An encounter between the Murid and Mennonite faiths

The Anabaptist World of January 31, 2024 has an interesting article by Lynda Hollinger-Janzen on an encounter between the Murid and Mennonite faiths in Paris on November 25. We generally think of Murids as part of the Sufi tradition, although the article in The Anabaptist World describes them as a  "Muslim renewal movement." The Mennonites self-describe as being "an Anabaptist, Christian denomination with roots in the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe." I want to recommend that you red the short article and prayerfully consider what is being said there and the implications of the encounter.

Photo from The Anabaptist World

I believe that the Holy Spirit leads people of faith to such work as this. I also believe that people who attempt this work have to be prepared for it by the Holy Spirit. The article points out that both Murids and Mennonites

— Practice nonviolence, which grows out of a belief that all people are children of God and are called to forgive their enemies rather than take revenge.

— Have histories of migration and establishing self-supporting faith communities wherever they go.

— Tend to be inwardly focused on sustaining religious life and practice yet have made positive contributions to the societies in which they have settled. For example, Infinity Mennonite Church and the Murid Islamic Community in America — each unaware of the other’s work — both contributed to the revitalization of Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City, in the 1990s and early 2000s.

In a sense, then, preparation for this encounter began decades or centuries ago and proceeded through times of difficult struggles, violence and persecutions and then entered into community building. The "heat" of the past made people malleable and (I think) then cleansed and sharpened them so that they could approach one another within democratic and non-violent contexts and begin conversations that allowed the participants to "talk respectfully about what separates us" and not "risk falling into squishy dialogue that isn’t fruitful.” From that "atmosphere of confidence and trust" something "wholesome and solid" might be constructed "that we can offer our religious communities and the societies in which we live.” This paraphrasing is taken from the article.

My point in looking at this in the framework that I am is to recall that the hard and difficult times come to us as tests and that they create possibilities that we cannot imagine in the moment. Also, these possibilities often blossom into their full beauty under conditions of democracy and relationship-based trust and non-violence. Political conditions and political consciousness matters because they interact with our spirituality, each shaping the other. And if the Holy Spirit is indeed guiding us to encounter and love one another through tearing down the walls that separate us, then the Holy Spirit desires democracy and peace. These encounters strengthen my universalism in the sense that they help me better see and appreciate how Spirit-led movements function across time, countries and cultures.  Finally, I am mourning for the lost opportunities over the centuries and for our unwillingness to encounter others as equals and as partners. We are making "the work of making God real" incredibly difficult by allowing unreasonable and ill-advised competition, violence, exploitation, offenses against creation, racism and sexism and national chauvinism.

Thank you to the Murids and Mennonites for stepping forward!