Kairos Catholic Journal - Playing together

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Playing together

Written by David Schütz

Saturday, 19 August 2006

Volume 17, Issue 15

On Sunday, 9 July, I attended an Open Day at the Thomastown Mosque, organised by the Australian Intercultural Society. The afternoon involved a tour of the mosque, and discussion groups where visitors had the opportunity to ask local Muslims about their beliefs and practices. Although it was a cold day, the welcome was warm and we were served an excellent Middle-Eastern meal afterwards.

For me, the most enjoyable part of the day was watching my daughters Maddy and Mia playing with two young Turkish Muslim children, Yusef and Besa. As the Co-ordinator of the AIS, Orhan Cicek, commented, there is a universal language of play between children that overcomes religious and cultural boundaries.

Here are three young JCMA participants: Mark, Andrew and Manny. Representing Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. They volunteered for this photograph to prove that you can’t tell a person’s faith from their outward appearance. Photo: David Schütz

‘Play’ remains important for the development of relationships between adults also. From Monday July 3 to Thursday 6 July, I attended the third annual Jewish Christian Muslim Association (JCMA) conference. Twenty Christians, twenty Jews and twenty Muslims lived together for four days at Pallotti College in Warburton.

We shared sessions of reflection, lectures and discussion, but we also ate together, relaxed together, prayed together (in so far as this was possible) and even played together!

The light-hearted nature of the conference was assured by the presence of a sizable contingent of young people. The youngest participant, a Muslim girl visiting from Indonesia, was aged just 15 and had come along with her older sister. These youngsters played cards till the early hours of the morning and invariably missed the first session the next day, but probably achieved more for interfaith harmony in their games than we did in our formal sessions!

Engagements took place at various levels, including cluster group reflections, and small groups which discussed passages from our holy books. There was a ‘speakers corner’ session one night which allowed anyone with a particular point of view to have their 15 minutes of fame on their pet topic. This produced lots of rowdy interaction! More play!

The JCMA conference happens each year. Through JCMA, a network of trusted friendships has been building up, creating greater harmony between our communities.

If you want to become involved in interfaith dialogue, this Conference is a good way to begin. It can be a little like jumping in the deep end, but through the fun and the laughter, we engage in a grown-up version of playing together. By first becoming friends, we can then face our differences.

In 2007 the conference will be held from 2-5 July. Plan to come! For more information, contact David at the Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission on 9926 5708.

David Schütz is the Executive Officer of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission

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