According to the Qur’an, one of the primary aims of Interfaith dialogue is to get to know one another. The Qur’an states in Chapter 49, Verse 13, as follows:
O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other).
It is very clear from this verse that the Qur’an instructs Muslims to get to know people of other nations, tribes and thus other religions.
The fact that Türkiye and Australia have a shared history through the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 and also the fact that over 60% of the Bible was written within the boundaries of Türkiye, meant that Türkiye would be an ideal Muslim country for Australian Christian leaders to visit.
Leading on from this, Affinity together with PASIAD, its partner organisation in Türkiye, organised a study tour of Türkiye, for prominent Australian Christian leaders and some of their spouses in Sydney. The tour had 4 primary objectives:
1. To get to know Türkiye and Turkish Muslims.
2. Pay a pilgrimage to Gallipoli by attending the Anzac Dawn Service in Gallipoli.
3. Attend the many historical Christian sites such as Ephesus and Iznik where the 1st and 7th Nicaea Council was held.
4. Attend many of the historical Islamic sites such as mosques left from the Ottoman legacy.
This was certainly achieved during the 10 day trip. I think the words of one of the participants, John Oldmeadow, best sums up the success of dialogue:
"The personal interaction with people of Turkish nationality (and all that it encompasses, Islamic faith and the vast range that this encompasses) was the single most important feature of the trip. Talking to people, breaking bread together, asking directions and the multitude of other practical necessities of travelling reminded me of how much we have in common rather than my intellectual tradition based on exploration of our difference."
