Mystic Mantra: Religion and ‘the other’
The issue of dealing with refugees is becoming serious in Europe today. Apart from answering why certain people have become refugees, our religions provide us solid ground to come to the rescue of these “others” — our own brothers and sisters. The experience of being at a langar at Bangla Sahib gurdwara, near the place where I worked in Delhi, is undoubtedly one of the best I have ever had. For, at every gurdwara, one is not only fed at any time of the day, but everyone there is treated equally.
Similarly, zakat in Islam is a great practice. Zakat means to purify one’s possession of wealth by distributing a prescribed amount to the poor, the indigent, the slaves or captives, and the wayfarer. In Hinduism, “daan” means giving something valuable to others and is differently explained as paropkar (benevolent deed); dakshina (gift) and bhiksha (alms).
I now live in Europe, at an institute run by the Church which currently houses more than 100 refugees, all of them belonging to another religion. It is a nice experience of living an integrated life. And often, even those of us who believe in our religion, leave charity to just a few in the community, carrying on with our lives as if this responsibility can be transferred.
Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of Parliament of Religion, can be contacted at frdominic@gmail.com