Religious morals vital for building peace and justice in te world

Anna Belesiotis, Common Ground News Service -- Partners in Humanity, Washington D.C.

As a first generation American, my family has maintained the traditional Greek customs they brought with them to the United States. Preserving these customs within my family has taught me the importance of knowing their origins so that the next generation can understand the significance of keeping these traditions alive. As I learn more about Greek customs, I discover more and more similarities between Arab and Greek culture.

From cuisine to folk dance, many of these traditions are so indistinguishable from one another that I feel at home in either culture. Despite my knowledge of our cultural similarities, I was unaware of a stronger tie religious Greeks and Arabs share: A firm devotion to our respective religions and a deep belief in living by God's principles.

Recently I was fortunate to have the opportunity to discover our common devotion to God through my friendships with six, Arab exchange students who studied at my college for six months, as part of a program funded by the State Department which provides them the opportunity to study in the U.S. for two years. During the six months they studied at Lewis and Clark College, I was fortunate not only to have learned about Islam, but also to have been inspired to become a firmer believer in my own Christian faith because I had the opportunity to experience another faith through those with a deep devotion to their religion.

From the day I was baptized into the Orthodox Church, I have considered my Orthodox identity to be as strong a part of my personality as my Greek ethnicity. In contrast, the Muslim students feel their religion is more important to them than their culture.

Although they are proud of being Arab, they are even prouder of being Muslim and put it before everything else. Muslims live by the Koran's principles for the same reason Christians live according to biblical teachings: To fulfill God's wishes for peace and justice throughout the world.

The students informed me that Islam is the last message from God, whose goal is to bring together all the people of the world so they can work for peace and justice. They told me God chose this method because it would have been difficult to have all people in different parts of the world join together to worship God in the same manner. As a result, God sent each people a prophet to establish each religion along a different path, all with the goal of promoting the same core principles of peace and justice.

The students also taught me that Islam is for everyone because it combines all cultures: black and white, Arab and non-Arab, poor and rich. There is no difference between an Arab and a non- Arab person but belief. As with followers of any religion, there are different ways in which Muslims believe and choose to worship God.

But all religions agree that the more a person believes, the better a person they are. And no matter which religion an individual believes in, our faith can inspire us to become better people when we follow our religion's teachings.

For instance, every religion teaches us to respect all people regardless of their faith, race, or social status. Even non- religious persons in western society acknowledge that increased awareness of other cultures and their beliefs leads to a greater understanding of our differences, and more importantly leads us to recognize the common beliefs all people share regardless of their particular faith. Respect for other cultures is the only way violence can be mitigated, peace accomplished and ignorance turned to knowledge.

It follows that by welcoming those of different faiths into western society, we can help create a positive image of the American people in Muslim societies. The Arab students told me that my eagerness to learn more about Arab culture and its relationship to Islam challenged their prior suppositions about Americans. They had not expected such curiosity about their countries and had thought Americans would be disrespectful of their beliefs.

Similarly, I did not expect to feel comfortable discussing religion with Muslims and was hesitant about how they would respect my own beliefs. Our friendship has instilled a positive image in my mind of Muslims and Arab culture that I would not have had if not for my eagerness to learn about and experience Islam from a Muslim perspective.

The students were proof that being a good representative of one's religion causes every person you encounter to have a positive image of that religion. Their incredible devotion to Islam, in conjunction with their fervent dedication to abide by God's teachings, inspired me to seek ways in which I could better exemplify the principles of my own faith.

The students taught me how peace and justice are spread every time you interact with others who behave according to religious morals, no matter what the religion. My friends' compassion gave me greater faith that peace and justice can exist between all societies.

The immediate respect we had for one another despite our religious differences is a demonstration of what just a little effort can lead to. By respecting Islam and Muslim people in our own country, we can begin sowing the seeds of understanding that will lead to peaceful, mutually beneficial relations with Muslim societies throughout the Arab world.

Anna Belesiotis is a senior at Lewis & Clark College, where she is studying international relations. She plans to continue her studies with a degree in international law.