On Wednesday, 5 August 2015, The Moonee Valley Interfaith Network held a community forum on 'Violence in our Society' at Kellaway Avenue Neighbourhood Centre. Dr Senem Eren, acting as master of ceremony for the evening, introduced the theme, with reference to both domestic violence and the violence of religious extremism. Mr Frank Di Blasi OAM, chairperson of the Moonee Valley, welcomed speakers and an audience of just over 100 people and introduced the theme.
Councillor Jim Cusack spoke on behalf of the Moonee Valley City Council, speaking of the pride the city takes in being so multicultural, and calling for a more considered response to the question, especially asking us to consider what is truth, and what is reconciliation.
The first main speaker was Monash University’s Department of Politics and International Relations Prof. Sayed Khatab, who chose to focus on radical religious violence, and asked what is it that leads some young people to terrorism. He saw a clear link with events in the Middle East, and asked us to consider the ‘Australian Values’ that were in contest in the recent confrontation in Melbourne between anti-Islam and anti-racism protesters. He insisted that freedom of speech does not mean freedom to insult, because freedom is always limited – nothing in life is absolute. This, he pointed out, is the nature of reality. That said, he was just as emphatic that the current violence is not religious but political, and can be traced back to two clusters of issues: the old unsolved issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the newer issue of the coalition against terror. Prof. Khatab saw education as the key to growing harmony in society, and expressed dismay that so few schools teach religion or about religion.
The second speaker was Episcopal Vicar of the Catholic Theological College and Chairperson of the Archdiocesan Ecumenical and Interfaith, Very Rev. Denis Stanley, who asked: What can faith communities offer? How can they promote a shift in perspective? To this he saw three elements: The need to build bridges between believers; The importance of personal encounter and sharing of experience; and education. First, he saw it as important that we who take faith seriously and who hold common ethical values should be heard, but also that we should go deeper, and ask how do our beliefs shape us, including our real differences. Fr. Stanley pointed out that faith does have real public consequences, but that many Australians are uncomfortable in the presence of faith statements, and with listening and talking about belief. This is a matter of taking people’s faith seriously. Second, faith needs to be disentangled from culture: What of faith must stand in judgement on culture, and what of culture can refine faith?’ he asked. He cited the Christian significance of the call to be peace-makers, i.e. builders of peace. This will centre on the dialogue of everyday life, conversations that are not without risk (because people may not get on, for all sorts of reasons), but are nevertheless vital to peace-making. Third, there is the need for ‘interior conversion’, a matter of a change of heart and mind, in us as dialogue partners, and this will start with education. Like the first speaker, he deplored the relative absence of religious education, both by parents and in public schools.
The third speaker, Ms Natalie Peach, a local resident and currently in the middle of her postgraduate studies in clinical psychology, focussed on the prevention of violence from a Baha’i perspective. Behaviour, especially violent behaviour, is set in place between the ages of 15 and 19 years, so strategies like anti-bullying education needs to be in place before the age of 14. The reality of increasing violence suggests we are failing to do this, and faith communities can contribute by offering a different perspective on human nature, and develop a ‘quality of soul’ through prayer and compassion for the deep well-being of our fellow human beings. Childhood between the ages of 11 and 14 should be treated as a time of great potential, and thus assessed positively for what is possible. Ms Peach then went on to speak of the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program run by the Baha’i in Melbourne: ‘a spiritual problem needs a spiritual solution’, she argued.
Ms Ruvini Leitan a Law graduate from Monash University with a strong commitment to social justice and community engagement, responded briefly about the importance of education for the growth of respect, and exposure to new ideas.
Discussion was then opened to the floor, with some particularly passionate interventions offered by Mr Abraham Schwartz, who called for immediate action at a grassroots level. This, he argued, was far more effective than systematic programs: ‘who can I engage with now?’ These ‘over the back fence’ conversations and small, simple and immediate gestures are the things that shift attitudes. Several people, including Fr Denis Stanley and Cr Jim Cusack, responded positively to this idea.
Report prepared by:
Duncan Reid, Moonee Valley Interfaith Network