CONVERSATION PIECE

CONVERSATION PIECE

A Dialogue between a Jew; a Christian and a Moslem

By

John Roberts

There were three friends residing within the small town of Herries, situated in the Eastern Principality of Appollonia. The friends were fortunate in that they had lived, for many years, in an atmosphere of religious tolerance: free from the bigotry and self-satisfied conceit, which pervades less enlightened areas of this Globe.

Life, in this little place, ran in a quiet, dignified manner, with an absence of that hasty bustle and rush, which disturbs those living in more densely populated, aggressive, mercantile regions . The three friends had developed a habit of meeting together daily after lunch, in order to spend an hour or so chatting on subjects of mutual interest.

We find them one day, sitting together over a cup of coffee, discussing their respective religious beliefs in a strangely sensible and logical fashion.

Abraham, the Jew, was perhaps fifty years old: a tailor by trade and accustomed to permitting his mind to ruminate on the daily problems of life, as he meticulously stitched his way through the day. He was small in body, with a large head and a shock of black hair. His features were swarthy and his face revealed the unmistakable evidence of his Jewish parentage: with his deep, dark eyes, and large, slightly hooked nose.

The Christian, Anthony, was a Catholic but was not dogmatic in his approach to his religious obligations. He was, perhaps, forty-five years old and a General Merchant, in a small way of business. His fair hair and blue eyes contrasted, markedly with the black hair of his two friends. He was relatively tall: his face long and slender.

Mohammed, the Moslem, was of similar build and appearance to Abraham the Jew. In fact, a stranger might have been forgiven for assuming that they were brothers: such was the similarity in their appearance. He was also about the late forties and a Coppersmith by trade: having his own small workshop, wherein he earned a sufficient living. His dark skin testified to the fact of his Arab ancestry. In his religious beliefs he accepted unhesitatingly the truths which he had been taught as a child and did not question the authenticity of his ideas.

As the three friends sat together, slowly sipping their water and Turkish Coffee, they would have all agreed, that life was most pleasant: sitting as they then were, in the shade of the coffee house: looking out upon the almost empty street. There were low buildings on each side, with awnings to protect pedestrians from the heat and glare of the Summer sun, which brightly lit the centre of the carriageway.

Abraham was the first to speak: "We all have much for which to thank almighty God: for the blessings he has poured upon us", said he. "Quite so", responded Anthony, continuing : "We have been friends for many years and have never, it can be truly affirmed, squabbled over the smallest thing". "Very true my friend", quoth Mohammed: "It is good that we should be able to meet together from time to time, to talk about many things. Though of three different nations, we have much in common".

"Not the least of these things is the fact that we all worship the same God", said Abraham. "Yes, indeed", said Anthony: "It were well that our brothers and sisters, in the world at large, would consider these truths: there would be less misery in the world, with a little more tolerance".

"Quite so", affirmed Mohammed. "The Prophet himself acknowledged the fact when he made special provision for the 'People of the Book': those whose beliefs are based on the Bible and the worship of the one true God".

"Yes", said Abraham: "We are privileged, indeed, to have the benefit of the Ten Commandments, as the basis of our moral lives. They are still valid, even though so many generations of Mankind have utterly disregarded them".

Anthony now said, "Yes, the record of the Church, throughout its history, has been a very sad testimony to the non-application of these principles. The Commandment not to kill one's fellows has been widely disregarded and so many of those who suffered have been innocent of any crime".

Mohammed now responded, "Many of the people of my Faith have the idea that it is perfectly correct to kill those who oppose Islam: those whom they consider to be God's enemies." "The Christian Church has not been slow to use that catchphrase", said Anthony. "Yes", affirmed Abraham: "My people have suffered again and again at the hands of the Christians: of those who thought that they were performing God's work in destroying Jews: the persecutors and murderers of Jesus of Nazareth".

