Initiatives of Change - People Building Trust

At the beginning of our 21st century, how to live together with our differences seems to be a growing challenge. Globalization is not helping to smooth out our possible conflicts but, on the contrary, seems to be arousing reflexes about affirming identity. In the face of a sense of insecurity or injustice in the world as we see it today, people who are similar or share the same interests are strongly tempted to stick together. Is this a threat to social cohesion in our countries or to peace in the world?

In particular there seems to be a split developing between people or countries of the Muslim faith and those whom one could broadly describe as the West. The attacks in the United States in September 2001, followed by those in Madrid, Bali and elsewhere, the war in Iraq and the Middle East, the controversy over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, the Pope’s declaration at Ratisbonne, the persecution of Christian minorities in countries with a Muslim majority: all give the impression of a worsening situation. In France it is becoming urgent to forge links between the different social and cultural elements which are separated by walls of prejudice, fear or mistrust.

In the French Initiatives of Change team some 20 French of North African and ‘native’ stock try to bring an answer through an Initiative Dialogue programme. Ten years of a faithful, listening approach and availability, despite busy lives, have enabled them to know and appreciate each other, to talk at a deep level and to create relationships of trust. Joyful, convivial parties have played a part, especially around generous meals offered by Muslim families. Particularly memorable was the Christmas party organized a couple of years ago by Christians at the request of their Muslim friends, who wanted to know more about the deep meaning of this religious feast.

Since September 2001 the group has instituted ‘heart-pouring’ meetings to reveal the inner turmoil aroused by the difficult events referred to above. Openness but also humility about oneself or the failings of one’s cultural group are key. ‘The deeper one goes into what one feels, naming clearly the hurts, the more we experience one another at a deep level,’ emphasizes Alain, an elder in the group. ‘In some of our discussions, we like to be quiet after we have given full rein to words and emotions,’ adds Nathalie. ‘Together we are then ready for the unexpected idea or sudden flash of wisdom coming from one or other of us in the silence. This helps us to put things into perspective, not to be driven by our bitterness or first reactions and to remain, each at our own level, builders of bridges between people. It offers an antidote, casting out such old demons as the partisan spirit, the doubt whether we will ever come to understand one another, insidious mistrust of the other person, the desire to convert that person to one’s own point of view.’

‘Thanks to this group, I have moved on in my mind from the status of foreign immigrant to that of French citizen,’ confides Raoudha, Tunisian mother and trainer of professional counsellors in integration. ‘I have found allies with whom to build a form of citizenship, together with the tools and determination to do it.’

‘Meeting my North African friends, many of whom had to leave their country, has led me to re-evaluate the privilege of having a country where I feel at home,’ explains Nathalie, who lives with her family in a comfortable town west of Paris. ‘I have wondered what kind of France I would have belonged to if I had not been able to create meaningful links with people from a culture quite different from mine, transcending images and ideas inherited from a particular family and colonial past.’

Erwan, who is now coordinator of the Initiative Dialogue programme, remembers his first meeting with the dialogue circle nearly two years earlier. It was a decisive beginning for this young engineer. ‘The theme was to share one of the fundamental values of my life. I had never had the opportunity to participate in exchanges in the presence of women who were wearing the Islamic headscarf,’ he recalls. ‘I was surprised and touched to see them nodding as I described what was important to me.’

For Fékri, Raoudha’s husband, ‘the value of Initiative Dialogue lies in the art of initiating change within people, helping them to work on how they see themselves and others and sharpening their sense of responsibility in relation to their environment.’

These thoughts have led to initiatives. Fékri, who teaches English in Coignières, which is set in a large Parisian banlieue (suburb) in which 70% of the population is of immigrant origin, set up an association to help Muslims find ways to meet specific needs such as setting up school support and establishing a prayer room in a place granted by the local authorities. Béchir and his wife Jamila founded the association Espace Savoir Synergie (Experience Synergy Group) which aims to support young Muslim executives who want to actively play their role in living together in harmony in France. Activities such as a visit to the European Parliament, meeting members of parliament and exploring the cathedral in Chartres, a French architectural and historical jewel, have helped them to understand better some of the constituent elements of their adoptive country. Samia is involved in training Muslim Scouts using her experience with the Initiatives of Change programme, Education for Peace. Raoudha provides support for marginalized youngsters in her neighbourhood.

At the end of May 2008 the group gave a presentation at the International Salon of Peace Initiatives, held in Paris as part of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace. The theme of the presentation was ‘Do we have to be alike to share the same citizenship?’ ‘No,’ replies Nathalie, ‘but we must agree on a number of points: I will mention four of them. Firstly, we must hold onto the desire for a shared future and unite around a common project. All of us here dream of a society extending to the far corners of Europe in which we can live together in harmony.

‘Secondly, we must welcome diversity as a sign of the times, a point of no return. We can even speak of humanity’s heritage, which we want to respect and learn how to manage. But it would be counterproductive if we were too quick to judge those who struggle to accept this. All the material and social changes which have affected our ways of life over the last 30 years have shaken the roots of individuals, families and society to such an extent that it is understandable if many people feel threatened by the irruption of new cultures within their society of origin. We want to contribute to mutual acceptance of differences in this country.

‘Thirdly, we must be open to learning and try to understand the other person’s inner logic. My thoughts and the way I see things are not the be-all and end-all. Lastly, we must unite on the basis of common values which speak to the hearts of everyone.’

The great challenge for members of the Initiative Dialogue team is to spread what they have learned. It is also their ambition to define a new European citizenship which would allow everyone, while remaining faithful to their own heritage, to be open and to adapt to the difference and diversity which are now the defining mark of our society.

Translated by Mary Jones and Lyndsay Collinge