need people to encourage us to stand firm on our Christian faith. These days
some Christians are giving in to external pressure and are becoming Muslims."
On my way back to Nairobi, these woman's words kept on echoing in my mind.
Sonic questions started, little by little, arising and made me take her request seriously.
Flow can we, missionaries, strengthen the faith of the Christians when they constitute a
minority amidst a successful and attractive Muslim majority? How can we, at the same
time, promote dialogue and collaboration between Christians and Muslims? What
makes Islam be so appealing in this area and how does the success of Islam in the
region challenge the local church of Marsabit? These and other questions helped me
realise the importance of this matter and I decided to use the writing of this Long Essay,
required by Tangaza College, as an opportunity to deepen my understanding of this issue. Consequently, the local church of Marsabit has always been in my mind and heart
in the course of the elaboration of this work and it is to her that I dedicate the fruit of
my effort.
As soon as I presented the theme of the essay to my moderator, he urged me to
follow the "Pastoral Circle" in my undertaking. "There are four major "moments" that
constitute the Pastoral Circle: Insertion, Social Analysis, Theological Reflection and
Pastoral Planning for action." Thus, these have been the four steps that I have taken in
the elaboration of this Long Essay on Muslim-Christian dialogue.
Insertion. I spent one month (July 2002) in Sololo, a small town of the
diocese of Marsabit, characterised by the predominance of Islam. Sololo
became, therefore, the centre and focus of my study. There, besides joining
the religious community of the parish in their pastoral work, I interviewed
thirty persons,2 mainly Christians, on the issue of Muslim-Christian
coexistence.
Social Analysis. My personal experience in Sololo, the interviews I made
and an extensive library research (carried out, especially, in the Kenya
National Archives), have been the tools I have used in the working-out of
the social analysis of Sololo and its religious plurality. This social analysis
is particularly characterised by a historical approach. Theological Reflection. I have tried to show how Christian faith is linked to
dialogue in the concrete context of Sololo. In this reflection I have based
myself on the culture of the people of Sololo, the Word of God and the
recent Catholic teaching on interreligious dialogue.
Pastoral Planning for action. Finally, I have drawn up some pastoral
suggestions, both at parish and diocesan level, which, I believe, are
important in order to improve dialogue and collaboration between
Christians and Muslims in the area.
This process was concluded with the final writing of this essay, which consists
of three chapters. The first one describes the geography, people and social challenges of
Sololo. The second one presents the history of both Islam and Christianity in Sololo.
And the last one deals with the current situation of Christian-Muslim coexistence in
Sololo and proposes some pastoral guidelines based on the certainty that every Christian
is called to be a minister of dialogue and collaboration.
It is important to mention that this work has been done from a Christian and
Catholic perspective. Nevertheless, I have tried, as much as possible, to take into
account Protestant and Muslim positions on different matters.
I would like to finish this introduction by recognising that I have only been one
month in Sololo and three months, all together, in the diocese of Marsabit. Thus, despite
exhaustive research, my knowledge of Sololo and its context is still limited. It is the
task of church leaders and other Christians of Sololo and, generally, of the diocese of
Marsabit, to confimi, purify and apply whatever helpful is found in this work.
Description
Keywords
Islam And Christianity