Initiatives of Change - 'Imam and Pastor' at Oslo University

The Muslim Student Society (MSS), the Oslo Students Christian Fellowship (OSCF), the Islamic Council of Norway (IRN) and Initiatives of Change (IofC) jointly sponsored a showing of “The Imam and the Pastor” on the Oslo University campus 14 April. Of the 100 who attended, the majority were Muslim students.

Shoaib Sultan, General-Secretary of IRN, introduced the film by saying that it showed the peace potential of religion at a time when religious conflict dominates the headlines. The aim of dialogue is not agreement but understanding, he concluded.

In the ensuing discussion Oddbjoern Leirvik, Professor of theology at Oslo University, said that the whole person has to be involved if trust-building is to succeed, and that the value of the film is that it speaks to both the head and the heart.

The leader of MSS, Miriam Javed, stressed the importance of bringing dialogue out of closed rooms and into the public arena. Refering to the masses of people in the film dancing together in the joy of reconciliation she said: 'We must ask the people of Norway to join such a dance.'

Speaking on behalf of IofC, Camilla Nelson invited everybody to the cultural dialogue in Caux this summer and the Peace Circles started by women in the IofC center in Oslo.