Aren’t you just a little curious?
Ever since I can remember listening, there hasn’t been a shortage of news about people or organizations getting attacked for their religious choices. This week is no different with the most recent attacks on a Gatineau mosque.
I’m struggling as I write this because attacks like this are often rooted in ignorance and ignorance can lead to hate, but hate is difficult to simplify when you can’t even understand how people can be brought to do such things.
So instead, I’ll focus on something (or someone) that I do understand – me. (most days)
I had the opportunity to interview Dan Tisch, APR, FCPRS recently about his appointment as Global Alliance chair (an international umbrella organization for PR organizations including CPRS). He also attended the first-ever Global Congress for Muslim PR Practitioners held in Malaysia in December. Read his blog post here.
What struck me is when Dan was telling me about the sessions and how it resonated with why I became a PR practitioner – to face real challenges and to help tell real stories. Real PR is not about the ridiculously outdated notion of spin.
The congress was an inclusive event as the organizers invited non-Muslims “who are interested in gaining truthful knowledge of the Public Relations developments affecting the spheres of economics, social and politics of the Muslim World.”
Truth makes your choices about what to communicate obvious. Either it is truth or it isn’t.
There’s no such thing as shades of the truth, which is why “truthiness” is not a real thing.
Actually, years ago I was surprised by something I read about Stephen Colbert – not the character living in truthiness, but the real person who plays the character. He is a real-life devout Catholic.
In interviews he’s given, he talks about how he had two intellectual parents who encouraged their kids to question authority, even when it came to their church. So while, he lives as a real-life Catholic, it doesn’t stop him from challenging the religion on his show.
So here’s my truth.
I think I started questioning authority within religion when I heard a story told in private as a kid by a priest saying basically said it doesn’t matter what religion anyone belongs to. He said when you get to heaven you’ll be surrounded by Muslims, Jews, Sikhs…basically saying we’re all the same.
Of course I was young and wasn’t paying a lot of attention to things.
In fact, it wasn’t until recently that I found out there is a mosque in a community close to where I grew up. I heard about it through a friend who used to go to it with his family.
It was part of my own ignorance, not realizing that there was much more diversity surrounding me than I realized.
Or maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t know enough to think it was different.
Regardless I wasn’t looking for it, so it’s no surprise that I never knew it was there. Had I known though, maybe I would have wanted to go inside. And I would not even have known how to make that happen.
Sometimes what we consider the most challenging has the simplest answer.
To go inside, just like any other building, the door was a pretty good bet.
So last summer I participated in Doors Open Toronto where a bunch of places around the city literally open their doors to the public.
There were a few other religious buildings that I wanted to go in, but only managed to go to a mosque. It was the closest to my neighbourhood in a time when I was still having to give myself a lot of “getting lost in Toronto until I find the place” time.
The mosque had opened their doors and they were surprised by how much traffic went through the place. Many people said the same thing as me, “I didn’t think I could come in before today.”
Some time after (during Ramadan) all of the attendees received an email inviting them back to share a feast. I jumped at the opportunity to secretly observe amongst the crowd.
I was told that there were four of us who sent an RSVP but as it turned out that day one person from the threesome fell ill and had to cancel. So it ended up being just me.
They gave instructions on dressing modestly and a hijab was given as a gift to wear.
I was so excited to go back, the absolutely last thing I wanted to do was be disrespectful in any way. I actually forgot that I should have had my arms covered but no one said anything and when I brought it up, they said it was OK because I was a guest.
During the breaking of the fast, I sat at a table with three families, sitting to the direct left of the imam. The imam spoke better English than he get himself credit for and the questions just kept coming from me.
It was a beautiful evening where I had a chance to ask some questions about things I always wondered about and got very honest answers.
I was even invited back to the final picnic of Ramadan but because it was at a park not easily accessible on transit and because of other commitments, sadly I wasn’t able to go.
How about exploring those things that pique your curiosity in 2012?
I am infinitely curious and while I still have many questions, I can tell you that the best part of all this was that something unknown (because of my own ignorance) became known. And that’s the best feeling of all.
