Throughout my stay in
Sierra Leone I have been exposed to several religious beliefs, all of which can
cohabitate the same households without issues. The religious acceptance in this
country is like nothing I have ever seen or heard of. Take my co-worker Rugi, for
example. Rugi was born and raised by a Muslim family with Muslim values, but
did not identify with certain aspect of the faith and, therefore, converted to
Christianity later on in life, all the while living in her parent’s home. Did
her parents disown her? No, absolutely not. They accepted her decision and
continued to love her for what she is - their daughter. I’ve also heard of
instances where two people of differing beliefs join in wedlock. I must say,
this initially blew my mind but really, should this not be the normative value
which we all adopt? Should that enigmatic attraction between two people not
transcend faith? Think of how much more peaceful the world would be if people
of different faiths would inter-marry, enjoy a cup of tea together, help each
other in time of need, and mingle like Smarties in a sundae.
Recently, I’ve been attending prayers at our locals
Mosques, which has been nothing short of amazing. Yes, I don’t understand what
the Imam is saying in Arabic, and yes, I am not a Muslim, but the energy
present at these prayers is powerful, intense, and something to bear witness to.
The dim lighting and elegant and mesmerizing Arabic recitals and humming so
easily captivate and relocate my mind to an inimitably serene and meditative state.
Coupled with the warm welcome, enthusiasm, and sense of refuge makes it
difficult to not want to return for more. Following prayer a few
days ago, the Imam told me “different faith, same God. Black, white, different
faith, we are the same you and I – human.” This blew my mind. Not because of the
uttered words, but because here I am in one of the least developed countries on
the planet with the highest rates of illiteracy, one of the most poorly funded
education systems in the world, a place where I’ve heard some miners say, “locals
that locals just don’t get “it,” and I’m graced with some of the wisest, most beautiful
assembly of words one could hope to hear. What “it” is he (the expat miner) was
referring to I’m not so sure because I would argue that people I meet everyday
have some of the most sophisticated principles and philosophies of life; a
greater understanding of what it means to be human and live in harmony with
each other. “We” in our ‘developed’ part of the world have yet to attain a
fraction of the acceptance which I experience daily in Salone. It’s an
unfortunate and entirely unjustified phenomenon to see the rise of Islamophobia
in many western states. It’s not only ludicrous but ignorant to paint an entire
faith in a negative light just because of a few bad apples. If this is to be
common practice, should we not then equally brand all faiths in the same
fashion? I think this is not only entirely unacceptable but would go insofar as
saying it’s criminal. I can first-handedly advocate that the Muslim community
has been nothing but welcoming, gentle, and very kind to me and Dave. Back home
we may have great social safety nets and programs, infrastructure, economies
(this can increasingly be debated, I know), and accountability and transparency
measures, but certain principles, values, and beliefs seem to be regressing to
archaic and vastly outdated times. Yes, we are developed in a very tangible and
physical way, but what about development of the mind, of our principles,
ideologies and beliefs? I guess it depends with whom you talk to, but I think the
west should adopt a revised definition of development, one that is predicated on
developing our minds to wholeheartedly love and accept- not tolerate- all
faiths and belief systems, and continue to applying these values in our homes,
occupations, and communities.
Photo a: A woman durin pray-day prayer
following Ramadan
Photo b: My colleague,
Oumarou, with his son following pray-day prayer.
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