‘Why Tolerate? Let’s Accept!'

“India is the most tolerant country in the world,” says Rabbi Ezekiel Malekar, priest and honorary secretary of the Judah Hyam Synagogue in Delhi. “Jews have been living here for the last 2,000 years without persecution, ever….The word ‘tolerance’ in Urdu is bardasht -- ‘mein tumhay bardasht kar raha hoon – I am tolerating you.’ Why not replace the word ‘tolerance’ with ‘acceptance?’
Malekar was addressing a session at the Times Of India Litfest on ‘The Speaking Tree: Modern Indian Search For Spirituality’.His son, he says, likes to be ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious’, and prefers to be compassionate, and give thanks to nature rather than offer prayers in a synagogue. “That’s youth for you,” he says, smiling: “What matters really is being a good human being”.
On the trajectory of spirituality in India today, the 27 year-old Maria Khan, PhD student of Islamic Theology, and member of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality, Delhi, says there is ample room for both traditional religion as well as do-it-yourself spirituality; one need not replace the other. And regarding the spurning of rituals by the young, she says many may not mind so long as a rational explanation is given.
She quotes from a Ramakrishna Mission monk who said that there is no escaping from problems in life; these are meant for a purpose -- to develop noble and spiritual character. Spirituality, she says, has three aspects. 1) It is the ability to manage any crisis we face in life. For example, when the Holy Prophet was faced with crisis and violence in Mecca, he migrated to another place and thereby managed the crisis. “Spirituality is not something separate from our life, it is part of it. There is no standard definition of spirituality. It is our own way to understand God, the world, and the universe around us. Modern discoveries of science help us understand the mysteries of the universe, God and creation.”
“Dialogue is vital” says Malekar. India is a land of nine religions, five from abroad. All five co-exist here as they have done for ages”. But, he pointed out that we pay only lip service to interfaith dialogue, whereas the urgent need is for intra-faith dialogue with so many differences within a faith that has many sects and sub-sects, often disagreeing with each other. Intra-faith talks can be followed by inter-faith discourse, he says.
“We must have value-based education where students are exposed to universal principles in all faith and religions, enabling them to understand and appreciate them,” he adds.
Should ancient scriptures be ‘re-applied’ to be more relevant in the modern context? Maria Khan spoke of the concept of Itjihad in Islam whereby scholars find a way to reinterpret scriptures to contemporarise their wisdom for greater relevance.
When a member of the audience asked Maria Khan on whether Islam sanctions the killing of kafirs (non-believers), she responded emphatically, “Nowhere does the Quran say killing a non-believer is all right.”