Browsing by Author "Lao, Cairoden Datu Solaiman"

This research is a field study of selected Islamic non-governmental organizations engaged in religious dialogue with Christians in the Philippines. In the past four decades, the religious dialogue in the Philippines has received great attention from advocates and clergies. Many religious, social, economic and political problems have been resolved in the Philippines as a result of religious dialogue between Muslims who form the minority and Christians who are the majority in the country. The study identifies some important reasons that led to religious dialogue. This includes the attempt to reconcile between Muslims and Christians in the country for peaceful and harmonious coexistence, to respond to the allegations raised against Islam and Muslims and to perform Da'wah by calling people to the message of Islam. It also highlights the formal techniques, such as seminars, conferences and publications and informal techniques, such as, visits and weekly studies, which these organizations employ during their dialogue with Christians. Finally, it explores the effects of dialogue on the political, social and religious planes of the Philippines. Based on field research, the researcher has made a personal interview with prominent figures of eight selected Islamic organizations, with analytical study of the published materials on the subject. The researcher came to a number of conclusions, among which is the need to reexamine and make appropriate adjustment to the approaches used in Muslim-Christian religious dialogue to ensure that such approaches are suitable for the Muslim community in the Philippines and workable within the Philippine context. In the light of this result, the researcher provides a number of recommendations and suggestions to solve the problems and obstacles encountered in religious dialogue. This includes the need to benefit from the Qur'anic and Prophetic approaches of dialogue with People of the Book, to ensure that those preachers who are engaged in religious dialogue with Christian are well trained, and to appropriately utilize the formal and informal techniques of dialogue taking the advantage of modem Information and Communication Technology.

This research is a field study of the Forum Bishops and Scholars in the Philippines, non-governmental organizations engaged in Muslim-Christian dialogue in the Philippines. After the declaration of Nostra Aetate by the Vatican II, the religious dialogue in the Philippines has received great attention from advocates and clergies. Many religious, social, economic and political problems have been resolved in the Philippines as a result of religious dialogue between Muslims and Christians in the country. The study aimed to identify the concept of religious dialogue in Christianity and Islam, and attempted to clarify issues and methods of religious dialogue in the country. It also emphasizes the methods used in the religious dialogue such as seminars, conferences, publications, media and visits. The researcher compared between the views of the bishops and scholars on the concept of religious dialogue, objectives, conditions, motives and obstacles in the country. The researcher made personal interviews with a dozen of scholars and prominent bishops in religious dialogue, with an analytical study of the published materials on the subject. The researcher came to a number of conclusions, among which is the most significant issues of religious dialogue in the Philippines, including peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians, mutual understanding and tolerance among themselves as well as cooperation between the two parties. The study recommended that there is the need to re-examine and make appropriate adjustment to the approaches used in Islamic or Christian institutions to ensure that such methods are valuable, meaningful and beneficial in order to achieve the goals of the Islamic-Christian dialogue in the near future. Moreover, there is a need for scholars to engage themselves in dialogue between Muslims and Christians, and some should be specialized in this area. The study also recommended to the International Islamic and Christian Institutions to financially support the Islamic and Christian organizations engaged in religious dialogue in the Philippines and other countries.