"The Jews are not the only one's who have suffered: the Albigensians, a loving and innocent people of the South of France were annihilated in the Middle Ages. Many other innocent people have been butchered by the representatives of Holy Mother Church. It is a long and sorry tale", responded Anthony, "and there is nothing we can do about this sad and crazy history. All that can be done in our time is to point out these errors, to following generations, and hope and pray that sanity will ultimately prevail in the counsels of men". "Yes, we can hope and pray" said Abraham, "although religious bigotry and fundamentalist ideas are gaining ground throughout the world. Bigotry, is deliberately encouraged and nourished right through the whole range of religious belief. Look at India, for example! A generation or so ago, there was little sectarian strife: at least it was not openly encouraged between Hindu and Muslim. Since the separation of India and Pakistan, there has been a sustained trend to a most abhorrent form of fundamentalism in both Hindu and Muslim Communities. This is all being promoted as the special work of God, in preserving the ancient culture of either Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or whatever other branch of religion it is intended to promote."

"It is very true that few men and women of this world understand, that the obligation to love God extends to their fellow men by definition", said Abraham. "Many Jews consider that the term 'Neighbour' extends only to fellow Jews, but in my view it has a much wider application . It embraces the whole family of Mankind: regardless of Race or Creed". "That is an amazing statement!" cried Mohammed. "Yet in Islam the brotherhood of Man is recognized as extending to all members of the faith: to all those who accept the reality of the Universal God and the work of the Prophet". "Yes", replied Anthony "It goes part of the way to realizing the idea of the brotherhood of Man. Jesus of Nazareth once said, that one cannot claim to love God if one has any ill-will in his heart towards anyone. This proposition demands that before one comes to the temple, church or mosque or whatever the form of worship: that one must come with a clear conscience and with love in his heart for all men". "Very few men in this or any generation could truly affirm within their own hearts that they bear such a love for their fellow men", affirmed Mohammed. "Very few Muslims consider this question of 'love" as an attribute of their God. He is seen as omnipotent, wise and merciful: compassionate but hardly a "loving" God. This attribute of love is perhaps seen as a weakness rather than as a strength".

"Well" said Abraham: "Many Jews would question this concept of 'love' as a attribute of Deity. Traditionally, God was seen as all-powerful, jealous and vengeful in some respects but merciful towards his people Israel. As we developed our concept of Deity, this idea was modified somewhat, until by the time of the Prophet Isaiah, God has assumed a more caring and, it might be suggested, an almost 'loving' role. There is no doubt, however, that our perception of the 'nature' of God did mature gradually over many hundreds of years. One really remarkable development was the idea that people of other nations would sit down with the people of Israel to worship their God. This modified the earlier idea of an exclusive relationship between my people and their Creator; although we still believe in the Covenant existing between Israel and our God. To that extent we believe that we are a privileged people".

"I do not think that there is any doubt that you are, as a Race, a privileged people", said Anthony. "The very fact of your history and the way in which it developed, is proof of that. The creative abilities of your people are well known and the brilliance of the Jewish intellect is well-demonstrated in the development of Science and the Arts. We can not deny you these advantages, but we still like to imagine that we too, Christians, Muslims, Hindu's, Buddhists, etc., will all ultimately share in whatever spiritual benefits are being bestowed on Mankind".

"It is true", said Mohammed, "that, in the early days of Islam, the Jews co-operated with the Muslims in the Caliphate at Damascus and later at Cordova, in the preservation and development of the knowledge of the Ancient Greeks. In Spain, in the 9th Century, there was a great flowering and development in the fields of Astronomy, Mathematics, Science and Music: much of this work the result of Jewish scholarship". "Yes", responded Abraham: "If my people had not been forcibly expelled from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella, this work might have continued to flourish there, to the glory of all its inhabitants. As it was, we were welcomed by the Sultan at Istanbul, where many of us have remained ever since".

"Such is the effect of ignorance in high places", said Mohammed. "Can one imagine nowadays the wholesale expulsion of the intellectual classes from any nation on earth? What a disastrous effect such action would have on the cultural life of any Country! Of course, 15th Century Europe was hardly an enlightened environment". "That is true", responded Anthony, "one could not envisage a more uncharitable and unchristian act than to expel citizens who have lived, worked and prospered in the land for almost eight hundred years. This is what the Catholic rulers of Spain did at that time. Even today, there are still relatively few Jews remaining in either Spain or Portugal".

