I had the opportunity during the holidays of seeing the film "Wadjda" which tells the story of an 11 year old girl in Saudi Arabia who dreams of owning a bicycle. The film well portrays the conservative nature of Saudi society and the confined place of women where there is often a conflict between  public and private life. It shows how the strict imposition of religious law can lead to hypocrisy.  But the story  is told with humour and its basic message is one of liberation and hope.  

Afterwards I happened to get talking with a woman who had seen the film and felt the need to share how much the film had upset and depressed her.  She was focussing on the position of women in Saudi society, equating it with women in Islam and felt the situation rather hopeless.  I, however, found the film very hopeful. For one thing it was the by first full-length feature film ever shot in Saudi Arabia by Saudi Arabia's first female film director and the credits stated that it had been filmed with the permission of a Saudi prince. This film is a critique of the place of women within the traditional society of Saudi Arabia and as such is a sign of hope.   It challenges the preconceived ideas of how Muslim women should dress and conduct themselves both in public and in private.  I am sure it will be considered controversial by many traditionalists  but it has surely opened up an area for discussion and debate which can only push boundaries and open up new horizons. 
 
Non-muslims often criticise the religion because of what they see as the oppression of women and point to traditional dress as proof of this.  This film shows that women in traditional societies struggle with the same kind of issues as other women do and are capable of criticising their own society and culture.  This kind of criticism is not alien to interreligious dialogue.  In dialogue we try to understand the other's perspective, particularly if we do not at first understand the culture or tradition and in some instances find it disturbing.  But we are also challenged to consider our own perspective and reconsider some our own religion's approach to questions such as the place of women.  Interreligious dialogue can lead to intra-religious dialogue and it is this dialogue which is transformative. "Wadjda" is a contribution to this intra-religious dialogue and a film that will challenge and uplift anyone who cares to watch it.

The holiday period has come to Scotland and with it some sunshine which is a welcome change.  Everything and everyone looks so much brighter, happier and friendlier.  Holidays are important in our lives.  Originally they would have been associated with holy days -  festivals which would have given a break from work to allow families and communities to come together to celebrate and remember significant moments in their community's life.  This was a way of reconnecting, of enjoying a change of routine and often diet, of taking time for fun and laughter away from the drudgery of normal living.  Today holidays are often an opportunity to visit new places and meet new friends.  But they have not lost their sacred significance as moments to renew and refresh our spirit as well as our bodies.  Today life is so hectic that people find it difficult to switch off even on holiday or their holidays themselves become a frantic pursuit of new experiences and new challenges. The Jewish community can teach us something  about switching off.  Every week Jews observe the Sabbath, a day on which they rest from normal work to spend time with their family and, for those who are religious,  to give time to prayer and study of the scriptures.  They do this in imitation of God who, according to the scriptures, rested on the seventh day of creation and commanded His people to do likewise.  Resting for the Jewish community, and for all those who follow the Judaeo-Christian tradition,  is a divine act, an act of worship, an act of renewal and celebration.  This celebration of Sabbath tells me that often there is a deeply human truth hidden in what seems to be a religious belief or ritual. We all need Sabbath times, holidays and holy days to renew and refresh our spirit, to savour and enjoy life. Without these our work will be ineffective and we will be in danger of suffering burn-out or some other illness.  But we also need Sabbath moments—moments when we can be quiet, still the mind and return to the space within us to restore our spirit and get in touch with our inner wisdom. And Buddhism offers a practice for doing just this. Mindfulness, focusing on the present moment is now used by the NHS to help people who are depressed or have a mental illness. It is something we could all do with practising.

I went to see the film 'Keeping the Faith' in  a church hall recently.  The film is about a rabbi and a priest who are good friends and are reunited with a childhood friend (a woman) and, as you might expect, they  both fall in love with her.  It is  a romantic comedy and very enjoyable.  It covers a lot of issues such as celibacy, Jewish - Christian relations, the difference between faith and religion, personal integrity.  The point of showing the film was to get people talking about these issues. The first comment in the discussion that followed was that friendship between Christians and Jews was OK in America but not here. And why not?  Because Jews in Britain are stand offish, keep to themselves and don't want to get involved with anyone else.  Then there followed a series of complaints along the lines of catholic schools are watering down the faith, Scotland's  no longer a Christian country, Christians are being too accommodating to other faiths. Not everyone was as negative - some people thought that it was good that Christians of the Catholic variety were more open than they were in the past.  But there was an air of elitism in the discussion, a subtle putting others down, a suggestion that they were not quite as good as we are. I found the whole thing quite disheartening.  I did try to  point out the good work done by the Council of Christians and Jews, the opportunities that there are to meet people of different faiths but I am not sure how seriously I was taken.  The final story of the night was of a visit to a Mosque and being given a Qu'ran (and we would never give anyone a copy of the catechism if they came to visit us), of being told about the greatness of Allah, how good Allah was, what gifts Allah had given us.  When asked repeatedly why Allah was so good the answer that God was merciful was not enough.  The correct answer we were told was God is Love  " and that's what's missing in Islam".  Obviously the speaker didn't think mercy a quality of love. Nor had he heard of the open letter from 134 Muslim scholars to Pope Benedict asking for mutual understanding between Christianity and Islam and suggesting that the basis for this understanding can be found in the common principles of the religions: "Love of the one God, and love of the neighbour". 

Diana Eck has said that people of every religious tradition depend upon one another to interpret one another fairly and accurately. "We are the keepers of one another’s image …. This is a sacred trust ". There was no sense of this in that Church Hall and an opportunity was missed to further understanding and respect.

Last week the home of Bah'u'llah in Iraq was destroyed.  It did not make the national news and perhaps it has not even been noticed by any community apart from the Baha'is.  Bah'u'llah is the founder of the Baha'i faith. He was born and grew up in Iran but was exiled from his homeland and lived for ten years in Baghdad where many people were attracted by his teaching and spirituality.  His home in Baghdad is regarded as sacred by Baha'is the world over. This is not the first time or the first community to experience the destruction of its holy  sites nor will it be the last.  But why do people do such things?  At present it is not known who did it.  The house is in the control of Shiah Muslims and the area is a place of Shiah pilgrimage but this does not mean that it was Shiah Muslims who did it.  Whoever did it is not likely to be a true believer. A true believer would recognise the sacredness of the house and its importance for people of faith even if that faith is not their own.  All religions have their  places of pilgrimage, places which help them get in touch with the story of their origins, help them re-member and strengthen their sense of belonging, help them deepen their faith.  To lose a sacred sight is a tragedy and its destruction seems to be a deliberate act of hate and a denial of the freedom of religion.  Houses of course are only  bricks and mortar and it is the living stones of any the faith that keeps it alive.  Unfortunately examples of religious people killing religious people abound and cannot be ignored by those of us engaged in interreligious dialogue.  It is painful to contemplate and we do so with a heavy heart, recognising the dark side of religion, including our own.  Buddhists talk about Bodhisattvas - beings who sacrifice their lives for the good of all sentient beings. One of these is called Avolektisvara whose name means He who hears the cries of the world.  In China the name is Kuan Yin, female and known as the Goddess of Mercy.  To engage in interreligious dialogue is also to listen to the cries of the world, to feel its pain and to try to sow a seed for dialogue and unity.