The concord between Islam and Christianity is beautiful. It has apparently not been fully understood in Sri Lanka. Ever since the 21st April Easter Sunday attacks targeting three churches, there was anti-Muslim rhetoric spread by some with hidden motives. The incidents of April 21, 2019 have led to a prolonged quest for justice, by those afflicted families. For centuries the history of Sri Lanka has been infused with Muslims and Christians who lived in peace with the Buddhists and Tamils. We must move forward from the Easter Sunday incident and sustain the bonds of solidarity between all religions and ethnic groups, cherishing our common identity as Sri Lankans.
Islam is part of the same Abrahamic tradition as Christianity. Key figures within the Bible—Abraham (Ibrahim), Moses (Musa), Mary (Maryam), and Jesus (Isa) among others—are all respected prophets and figures within Islam. Within Islam, Christians, along with Jewish people, are therefore treated as ‘People of the Book’.
The respect that Muslims have for Jesus in particular is demonstrated by the verses of Hafez, the most famous of Muslim poets from 14th Century Persia. In one stanza, he writes, “I am a hole in a flute that the breath of Christ moves through/Listen to this music.”
Both religions have a similar place of origin - which is in the Middle East. Christians believe Jesus, who is the son of God, was born in the Middle East in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Muslims believe Islam was founded over 1400 years ago in Mekkah (Mecca), which is known today as Saudi Arabia.
Another similarity between Christianity and Islam is that both religions are Abrahamic religions - meaning that they descended from Judaism and the worship of the God of Abraham. Another similarity is that both religions trace their origins to the two sons of Abraham. For Jews and Christians, it is his second son Isaac, but for Muslims, it is his eldest son Ishmael.
In ancient times the protection that Christian communities were meant to receive under Islam was enshrined in a letter of protection from Prophet Muhammad to the Christian monks at St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai in the early 7th Century. This letter promised the monks that, under Islamic rule, the Christian community, as a ‘people of the book’, shall have the freedom to practice their religion and be protected from any unlawful interference, whether in their communities or while travelling.
Both religions believe that humans will have a day of judgement and will be judged for the lives they lead on earth. For Christians, it determines whether they will go to Heaven or Hell for the rest of eternity. For Muslims, they refer to the afterlife as Akhirah - they will stay in their graves until the end of the world when they have their day of judgement. They will come before Allah (God) and if they have lived a good life they will go to Jannah (Heaven).
As I reflect on my childhood I was blessed by the friendship of my Muslim classmates from two schools- S. Thomas Prep School, Colombo and Wesley College, Colombo. We are still brothers sustaining our beautiful friendship for more than 25 years. The first Police officer in Ceylon to die on duty was a Muslim- Police Constable named Sahaban. Many Muslim officers have served in the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka.
In my adult life one of my dear mentors was Senior DIG M.R. Lattif (retired Commandant STF). He is the gentleman who introduced me to writing defence related topics. Another fine influence from the same establishment was retired SSP Faizal Hadgie, one of the courageous and diligent officers. My trusted dentist for years is Dr. Fadhil Mustafa. These are a few examples of kind Muslims who have impacted my life. For Sri Lanka to achieve success, we must see beyond high rise towers, monorail and expressways. Structures don’t define us. Emotional intelligence, attitude and character defines us. We must see ourselves as one people, as Sri Lankans. As a wise sage told me we are all branches of the same tree.
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