Dialogue Not Debate

Twelve hours on from the guild council meeting, much to my dismay I found myself back in the guild council chambers, however, instead of the usual dose of dreary debate that is commonplace within student politics, I was there for a much more enlightening and engaging event. On Wednesday 16th of March the first event of its kind took place in UoB, an event called ‘Myth? {Busters}! was hosted by the Interfaith Association together with a number of specific faith societies. The aim of the event was to tackle commonly held conceptions, or misconceptions, about faith and students of faith. A range of “myths” were presented to the ex-pert panelists, each of whom represented a different faith, and they then spoke about their religions perspective on this myth. The issues discussed included religious fundamentalism, the superficiality of interfaith and the connection between religion and morality. After the panel discussion, there was an opportunity for the audience and the panelists to continue the discussion in an informal setting where students of different faiths had the opportunity to meet and talk. For some students this was their first opportunity to talk to people of particular faiths.

The idea is that this will be a launch event for future interfaith initiatives on campus. The long term aim of the Interfaith Association is to set up something more regular where students from different faiths meet to discuss different issues. Hopefully, in the near future, dialogue between faith groups will become common practice on our campus and religion will become an opportunity for rather than an obstacle to discussion.

I am not naïve, I don’t believe that attending an interfaith event is some sort of a miracle cure for campus, suddenly settling complex disputes and diffusing tension. But I do believe that before debates about controversial topics such as the Middle East can be conceived or conducted constructively we have to create conditions conducive to debate, not confrontation. This can only be done by discussing our differences and discovering common ground. Any one who has ever witnessed an angry and aggressive debate will know that no party ever brings around the other to their way of thinking. Only in an atmosphere of mutual respect and recognition, based on our common humanity, can we hope to achieve anything.

One of the main aims of the Jewish Society on campus is to persuade people of the importance of a peace process leading to a two-state solution. Certainly the events that we organise on campus are often interesting and informative however, it ismost often a case of preaching to the choir. This can descend into a self-serving, self-perpetuating exercise in sophistry. If we really want to achieve our aims we need to extend our efforts to more effectively educate and engage with those people beyond our core community. In order to do this we need to accept that, no matter how deeply held, historical narratives are not always entirely accurate, and the mythology they can create can deepen existing divisions. In order to achieve our aims we must try and overcome our own orthodoxies and accept that there is legitimacy in the opinions of others.

by Tizzy Keller