Being chosen to participate in the 2023 KAICIID International Fellows Programme was one of my most life-changing experiences. When I applied, I knew the program was of high-quality: from the trainers and training materials to the diversity of the cohort participants. Now, experiencing it first hand in Strasbourg, France, the light of hope for global peace and prosperity is shining brighter. We transformed through dialogue.

We first met with the organizers and the whole cohort online for introductory orientation. It was night time in Brunei, way past my bedtime. Despite this, the organizers from KAICIID were welcoming and energizing. They outlined the whole ~1-year program, consisting of online and live training sessions, and a period to run our own interreligious/intercultural dialogue initiative before finally graduating in November. They also emphasized that the first live training session in Strasbourg in March is compulsory for us to be fully registered. The wisdom behind this is that the first face-to-face was crucial to establish strong bonds across the globe, necessary for successful execution of the prestigious program. We also had a chance to have a quick breakout session. I was grouped with a Buddhist nun, another Buddhist academic, a Jewish student leader, and a Christian academic. With myself as a Muslim academic, we had an ice-breaking session, coming from diverse background and learning from one another. We also prayed for our colleague’s safety in Myanmar especially because the situation was still unsafe at the time. This was just a little taste of the cosmic diversity and solidarity I was about to experience in Strasbourg, and throughout the whole program.

Fast forward, Strasbourg was approaching. I was definitely not looking forward to the long trip with two changes: one in Singapore and the other in Frankfurt, Germany, which then takes up more than 24 hours of travelling. Nonetheless, this was my first flight since 2020 and I was excited to be in the air, but more excited to meet the organizers and the whole cohort physically. In total, we were made up of:

• 10 Muslims from Albania, Algeria, Brunei, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Mali
• 5 Christians from Nigeria, Lebanon, Indonesia, Italy, and the Philippines,
• 2 Jews from Argentina and Israel,
• 4 Buddhist from Portugal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.

Prior to the program, I have already visited their respective religious sites (various masajid, cathedrals, temples and synagogues) during my 9-year studies in the United Kingdom. However, this would be my first sharing time and space with exceptional religious individuals. Everyone were leaders of their respective communities and committed to their religions, with vast experiences and deep knowledge. As a life-long learner, I was excited by the prospect of exchanging ideas from these wise individuals for my self-development. I was ready for dialogue (or so I thought).

10 Principles of Dialogue

We were trained in KAICIID’s 10 Principles of Dialogue, which highlighted communication, transformation and relationship-building. There was a clear shift in the room from simple communication amongst ourselves to investing in strengthening rapport and bonding during the period. We engaged in various conversations on similarities and differences. Other than religious issues, the obvious topic was regarding food. Although we were grateful for the lodging and provision, the lack of spices in the dishes was clearly agitating a fraction of the cohort, particularly the Asians (myself included). The common pursuit of appetizing food then became one of the main common goals during the training period. Although this process looks deceptively simple, it was dialogic and transformative as we engage in conversations beyond the delicious cuisines, ticking most, if not all, of the principles of dialogue. Some of the difficult issues were in regards to apartheid, honor-killing, religious extremism, national elections, economic crises, organizational corruptions and so on. We opened up ourselves to one another, slowly but surely, knowing that we were collectively establishing a safe platform for dialogue.

KAICIID’s 10 Principles of Dialogue

Dialogue is About Building Relationships

Little did I know that the knowledge gained through dialogue leads to love. As a committed Muslim, I could not imagine myself falling in love with Christians, Jews and Buddhists. Yet, I did, and I am now closer to God. In the Qur’anic verse:

“O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.”

The Qur’an, 49:13.

Regardless of the theological debates and diverse understanding among religious thoughts which has caused tensions and divisions, as Muslims, there is a need for us to sit down with others, and have dialogues with them to understand on another, as instructed in the cited Qur’anic verse. The Prophetic tradition also display similar engagements. Even in the extreme cases when the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) was besmirched and defiled verbally and physically, he (peace be upon him) still tried to maintain good relationship. Truly a blessing to the worlds. With such a dialogic lens, I can see the importance of maintaining good relationships with others, even in difficult situations.

In Strasbourg, we also met with representatives from the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. During the dialogue session with the representative from the Council of Europe, I had the urge to ask him about the recent case of Qur’an burning in Sweden. The representative reassured that such behavior is unacceptable as it incites further hatred towards a particular religious minority in the community. Similarly, a spokesperson from the European Union had also criticized that such Islamophobic activities “have no place in the EU.” Other colleagues also reiterated the same sentiment, exhibiting solidarity.

Dialogue is a Cure

Towards the end of the training, we began to depart to our respective places one by one. I remember on one of the last nights, a female Rabbi had to go early back to Israel. My brother from Iraq then hurriedly went to his room to get a special gift from his home country. It was a very long handmade prayer beads. He gifted it to her, and we said our farewells. When she arrived back to her home, she sent a message to us in our chatgroup:

It is clear that the global enemy is hate and arrogance, which has caused divisions and fighting. The powerful cure to this is dialogue, which then translate into knowing “one another”, and thus, a harmonious society. It is a powerful tool that should be possessed by all, and all that is required is a listening ear and an open spiritualheart.