"Notice what you notice"

During a non-verbal exercise today, Luby Ismail said "Notice what you notice," and I was struck by the unfamiliar phrase. It became the key phrase of my experiences today. I noticed that when I met Luby the day before, she was kind and genuinely interested in me. I noticed today that I did not notice she is Muslim. I noticed that when I discovered she is Muslim, I felt more connected to her, because I somehow felt safer knowing that we believed in the same God.

I'm from south Louisiana, and the more I travel away from my community of origin, the more I realize how taboo it seems to talk about religion in public. The exception is Islam, because it is currently a sexy topic. So, I'd like to be somewhat bold today and ask, "How can we put religion on the table in a non-threatening manner?"

As a Catholic attending conferences such as this, I often wonder if people will make assumptions about my beliefs, motives, and intentions. Because I am applying for jobs, I worry that those in the public sector will see my Masters degree in Religious Education and assume I am closed-minded or want to evangelize the secular organizations. I was extremely grateful for Luby's courage in her presentation. She was willing to be vulnerable enough to reveal her true self. I was especially excited to hear her say that she is passionate about interfaith dialogue, a field I have become increasingly interested in during the past year and a half. I believe it is the first answer to the question I asked above. Rather than being afraid to address religion, we should embrace it and learn to communicate with one another about our deeply held beliefs.

Today's sessions seemed to focus on communication, and I gained practical skills to communicate more effectively in different situations. A few of the highlights were exercises in non-verbal communication, storytelling through images, spreading awareness through video, active listening, and learning to ask the right questions through an action learning demonstration. We use each of these skills to come to a better understanding of the people with whom we are working. These same methods can be used to begin religious dialogue and promote religious understanding.

I am grateful for the work that Luby does, as well as the work of UPF, MAS, and many other organizations who are giving the world an accurate view of Islam. It amazes me to see how closely related my own Christian faith is to the Muslim faith, and I wonder why I did not recognize these connections before. I would be very interested in having a session at a future IMI conference to address the sibling rivalry between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. We all seek to serve and praise the same God, but we do it in unique ways which should be embraced not rejected or suppressed for the sake of being politically correct.

I understand religion adds a scary, sometimes dangerous dimension to intercultural relations, but I also believe it cannot be ignored because it is so instrumental to so many people. To borrow a quote from one of the UPF videos: "It's not religion per se that separates people. Anything can separate people when people have a mind to be separated.” We need to learn to use religion as a tool for peace, rather than as an excuse for negativity. I think it’s time for the next step, so I repeat my question, “How can we put religion on the table in a non-threatening manner?” How can we use religion sensitively in the public sector in order to enhance communication and draw people deeper into self awareness and awareness of others?