Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME is the founder of Silsilah Dialogue Movement. 

The act of “horror” against the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo brings us once again to the alarming situation of terrorism practiced in different parts of the world in the name of Islam and in the “name of God/Allah”. I know how bad you feel, my dear Muslim friends. The voice of many has been raised to condemn what happened a few days ago in Paris. At this moment I have in my mind and heart the many friends of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement that for thirty years in Mindanao, have committed to live a life-in -dialogue and we have built friendship among us, Muslims and Christians.

My dear Muslim friends, you are not the only ones who are suffering, once again, for this act of terror committed in the name of your religion. As a Catholic I remember pages of history when similar things happened in the name of the Catholic faith. Fortunately those times have ended. Christians are indeed doing also terrible things, but no more in the name of their religion or in the name of God. They are doing it in the name of another “god” that is money and power. But this simple reflection does not make me peaceful. I think that many of you are suffering because you are good Muslims who believe in the message of “mercy and compassion” spread by Islam and you suffer every time your religion has been the target of many forms of discriminated retaliation.

What touches me most in my studies of Islam and contacts with many Muslim friends are the spiritual elements of Islam and many Islamic traditions like Sufism that, unfortunately, today are not fully appreciated by all sectors or groups which promote a less dialogical approach in the teaching of Islam. I also suffer with you when Muslim leaders tell me that they are divided because now new groups and teachings are introduced, often by well funded organizations with a specific “goal” or theory. Some of these groups are attached to Islam others are trying to destroy Islam in the name of Islam. Thus, what happens to the beautiful message of mercy and compassion that we read in almost all the Surahs of the Holy Qur’an?

Who are behind all these terrible acts and theories? Some simply say this are “unislamic” acts. And this is true, but what can we do more together? You know how we in Silsilah, have always insisted on a dialogue that starts from a spiritual dimension. A dialogue that “ starts from God and brings people back to God” . What will happen to the young generation of Muslims if they follow the “philosophy” of violence funded by some groups?

As a Catholic, I believe that today, we Christians and Muslims have a common mission, to work together for the common good built on the centrality of God in society, even if our understanding of God is different, but we believe that we have to pray, we have to do acts of solidarity, we have to respect all, take care of the earth, etc.

My dear Muslim and Christian friends, I know how much you suffer when you hear comments against our efforts of dialogue, even threatening us in our mission of dialogue and peace. There are those who do not like that we remain friends. They do not believe in friendship among us, Muslims and Christians. But we can prove that our friendship has been helping us to be more committed to our faith, to be more human , more close to the poor and more open to what is good and together go against the “secularism” that means also materialism, and a society without God.

Finally, my dear Christians friends, we have to suffer with the Muslim brothers and sisters who suffer by the blame of the world. We have to suffer with the families of the victims of Paris and many other families in many parts of the world where conflicts in the name of religions are still used to divide us. We have to believe that all in the world are our brothers and sisters, even if they belong to different religions. We have to love all. This is the commandment of Jesus and the most powerful way to overcome “fear”. Meanwhile, justice and better agreements among nations have to be implemented. This is the time to be close, Christians and Muslims ,and to stand against those who are planning to divide us and discourage us to be in dialogue, even here in Mindanao, in our desire to achieve a future peace and to experience the joy to be together as brothers and sisters, created by the same God.