The June Belief and Belonging Debate

'A unique event, and hopefully the first of many' was my first impression as I entered the Durham Student Union for Jessica Eastwood's 'Belief and Belonging' Debate.

The panel featured speakers from a variety of the University's religious and non-faith societies, including the DU Humanist society, Jewsoc, Durham Bahá'ís, Multifaith society, Catholic society, and Islamic society. As well as being an interfaith debate, the discussion was inherently also an intercultural one, as panelists brought their varied Cypriot, UK, Spanish, Iranian and Malaysian backgrounds to the table.

It is important to stress that although many societies were represented at the debate, the views expressed were individual, as would fit any discussion about beliefs and where, how and with whom we belong. As a Christian, in discussion with people of more minority religions, the dynamics unearthed a paradoxical privilege we often fail to notice: while as Christian believers we often feel considerably outnumbered in a room to people of no belief, in a UK University setting, or in Durham University in particular, as Christians we are the majority faith group. In Durham, there are more Christian churches than followers of the Bahá'í faith, for example. This humbled and challenged me. Am I aware of my faith privilege, as a UK Christian, compared to a Muslim coming here to study from Indonesia?

Indeed, the discussion came to crux, I felt, at a point made by Matthew Shahin, on how we relate to the other:

'Once we appreciate the humanity in each individual then we can grow to really listen to them, when we truly listen to them we make the first step towards loving them.'

Events such as these where we engage, and seek to meet and listen and understand, as opposed to criticise, convince or convert are encounters which value the human in one another.

There were many interesting and insightful points raised, and areas we sought to address and ameliorate. We extensively battled the topic of the university's drinking culture, arguing how to better foster societies (in the narrowest and widest sense of the word) which are concious of others, treating their beliefs, backgrounds, abilities and preferences equally, yet without advantaging one, (or confering 'special' (1) rather than equal rights) and disadvantaging the other.

I entered this debate with the belief that this was, simply put, a one off event. However, I can confidently say that we left as a panel, a floor, and a group of thinking individuals prepared to make this more than just that.

Interfaith conversations, interfaith friendships are invaluable to establishing and consolidating the roots of a pluralistic society; a community which seeks freedom for all beliefs, and a belonging space for each believer.

It precisely when we cross into this in-between space, this nexus of pluralism and personhood, this interface of beliefs and understandings, where we, as societies and individuals, truly realise the gold that be achieved, or unearthed, or even just 'sighted' in these encounters, and we are inspired to go out and forge similar paths to connection and conversation and individual change, in our University, our communities and the wider society we share.

Abigail Sumption, Durham Interfaith Forum

Special thanks to Jessica Eastwood for organising this event, with funding from Durham University Postgraduate Research Activity Pitch.

Footnotes:

1. Video credit, Alex McNab, June 2018.

2. (1) Jurgen Habermas, 'special' rights or "higher order individual rights", cited by Christian Joppke, in his talk 'Is Multiculturalism Dead', 17th January 2018.