"That is only part of the overall picture of the sufferings of my people for almost two-thousand years", said Abraham. "What we now look forward to, is the amelioration of this unhappy situation and the chance to re-establish ourselves as respected members of the human society. Yet, there is still a great deal of resentment and envy of the success of our people as a business community."

"That is true", responded Anthony, "and there will always be an element in Western Society, which is envious of the intellectual and mercantile achievements of your people. That is the weak side of human nature and has been the cause of much unhappiness in this world. Let us hope that enlightened modern attitudes will effect a change in social behaviour: particularly in those countries which have, in the past, regarded it as almost an article of faith to adopt an intolerant and bigoted attitude towards those of a dissimilar religious belief. In recent years there has been much propaganda directed towards the modification of these old, ingrained ideas".

"That remains to be seen". said Abraham "Jews themselves will need to be convinced by long experience of the fact, that there has been a change in attitude, on the part of the Christian world. All we can do in the meantime is protect ourselves by every means possible, until the very possibility of universal hatred and hostility is removed".

"I can well understand your attitude in that regard", said Anthony. "But what about your relationship towards your brother Muslims?" "Are you not of the same Race as the Prophet Mohammed? Are you not First Cousins, if not brothers of the blood: as children of Abraham?"

"Indeed", cried Mohammed "You make a valid point there, friend Anthony!" "We Muslims are well aware that we owe more to the Jews than just our mutual concepts as to the nature of the Godhead. We are all children of Abraham and should be more tolerant and understanding towards one another". "If not exactly loving?" said Anthony.

"As we have said before", said Abraham: "We find the concept of 'love' somewhat difficult but we should certainly try to understand each other better. There is no earthly reason why Jew and Arab or Muslim, generally, should not co-operate more fully with each other. This senseless eternal warfare is damaging to both Jew and Arab and will never lead to the constructive establishment and maintenance of either Jewish or Arab State". "You are right there", responded Mohammed: "Jew and Arab must try to work together, to put aside old hatreds: to reject once and for all this disastrous and lunatic insistence on 'an eye for an eye', which has been such a murderous and, indeed, wicked principle, down through the ages.

"That is very true", affirmed Anthony. "Even in Christian communities we have seen how the thirst for revenge for real or fancied offence has led to generations of fratricide, bloodshed and hatred between families. How much more should Jews and Arabs remember the commandment in Deuteronomy, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay', said the Lord. No man can escape the consequences of his individual action, whatever the success of his evil schemes in this life. God sees all and he will, surely, repay".

"Indeed", said Abraham, "If only Mankind could understand the validity of this ancient commandment, we would all be wiser and happier people".

"How happy are we three friends, who can discuss these topics without resorting to blows between ourselves", said Mohammed. "It is perhaps because we can honestly face the fact that, no-matter what our individual ideas or our personal belief, we can only perceive part of the whole truth", responded Abraham.

Anthony now said, "We know that we are children of God: that is the great principle. We certainly do not understand much of these things but we know one thing: that it is against God's law to wish evil upon any man or woman. That is the principle thing: to live in harmony, as far as possible with all people".

"Well", said Anthony: "We live in harmony with each other, so far as we can, and it has worked well for us. So let us continue and pray that we may meet together, for many days to come: on which we may perhaps discuss these things and leave the world, in God's good time, wiser and happier for our experience"

"I'll say 'Amen!' to that" responded Abraham. "So will I!", said Mohammed.

With these words the three friends finished their coffee and rose to attend to their respective affairs.

"Goodbye for now, dear friends" said Anthony, shaking hands with Abraham and Mohammed. "We'll meet again tomorrow: God willing". "Yes, indeed: we'll meet tomorrow: Goodbye!" said the Jew. "Goodbye and Peace be with you", said the Muslim.

With these words, the three philosophers went away, to their respective establishments, to work or to reflect on the few words that had passed between them that day. It had been a fruitful and instructive afternoon.

THE END

Sydney, Australia 9 Dec 1997

Write to Author: robertsjo@gmail.com