World Mission Philippines - November 2016

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In the face of religious extremism that justifies the killing of innocent people in the name of religion and God, leaders of major religions are committing themselves to inculcate the peaceful nature of religion. A praiseworthy position assumed by the chief representatives of Islam is to exclude Wahhabism, the Islamic ideology of South Arabia that sustains the killing of non-Muslims from mainstream Islam. In Egypt, scholars recognized the need to change the school curricula where members of other faiths are portrayed as non-believers. Currently, interreligious initiatives are taking place in that predominantly Muslim country in an effort to pull down the mutual prejudices between Christians and Muslims. There is an ongoing effort from all leaders of different faiths to counter terrorism and promote peace in the world. An example is the rare scene of Muslims attending a Sunday Mass in parishes across France to show solidarity with Chrisitians in denouncing the brutal killing of Fr. Jacques Hamel by two terrorists linked to IS. Shared prayer between different religions, therefore, is a way to stand against religious fanaticism. In southern Philippines, a region beset by religious conflicts, people of both faiths continue to strive to work for peace despite obvious differences.