Misinformation, disinformation and ignorance are what you might describe as the unholy trinity of religious intolerance.
They are the keys to religious fundamentalism around the world. The conflict between Palestinians and Jews in Gaza, the destruction of mosques in India, and the century-long terror in Northern Ireland can be traced back to religious intolerance and fundamentalism.
And in most cases, the use of religious language and symbols has been central to driving messages of hate to spur people into action.
Neighbour turns against neighbour, friend becomes foe, families are divided, all in the name of serving an invisible, almighty deity.
Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Jew – all are affected in the same way by misinformation, disinformation and ignorance.
Yet all claim to serve a God of love, mercy and compassion. Fiji has not been immune to religious intolerance.
The coups of 1987 and 2000 saw surges in Christian fundamentalism, as well as the use of biblical language concerning land ownership and the concepts of ownership and belonging.
Even today on social media, the degree of separation between a seemingly innocuous post about the national rugby team can descend—within three comments—into an all out religious and more often racial war.
Why? Because, despite our coexistence since 1879, governments, religious groups, communities, families, and individuals have not done enough to teach people about other faiths.
Faith leaders—often maintaining handling positions as holders of The Truth—fail to engage with other faiths.
In Fiji, the Christian faith alone appears intent on destroying other branches of Christianity on social media every day.
As individuals, we have failed to learn enough about our own faiths.
The use of scripture to turn minds is most effective when people do not know the basic tenets of their own faith.
Ignorance becomes a fertile breeding ground for intolerance and violence.
In a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country such as ours, ignorance and intolerance threaten national progress, unity, and prosperity.
We must look to our education system to teach an understanding and appreciation of other faiths.
This is not about conversion. It is about understanding the minds and hearts of our neighbours—their misconceptions and fears—and finding ways in which to reach out and help.
Learning about Fiji’s religions and cultures, belief systems and philosophy must be part of the curriculum through primary and secondary schools.
We must develop reading material—textbooks, stories— written for our people, by our people. In this way, we open our hearts and minds.
And we must develop a culture of reading, learning, discussion and understanding.
Our understanding of religious beliefs which underpin society must be more than a cursory chapter in Class Five social science.
We must strive to understand our neighbours. It is through greater understanding that we drive out the fear responsible for so much of our violent past.
Free of fear, we become able to love.
From a Christian perspective – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. And love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than this.
May I leave you with this from the great Rabindranath Tagore:
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, father, let my country awake.
