Interview: “A Living Example of Inter-Religious Dialogue!”

(Source: Qantara.de)

The Grand Mufti of Bulgaria, Selim Mehmet, was one of the most prominent guests at Cologne’s Open Mosque Day – an event he would like to introduce in his own country. His visit was organised by the German Adult Education Centres’ Institute for International Cooperation (Institut für internationale Zusammenarbeit der deutschen Volkshochschulen e.V.), as part of the project “Tolerance and Understanding: Our Muslim Neighbours in Europe”. In the course of a trip lasting several days, the Grand Mufti visited a number of institutions, including the Muslim Women’s Community Centre and Further Education Institute, the Protestant Church of the Holy Trinity, and the DITIB Mosque. Qantara.de spoke to Selim Mehmet.

What impressed you most about the Open Mosque Day in Germany?

Selim Mehmet: First of all, I was very pleased by the way in which Muslims used this day as an opportunity to deepen their acquaintance with their faith and the place in which they practise it. The mosques were prepared for the arrival of visitors in exactly the same way as when we receive guests at home; we get everything ready and prepare ourselves properly for their visit. And secondly, this Open Day provides a good opportunity to inform our guests about the nature of the Islamic faith. I am convinced that the Germans who visited the msoques came away with a good impression of Muslims and their religious convictions. But respect should be mutual; Muslims in Germany should also take time to find out about the religion followed by the majority of the German population. I feel that the Open Mosque Day represents a living example of inter-religious dialogue, and I would be very happy if this initiative could also take root in Bulgaria in the near future.

How would you like to put this idea into practice in Bulgaria?

Mehmet: I’d be very happy to begin by handing out brief information brochures about mosques, so that all the various groups, particularly Christians, can obtain some information. If they were them to come to the mosques and acquire a deeper acquaintance with Moslems and with the Islamic religion, that would already mark a major success for us. In Bulgaria, Christians and Muslims have been living together peacefully for centuries. They get on extremely well with one another, and communication between the two religious groups is intensive. There is, for example, a very old tradition in Bulgaria, whereby Christians and Muslims visit each other and take part in festive meals on their respective holy days – at Easter or during Ramadan, for instance.

If there’s already such intensive communication, what is the point of having an Open Mosque Day?

Mehmet: Well, here I have to say that many Muslims don’t know their own religion terribly well. Their relationship to Islam is based more on traditions than on any deep foundation of religious knowledge. And at the same time, many Christians hardly know anything about Islam in the academic sense. So we’d like to provide some assistance. Lots of Christians, for example, don’t know what Muslims actually do when they go to pray in the mosque - or they know very little about our Friday prayers.

Does this lack of knowledge also have something to do with the decades of Communist rule in Bulgaria?

Mehmet: Certainly. Communism meant the elimination of religion. A great many mosques and churches were destroyed, religious schools were closed and religious books vanished from the shelves. During this period, religion was decried as empty and useless. And to a certain extent, their strategy was successful. A religious person, whether Christian or Muslim, had no chance of building a career in the Bulgarian Communist state. But the greatest damage was done to people’s souls. One of the biggest challenges we face today is ensuring that a large number of children once again receive a religious education, for the parents of many of these children lost their religious affiliations years ago.

Have relations between Muslim and non-Muslim Bulgarians been adversely affected by the September 11th attacks? Do Muslims now have to face greater scepticism or distrust?

Mehmet: That’s a difficult question, but I don’t have the impression that there’s been any real change. Certainly, there were some bad reactions immediately after the attacks; women in headscarves were reviled as “Taliban”, for instance; and, in just a few places, stones were thrown at mosques. After these incidents, we had a meeting with the Bulgarian president. He then addressed the population through the mass media and insisted that such reactions were completely unacceptable. The 11th of September did do a lot of damage to Islam as a religion. Since then, however, many non-Muslims all over the world have taken a greater interest in finding out more about Islam. Perhaps one can see this as a positive aspect.

Do you think that the West should make even more of an effort than it has done to pursue dialogue with the Islamic world?

Mehmet: I don’t think enough has been done yet. That may have something to do with the fact that most Muslims in Europe are immigrant workers with roots in many different ethnic groups and religious tendencies; this doesn’t make cooperation between Islam and the West any easier. But here too, I have observed something very positive: the German government supports an organisation in which Muslim women from various regions can meet, learn German and inform themselves of their rights in Germany. The problem lies not with Muslims who know their religion, but with those who don’t - and who are therefore easily manipulated. This is why it is essential to educate Muslims about their own religion, and to do so by means of serious organisations, such as the Turkish DITIB, for example.

Interview: Arian Fariborz, © 2003 Qantara.de
Translation from German: Patrick Lanagan

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