Q: Are you inter-religious or Islamic? The materials you provided on your website are all Islamic!
A: We are both and we believe that the two are not mutually exclusive. We are trying to be as inter-religious as possible, however, the organization was established by a group of Muslim students and the majority of the members are Muslim. Consequently, our discussions and programs mostly revolve around Islamic sources. In some events such as the September Vigil, we represented the Muslim community in Bryan/College Station. However, we are open to everyone. For instance, we regularly host presentations and discussions led by Chritian pastors.
Q: Why do not you include other religions such as Judaism and Hinduism in your activities and weekly discussions?
A: This statement in fact is a bit inconsistent with what we actually do. Last year we organized the Peaceful Heroes Colloquim, in which such religious figures as Jesus Christ and Buddha were presented. In June and July 2003 we talked about Jesus Christ and Mary, peace be upon them, in our weekly discussions. As was mentioned earlier, we frequently have guest speakers from local churches. They talk about Jesus, gospels, and their denominations.
Q: What other faith members come to your activities?
A: Mostly Christians, which is not surprising since we are living in a predominantly Christian society. We try to use all opportunities at our disposal, hence we promote dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Yet, as the Inter-religious Dialog Student Association, we are more than willing and happy to engage in dialogue with other confessions.
Q: Why do you read Jawshen in the begginning of your weekly discussions for this month (September, 2003)? How do you reconcile this with being inter-religious?
A: Jawshen is a beautiful supplication by Prophet Muhammad (puh). It is about the names and attributes of God. In Islam it is recommended to mention the names and attributes of God. This is similar to a prayer; while we pray we also remember Him. We have chosen to do so because of the feedback that we received from our non-Muslim friends. They thought that it was a priceless supplication. Essentially, we believe that there are many common points between religions and this is in congruence with our belief. According to Islam, there is only one religion of God, which is Islam. God has sent down prophets throughout history to guide humanity. We think that if one looks carefully, s/he will see that the essentials of religions are the same: love, friendship, truthfulness, faith in a supreme being, resurrection and many others. We are trying to avoid conflicting points and by doing so we really want to make our discussions and activities beneficial to the follower of any faith.